Ideas for indoor activities, games, and group play that 5-year-olds enjoy
At age five, children deepen their friendships through play—cooperating with peers and becoming aware of others’ feelings—while developing social skills and teamwork.
In this article, we’re sharing indoor play ideas that are perfect for the developmental needs of five-year-olds.
We’ve gathered a wide range of activities: energetic games that get kids moving, activities that nurture thoughtful problem-solving, and simple DIY toy-making ideas that are easy to create and fun to play with.
We’re focusing on activities that encourage communication with friends during play, so use these ideas as a reference and enjoy meaningful time with the children.
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Indoor play and game ideas, and group activity ideas that 5-year-olds like (51–60)
drawing relay
Here’s a drawing relay that everyone can get excited about.
Split into teams, and only the first person looks at the prompt.
The first person draws the prompt and passes it on to the next player.
The next player interprets the drawing and conveys it to the following player with another drawing.
The team whose final player’s drawing matches the original prompt the fastest wins.
It’s best to use simple prompts that are easy for kids to understand.
You can enjoy this game indoors or outdoors, so grab some paper and felt-tip pens and give it a try!
gomudan
Here’s how to play Gomu-dan (rubber band jumping).
First, prepare a flat elastic band, and have two people hold the ends.
Let’s start with a simple jump-over game.
Hold the band at ankle height and jump over it.
Even if your feet catch on the band, it’s a success as long as you make it through to the other side.
Try different ways of jumping, like two-footed jumps, backward two-footed jumps, and cartwheel jumps! You can also raise the height to increase the difficulty and excitement.
Be sure to keep the band pulled tight—if it’s slack, it can be dangerous.
Plastic Bottle Bowling
Let us introduce PET bottle bowling, an easy game to enjoy at parties and more.
Line up plastic bottles like bowling pins, then throw a ball and try to knock them down.
Compete by seeing how many bottles you can topple.
It’s a good idea to adjust the weight of the ball according to the players’ ages.
You can also put a little water in the bottles for added challenge and excitement.
Writing point values on the bottles and competing for scores, or playing in teams, can make it even more fun!
Signaling Game
Here’s a traffic-signal game everyone can play.
The rules are: blue = march in place one step, red = crouch quickly, yellow = shake your head and look around, and any other color = do nothing.
Choose one person as the leader.
The leader calls out a signal color, and the other participants perform the corresponding action.
The game gets more exciting if you increase the speed and keep a good rhythm! It’s recommended to start at a slower pace at first.
Indoor activities and games that 5-year-olds love, plus group play ideas (61–70)
Animal Role-Playing Game
Let me introduce the Animal Role-Play Game, where you pretend to be animals.
The rules are simple: you become the animal given as the prompt and play by running around cones or avoiding obstacles.
Because you move your whole body, it can really liven up parties and gatherings.
Wearing animal masks or making animal sounds while you play is also recommended.
When you start the game, make sure to secure a spacious area and play safely to avoid injuries!
Paper airplane throwing
Here’s a paper airplane throwing game that kids and adults alike can enjoy.
Let’s fold paper airplanes using origami paper or flyers.
The size of the paper matters, too.
One of the fun parts of paper airplane throwing is that the flight distance changes depending on how you fold and throw it! If your flight distance isn’t improving, you might discover ways to make it go farther by trying again and again.
Try a variety of games using paper airplanes, such as high-score battles, cup knockdowns, dog-run catches, and pair catches!
Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors
@kidschallengeclub Introducing Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors! It’s a game where you keep playing rock-paper-scissors with lots of different people and evolve step by step! If you become a god within the time limit, you win! The kids suddenly start imitating grandpas and grandmas, and it’s so authentic I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s that kind of fun game!evolutionEvolution Rock-Paper-ScissorsRock-paper-scissorsRock-Paper-Scissors Gamebaby#GrandmaGodInteresting
Invincibly Cute – Naoki Endo
An amusing game where you evolve by winning rock-paper-scissors: “Evolution Janken.” Aim to become a god within the time limit! Everyone starts as a baby.
Since you’re a baby, you crawl to move and play rock-paper-scissors with people you meet.
If you win, you evolve and can move by hands-and-knees crawling.
If you lose, keep belly-crawling and look for your next opponent.
It goes like this: belly-crawl, hands-and-knees crawl, bear walk, adult, elderly person, and finally, you become a god and the game ends.
Evolve within the time limit!