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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.

Indoor play and game ideas, and group activity ideas that 5-year-olds like (51–60)

balloon volleyball

@bear_kids_official

Group developmental support: “Balloon Volleyball.” We use balloon play to develop motor skills and sense of balance. By cooperating as a team, children cultivate social skills and cooperation, while also improving concentration and attention.#BalloonVolleyballChild Development SupportAfter-school day service# developmental support (ryōiku)

♪ Original Song – BEAR KIDS – BEAR KIDS 🧸 Child Development Support / After-School Day Service

Tap the pom-poms and balloons to build motor skills and balance! Here’s a balloon volleyball idea.

All you need is a net and some balloons.

It’s a fun way to get moving! With this simple game using a net and balloons, kids will try not to let the balloon fall, reacting quickly and working to send it into the opponent’s court.

It not only boosts physical ability, but also serves as a great activity for learning cooperation and teamwork.

Give it a try!

Balloon Carry Relay

@bear_kids_official

We held a “Balloon Carry Relay,” fostering the ability to cooperate with friends and encouraging a consultative, collaborative attitude. The children called out to one another and worked together while matching their timing. This relay is effective for improving cooperation skills and sense of balance.After-school day serviceChild Development SupportCooperativenessSense of balance

♪ Original Song – BEAR KIDS – BEAR KIDS 🧸 Child Development Support / After-School Day Service

Here’s a fun balloon-carrying relay where you work together with a friend.

Form pairs, hold a balloon between two paper cups so it doesn’t fall, and carry it to the goal—simple and enjoyable! If your strength and speed aren’t in sync, the balloon may drop along the way and you might not make it to the goal, so communicate with each other and aim for the finish.

If you drop the balloon, start again from where it fell.

Make sure you have plenty of space and be careful not to bump into friends.

Doing it in teams is also recommended.

Come-here game

[Toddler Play] “Come here, come here” game — a play activity that even 3-year-olds can do!
Come-here game

Even though the rules are super simple, let’s try playing the “Come Here, Come Here Game,” which kids are guaranteed to love! Divide into a teacher and children.

The teacher gently beckons to the children, saying “Come here, come here.” While the teacher is saying it, the children move slowly toward the teacher without running.

When the teacher suddenly says, “Come here, come here…

It’s a ghost!” the children have to run away so they don’t get caught.

Once everyone gets used to it, you can make it even more exciting by faking them out with similar-sounding words to “ghost,” like “pot” or “mother.”

Moving House Game

[For toddlers, simple, movement play] Moving House Game
Moving House Game

Let’s move to a distant base! Here’s an idea for a “Moving House” game.

In this game, the cue word is “Moving House,” and children simply move from one mat to another.

Once they get used to it, teachers or guardians can try to interrupt them along the course.

The fun part is seeing whether they can complete the move while avoiding the teachers or guardians! It’s also a great idea for deepening bonds among the children by giving them a shared goal.

Indoor activities and games that 5-year-olds love, plus group play ideas (61–70)

Treasure-Grabbing Game

[Peripheral vision] [Decision-making] Train while playing! Fun for everyone from toddlers to adults!
Treasure-Grabbing Game

Let’s play with excitement! Here’s an idea for a treasure-grabbing game.

This unique activity can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, so teachers and guardians should join in with the children and have fun together.

It’s a simple game where you spread two colors of hula hoops around the room and move markers into the hula hoops of your team color.

The key rule is that only one marker can be placed inside each hula hoop! Give it a try!

drawing relay

[Drawing Relay 🎨] A telephone game with pictures! If we fail… 🍽️😱 / epi.267 #ChoTokimekiSendenbu #ChoTokisen
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!

Chestnut Ogre

'Chestnut Tag (Kuri-Oni)': Hugely popular with both preschoolers and elementary school kids! Introducing a tag game perfect for livening things up—also ideal as a warm-up!!
Chestnut Ogre

A tag game perfect for autumn! Here’s an idea called Chestnut Tag (Kuri Oni).

It’s similar to Freeze Tag, but the twist is that you transform into a chestnut! Choose one person to be ‘it’ (the oni), and everyone else runs to avoid being tagged.

If you’re about to be tagged, you can transform into a chestnut to create a barrier.

If a teammate touches you, you can start running again.

However, if you get tagged before transforming into a chestnut, move to the spectator area.