[For 5-Year-Olds] Recommended Indoor Play! A Collection of Exciting Games
On days when the weather or temperature keeps you from going outside, you end up spending more time indoors, right?
If you’re a teacher looking to incorporate activities that kids can enjoy indoors, this is a must-read.
Here are some recommended indoor play and game ideas for five-year-olds.
From activities that let them move their bodies to ones that make them think, and ones that deepen their interactions with friends—this is a roundup of perfect games for five-year-olds, a time when language skills, motor skills, and social skills grow rapidly!
No special preparation is needed—there are plenty of games you can enjoy right away.
If you add arrangements to suit the children, it will be even more exciting.
Be sure to try playing together!
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[For 5-Year-Olds] Recommended Indoor Play! A Roundup of Exciting Games (61–70)
Bomb game
The excitement just won’t stop! Here’s a fun idea for a bomb game.
It’s a great way to build concentration and decision-making skills while playing.
All you need is a device that can play music and a ball or balloon.
Have the participants stand in a circle facing each other.
While the music is playing, pass the ball to the person next to you.
When the music stops, whoever is holding the ball loses—simple as that.
It’s sure to be a hit with preschool classes!
Mukkuri Kuma-san
Let’s enjoy traditional nursery rhymes! Here’s an idea using “Mukkuri Kuma-san.” Warabe-uta are traditional Japanese children’s songs that are fun because adults and kids can sing and play together.
They have a good rhythm, simple lyrics and melodies, and are easy for children to remember.
For Mukkuri Kuma-san, choose one child to be the bear, and have the other children hold hands and walk in a circle around the bear.
When the song ends, the bear chases everyone.
The person tagged by the bear becomes the next bear.
big-game hunting
Get the fun going! Here are some ideas for the game “Mōjūgari” (Wild Beast Hunt).
It’s a great way to explore number concepts while playing, so we highly recommend it! The call-and-response is done by having children repeat the teacher’s or caregiver’s lines, so keeping it simple and easy to understand is key.
Rules: The teacher or caregiver tells the children the name of an animal.
The children then form groups and sit down in numbers that match the number of letters in the animal’s name specified by the teacher or caregiver.
Start with animals that have fewer letters, and once they get used to it, switch to animals with more letters so they won’t get bored.
Lick of ice cream
Aim for the goal while keeping your balance! Here’s an idea for “Ice Cream Lick.” It’s a fun relay perfect for a 5-year-old’s sports day, featuring a quirky, eye-catching ice cream with lots of impact.
Place a large ice cream made from colored plastic bags on a giant cone, and carry it to the finish while maintaining balance! Kids can enjoy it as a relay on their own, or you can adapt it into a parent-child event.
Work together and head for the goal!
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
A classic kids’ game: the “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train.” Here’s how to play.
First, play some music and have everyone walk freely around the room.
When the music stops, find a nearby friend and play rock-paper-scissors.
The person who loses stands behind the winner and places both hands on the winner’s shoulders.
Repeat this, and the person who ends up at the front at the end is the winner! It’s a simple game, but before you know it, everyone’s hooked—great fun as a recreation activity.
Pun Quiz
It’s like a riddle and so much fun! Here are some ideas for pun quizzes.
Using puns, you can learn words while sharing a laugh—such a unique approach.
For example, for the question “What card game is a tiger playing?” the answer would be “toranpu” (a pun on ‘tiger’ and the Japanese word for playing cards, ‘trump’), so try coming up with punny answers like that.
By twisting words to produce funny answers, kids can develop their creativity.
You can enjoy the charm of wordplay with family and friends while building vocabulary and a sense of humor! Try thinking together from easy questions to slightly tricky ones, and find the answers while laughing.
Handkerchief-snatching game
Even the classic “handkerchief snatch” game—perfect for playing indoors on rainy days—can be enjoyed in many variations depending on the rules.
In this version, players sit on chairs facing each other with their knees almost touching, place a handkerchief in the middle, and grab it when the whistle blows.
You can play with many people or run it as a two-person tournament.
There’s also an advanced variation where someone keeps chatting to distract the players and blows the whistle when their attention drifts.
It’s a highly recommended game that lets everyone have fun while training reflexes and motor skills!
