Ideas for indoor activities and group games that 5-year-olds like
For teachers looking for play ideas on days when the weather or temperature keeps you indoors and you’re wondering, “What should I play with the children today?”, this is a must-read.
This time, we’re sharing plenty of indoor play ideas recommended for 5-year-olds.
From group activities that let children move their bodies to the fullest while enjoying interactions with friends, to games that encourage deep focus and thinking, to make-and-play toy crafts suited to the fine-motor skills of 5-year-olds—there’s a wide variety of indoor activities that deliver a sense of satisfaction!
Add your own twists to match the children’s moods and needs, and it will be even more exciting.
Use these ideas as inspiration and have fun together!
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Ideas for indoor activities and group games that 5-year-olds enjoy (1–10)
Paper Airplane Throwing
Let’s have fun flying paper airplanes! There are so many ways to fold them, even though they’re all called paper airplanes.
Depending on the folding method, you can make ones that fly incredibly far, or ones that come back like a boomerang.
Flying them is fun, but folding airplanes together while chatting is enjoyable too.
Try making lots of big and small ones and see how they fly!
Gesture Game
A game where you express a prompt using only body movements without saying it out loud, and others guess the prompt, is called the “gesture game.” It’s recommended for preschoolers in the middle to senior age range who know lots of words.
Watching how children choose to express the prompt—their free and inventive ideas—makes it an enjoyable recreation for observers as well.
karuta game
Let’s try making a set of karuta cards with five-year-olds as the main participants.
The key point for expanding this into an SDGs activity is to align the karuta content with the SDGs.
Of course, the teacher can create the content, but drawing on the children’s ideas will likely produce some interesting concepts! Before making the karuta, it will go more smoothly if you provide plenty of opportunities to learn about the SDGs using picture-story shows or books.
Have the children draw the illustrations as well.
The finished karuta will be completely original to your preschool! The children will feel attached to it and enjoy playing with it.
Indoor play and group game ideas that 5-year-olds love (11–20)
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.
Target shooting game
Let’s play a target-shooting game you can make with a milk carton! You’ll need a milk carton, scissors, a stapler, rubber bands, and colored paper, etc.
Cut off the top and bottom of the milk carton and use only the side panels.
Take one panel and staple one end to make a launcher for the rubber band.
Take the other panel, cut it to any size you like, and decorate it with colored paper to make the targets.
You can also assign points to the targets and see how many points you can score to make it even more fun.
Fruits Basket
It’s a classic group game for children, a variation of musical chairs.
The children sit on chairs arranged in a circle facing inward, with one child standing in the middle.
Each child is assigned the name of a fruit, and the child in the middle calls out a fruit name.
The children with that fruit name must stand up and move to a different chair.
The child who can’t find a seat switches places and becomes the one standing in the middle.
The excitement peaks when the caller shouts “Fruit Basket!” and everyone has to stand up at once!
Handmade toy: fishing
A fishing game that kids love.
Use handmade toys to make it even more exciting.
Crabs and fish can be made cute and easily by using googly-eye stickers sold at 100-yen shops.
Paste origami on empty yogurt or jelly cups to make crabs and turtles.
For fish, crumple origami paper and put it inside plastic to give them a 3D look.
Jellyfish made from toilet paper rolls are also adorable.
Lay out a blue tarp as the sea, arrange your creatures, and have a blast fishing them with magnets!
