[For Kids] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
Have you ever heard of “Hōdei”? It’s short for “after-school day service,” a welfare service that provides necessary support tailored to each school-age child with disabilities or children whose development is a concern.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for indoor games that kids can enjoy at after-school day services.
You’ll find lots of fun, educational ideas—from group activities to enjoy with friends to games that kids can focus on independently.
Be sure to give them a try!
- Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games
- Elementary School Fun Day a Big Hit! Indoor Game Idea Collection
- [Elementary School] Recommended Ideas for Morality Games: Learn Through Play
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- [Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Upper Primary Grades
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [Elementary School] Treasure Discovered! A Collection of DIY Puzzle Treasure Hunt Ideas
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- Indoor games for parents and children: fun activities that use the body and the mind
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for junior high school students
- Recommended Recreations and Indoor Games for High School Students
[For Children] A Special Feature on Indoor Game Ideas to Enjoy at After-School Day Services (41–50)
Card-flipping race
Here’s a fun, active card-flipping race.
Prepare 20 to 30 round cards made by sticking white paper on one side and black paper on the other.
Split into two teams—White and Black—with equal numbers of players.
Lay the cards out randomly, then within a set time limit, flip the cards to your team’s color.
Since the goal is to flip as many cards as possible within the time limit, the team that flips more cards wins! You can also increase the number of cards or change the colors to make it even more exciting.
Sandwich Game
Here’s an idea for a “Sandwich Game” that’s a guaranteed hit in after-school care.
Adults holding mattresses play the “bread,” while the kids each become their favorite sandwich “fillings” and run around.
The rules are simple: when you sandwich a child with the mattress, you just say, “I’ll eat you!” And somehow, that’s all it takes to get everyone excited.
Both the chasers and the runners go all-in.
The kids dash around to avoid getting sandwiched, warming up both body and mind.
Even without elaborate setups, the thrill of almost getting caught and the fast pace make it a perfect group game for active days.
2-beat 3-beat game
A brain-training hand game where you keep different rhythms with each hand at the same time: the “2-beat/3-beat game.” For example, with your left hand you move up and down to mark a 2-beat rhythm, while with your right hand you trace a triangle to mark a 3-beat rhythm.
Each hand alone is easy, but doing both together is guaranteed to scramble your brain! Start slowly, then gradually increase the speed as you get used to it.
You can adjust the difficulty by switching hands or reversing the movements.
The surprising difficulty will make you laugh, and the sense of accomplishment when you succeed is addictive.
It’s also great for seniors’ brain training, party entertainment, or as an icebreaker at work.
6 Easy Indoor Activities You Can Enjoy
When rainy weather continues or the heat keeps you indoors, kids can’t move their bodies as much and may start to feel stressed.
Here are some recommended indoor activities that get them moving.
Try simple seated games like “Tonton Surisuri” or finger-play exercises to combine light gymnastics with brain training.
For example, with Tonton Surisuri, sit down and lightly pat one thigh with one hand while you make a fist with the other hand and rub the other thigh.
Doing two different actions at the same time is said to help build attention and provide brain-training benefits.
Give these easy exercises a try and have fun staying active indoors.
Clap-Clap Game
Let me introduce the Clap-Clap Game that always gets the class excited.
The rules are simple: the leader moves both hands, and the participants watch the leader’s movements and clap their hands exactly when the leader’s hands overlap.
It’s a game where you enjoy clapping in sync with the timing.
Carefully observe the leader’s movements and match your timing.
It’s also important for the leader to be creative with their motions to make the game more exciting.
Even if someone claps at the wrong time, it turns into laughter and makes the game even more fun.
Bomb Game
Children dash past, laughing, “Run for it!” That’s the thrilling scene of the Bomb Game.
Place mats for the start and finish, and if you make it across while dodging the rolling balls, you succeed.
The rules are simple, but by gradually increasing the balls’ speed, throwing in feints, or changing the timing, it stays fresh and exciting every time.
Each playthrough builds problem-solving—“How should I dodge?”—and trains not only physical ability but also reflexes and concentration.
It’s safe to play indoors, and the easy setup is another big plus.
Cooperation-Required Cup Game
@.vs9086 This time it’s a “cooperation-required cup game”! Materials: • 4 strings • 1 rubber band • Paper or plastic cups How to play: • Attach the 4 strings to the rubber band. • Line up the paper cups. • Tug the rubber band from four directions to grip the cup and stack them into a pyramid. This game builds fine hand control and concentration. Plus, one person can take the lead by giving instructions, and the other listens and responds. You can’t do it unless the two of you work together. My second son isn’t very cooperative and hasn’t really had experiences of accomplishing something together with friends, so I hope that, even through play, he can gradually gain experiences of achieving something with someone else. If you have paper cups, you can also branch out into other games like: • Sport stacking • Bowling ————— We share fun brain-boosting activities that elementary schoolers will get more absorbed in than a Switch—and that help grow their talents! Check out the other posts, too! —————Elementary school kids' playBrain-boosting playSTEAM education
♬ Cheap and cute athletic meet classic song(1085557) – Kids Sound
It’s hard to reach goals alone! Here’s a cup game that requires teamwork.
It’s a game idea where you and your friends coordinate your timing to grab and move cups.
Once you tie four strings to a rubber band, you’re ready to go! Two people work in sync to grip a cup.
Try building a pyramid or stacking them high—get creative with different arrangements.
The subtle balance of force and tiny timing mismatches that make the cups not move as you want can be surprisingly addictive!
Clapping Game Song “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
The hand-play song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” can be arranged not only by clapping hands but also by adding movements like stomping your feet or rotating your wrists.
There are many ways to enjoy this song, and by incorporating question prompts during the song—such as “What’s the date today?”, “What’s the weather like?”, or “What time is it?”—you can stimulate the brain while singing, which is effective for boosting quick reactions and decision-making.
It’s perfect not only for interacting with children but also as a lively activity for adults and in senior care facilities.
Give it a try!
Fun with cards! Pig’s Tail
Pig’s Tail is a game where you arrange a stack of playing cards in a ring and play.
The name may come from the fact that the ring of cards resembles a pig’s tail.
Pig’s Tail can be enjoyed by three or more players, and since the rules aren’t complicated, it’s easy to play casually.
Players draw one card at a time from the ring and place it in the center.
If you draw a card with the same suit as the top card in the center, you take all the cards from the center.
There are also local rules, such as being allowed to return cards from your hand when a Joker appears.
Stop game
A light, get-your-body-moving game: the Stop Game.
The rules are very simple.
Once the music starts, move freely around the room.
Then, when the music stops, freeze right where you are! When the music starts again, start moving.
Keep repeating this.
If you speed the music up or slow it down, it gets a bit more challenging and exciting.
It’s also fun to add a rule where, just before stopping, the teacher or leader calls out something like “rabbit” or “elephant,” and everyone has to freeze while imitating that animal.
It’s perfect for filling a short break, so give it a try!
