Indoor games for parents and children: fun activities that use the body and the mind

seated sumo (sitting sumo)

[Traditional Japanese Games] Seated Sumo

Test your strength with seated sumo, pushing with your hands while sitting! Sit down, extend your hands forward, and at the cue “Hakke-yooi, nokotta!” push against each other with your hands.

The person who rolls backward or whose bottom slips out of position loses.

Standing sumo can lead to big falls, but seated sumo limits movement and is therefore safer and more enjoyable.

To avoid hitting the head when falling backward, do it on a mat and have a teacher positioned behind the players.

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The Little Bird’s Move

[Exercise & Gymnastics Kids Enjoy] “Little Bird Moving House” Recommended from Age 3 / Rule-based movement games and exercise/gymnastics educational videos from ‘Okaasan to Issho’ to improve motor skills

This is a game like tag called “Little Birds Moving House.” However, the children who are running away stay seated and move in a tuck-sitting (knees hugged) position.

It’s more exciting when the tagger is a dad, mom, or another adult.

At the tagger’s signal, “Time to move house!”, the children move from where they are to the opposite side, trying not to get caught.

The tagger can add a bit of a scary performance—pretend to be a wild animal and chase them with growls and sound effects.

If you’re playing outside, you can add variations, like moving on one leg.

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Imitation game

Animal Imitation

It’s a simple and fun imitation game that even small children can enjoy.

The adult first demonstrates what to imitate.

Animals are easy because they have recognizable sounds.

For example, the adult makes a barking sound like “woof-woof” while striking a running pose.

Seeing that, the child imitates the sound and also copies the movements, such as the positions of the hands and feet.

Prepare lots of prompts, from familiar animals to ones you might see at the zoo.

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Limbo dance

If you win the limbo dance showdown, you get a 5-minute shopping spree at Daiso! [Robot Channel] Family Vlog

Have you ever tried limbo dancing? You often see it on TV variety shows.

All you need is a long pole fixed in place with an adjustable height—then you’re ready to go! The rules are very simple: pass under the pole from the front without touching it, leaning your body back as you go.

You arch your back to lower your height while passing, but the lower the pole, the harder it gets.

If you lean back too much, you’ll lose your balance, so another tip is to spread your legs wide and lower your stance.

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home camping

Pretend camping at home

If you have a tent, how about playing indoor camping at home? Pitch a tent in a room or on the balcony, and just bringing in a small table and a flashlight will instantly boost the excitement! It could also be fun to make a makeshift barbecue grill using things you have at home, like cardboard or scrap materials.

It’s pretend play, but even just eating lunch—like bread or rice balls—inside the tent can make it feel special and taste better than usual.

Don’t forget to bring in some snacks, too!

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Parent-child yoga

[Fun Parent-Child Yoga] Nonstop Laughter! Easy Parent-Child Yoga You Can Enjoy While Half-Playing [No. 43]

There are only so many fun ways for kids to get active indoors.

In a residential setting, you also can’t make too much noise.

But if you still want to move your body and feel refreshed, we recommend trying “parent-and-child yoga”! Yoga involves slow movements, so there’s no noisy roughhousing.

And the routines are simple enough for beginners.

It’s a great recreational activity that helps relieve stress through movement while also fostering parent-child bonding.

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