Indoor games for parents and children: fun activities that use the body and the mind
We’ve gathered indoor games that parents and children can enjoy together.
These include traditional hand-play songs and play rhymes you can do without any equipment, as well as active movement games that let kids use their whole bodies.
It’s a rich collection perfect for parent–child activities in preschools and elementary schools, and for everyday play at home!
If you’re looking for “simple activities that help kids and adults connect,” please feel free to use this as a reference.
Have a blast—kids will be thrilled!
And for adults, it’s a great way to get some much-needed exercise!
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Indoor games for parents and children: Fun activities that use the body and mind (31–40)
Fun for elementary school kids too! The Rule Game
A “rule game” where you infer the underlying rule and answer.
For example, raise your index finger and say, “This is 1.” Next, raise your index and middle fingers and say, “This is 2.” Finally, raise your index, middle, and ring fingers and say, “This is 3.” Then raise only your index finger and ask, “What is this?” Most participants will probably answer “1,” but the correct answer is “3.” The rule isn’t the shape of the fingers; it’s the demonstratives: “this is, this is, this.” Try coming up with various problems and have fun with it.
Exercise play you can enjoy at home
Even when you can’t play outside, you still want to move your body! In times like that, let’s enjoy some active play at home.
For infants and toddlers, try baby massage or touch-and-play activities.
For preschoolers through elementary school kids, how about a spy game with a treasure hunt or a round of table tennis on the table? For the spy game, setting up obstacles around the room and preparing a treasure map can really liven things up.
For table tennis, you can substitute household items: a tissue box for the net, a pot lid for the paddle, and a super ball for the ball.
Growth Janken
Grow bigger when you win at rock-paper-scissors! Here’s an idea for a Growth Rock-Paper-Scissors game.
Start in a crawling pose like a baby! Each time you win, you “grow”: from a crouching child to a standing adult.
You can play one-on-one, of course, but it’s also great fun with a large group.
To keep it fresh, try tweaking the pose you strike when you level up, or set rules like not playing rock-paper-scissors with the same person consecutively.
That way, everyone can enjoy it without getting bored!
Thunder Game
Want to strengthen the parent-child bond with the “Thunder Game”? It’s a game you can fully enjoy indoors.
An adult plays the role of thunder, and at the signal “BOOM!” the children lie face-down to protect their belly buttons.
The thrilling twists make kids burst into smiles.
It’s sure to be a big hit at daycare settings or elementary school parent-child activities! It also helps kids get moving and shake off a lack of exercise.
Perfect for everyday play at home, too.
Have a blast—both kids and adults are guaranteed to love it!
Pictorial Shiritori Showdown!
Picture shiritori is a great recreation to try when you can’t play active games indoors.
It also helps children practice drawing both realistic and simplified pictures.
With about two to five people, you can all use the same sheet of paper and have fun together.
It would also be exciting to keep the drawings’ meanings secret and check the answers later.
Play to develop hazard awareness
By catching only balls of the specified color, children can develop hazard awareness.
You’ll use a pool cue and colored balls.
Cut the pool cue lengthwise in half and join the halves to make a rail.
Set it up on a table, then roll various colored balls down it.
Ask your child to use the pool cue to catch only the balls in the color you told them beforehand.
Seeing, deciding, and moving instantly—this experience will surely help give children the power to protect themselves from danger.
Play the Signal Game Indoors!
The “Traffic Signal Game,” where everyone follows the leader’s instructions, is a play activity that can help develop the ability to listen carefully and the judgment to act immediately.
When the signal is blue, take one marching step; when it’s yellow, shake your head left and right and look around; when it’s red, squat down.
Listen closely to which color the leader calls and act accordingly.
If the leader calls a color other than the three, everyone says “nai-nai” (meaning “no such color”).
There’s no winning or losing in this game, so just have fun moving your body!
Don’t make a sound! The Silent Game
The no-noise game, where even the slightest sound means you’re out, is a fun activity for everyone from small children to adults.
You can use anything as the subject, but simple, everyday items like plastic cups make preparation easy and help you enjoy it casually.
Try focusing your attention and being extremely careful to avoid making sounds while getting creative with tasks like stacking paper cups, wrapping with tissues, lining up juice cans, or folding aluminum foil.
Once you get used to the game, it’s also recommended to add a time limit or use paper bags to increase the difficulty.
Cardboard manufacturing
Cardboard crafting—where parents and children share an image of what they want to make and build it together—is such a fun experience.
Let’s think about what materials are needed and what size cardboard will work best.
As you talk about how you want to use what you imagine—like a house, pretend-play setups, food items, or vehicles—your ideas may become even clearer.
To keep it enjoyable for both parent and child, it’s a good idea to take breaks as you work.
Once it’s finished, try playing with it together!
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
We’re going to play rock-paper-scissors, but not the usual kind—let me introduce a game called “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train.” Everyone pairs up and faces each other to play rock-paper-scissors.
The winner stays where they are, and the loser moves behind the winner and places their hands on the winner’s shoulders.
They then become like a freight train and move around, meeting new people to play again.
Each time, the loser goes to the back of the line.
This continues until one person ends up at the very front at the end—that person is the winner.
It gets really lively with a large group, but it also sounds fun to play with a small group indoors.
