Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games
We’ve put together recreational activities, games, and indoor play ideas that bring out children’s smiles.
You’ll find plenty of large-group games and activities perfect for preschools and schools, as well as lots of options families can enjoy at home.
They’re ideal for rainy days or any time it’s hard to go outside.
If you’re looking for recreations, games, or indoor activities to enjoy with kids, be sure to check these out.
Even if kids start out feeling, “It’s a shame we can’t play outside…,” by the end they’ll surely be saying, “That was fun!”
- [For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities and Games
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- Popularity ranking of recreational activities for children
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [For Kids] Today's Recommended Recreation Idea Collection
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- A big hit at after-school childcare! A special feature on group games and activities you can play without any equipment
- Elementary School Fun Day a Big Hit! Indoor Game Idea Collection
- [For Kids] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games (61–70)
ladder rock-paper-scissors
Let’s try playing Ladder Rock-Paper-Scissors, a game based on rock-paper-scissors.
Prepare a floor marked off into squares like a ladder.
You can draw lines directly on the floor with masking tape.
Each team lines up in a single file at opposite ends of the ladder.
At the start signal, the first person from each team runs along the ladder.
When they meet, they stop and play rock-paper-scissors.
The loser goes to the back of their team’s line, and the winner advances to face the next opponent.
The team that reaches the other side’s territory first wins.
Kendama
As a fun recreation that also develops children’s sense of balance, “kendama” is highly recommended.
Kendama offers lots of visually entertaining tricks, and it’s become a quiet craze lately, with many kids getting really into it.
Not only is playing kendama fun, but making a kendama yourself out of items like plastic bottles is enjoyable too, so try exploring it from different angles.
Online sorting game
This is a game where team members line up on a single line drawn on the ground and try to quickly rearrange themselves into a specified order.
The rule is that all movement must be completed on the line, so work together to avoid stepping off while swapping positions.
Where you place your feet and what posture you take are also important, and it’s crucial to move carefully while keeping speed in mind.
Holding hands with people around you or other forms of cooperation may also be important for increasing speed.
Ball Passing Relay
The “Ball Rolling Relay,” where you make rails out of thick paper and send a ball along them, is a recreation that gets more fun with more people.
Like flowing somen noodles, the ball will keep moving, and everyone will be eager to pass it along.
It also sounds fun to line up in a row so that once someone has sent the ball on, they move to the front again and keep it going continuously.
Who did what, when, and where game
It’s a simple game, but not only kids—adults get excited too: the “When, Where, Who, Did What” game.
You make four boxes labeled “When,” “Where,” “Who,” and “Did What,” and put cards with various words or phrases that fit each situation into the corresponding box.
Everyone draws one card at a time, and when you have all four, you form a sentence.
Because the boxes contain all kinds of cards, you can end up with outrageous, impossible sentences—that’s exactly what gets everyone laughing and fired up!
Number-guessing clap
An easy game you can play on the spot without any tools: “Number Guess Clap.” One person gives a number-related prompt, and everyone else answers by clapping that number of times.
It sounds simple, but if you miscount, fall out of rhythm, or can’t sync with others, you’re out.
Fewer claps make it easy, but as the number increases, keeping the rhythm gets surprisingly tricky.
Still, that challenge makes it even more fun and exciting.
Balance ball play
A balance ball that elementary school kids can enjoy playing with on their own.
It offers lots of benefits for the body.
By sitting on the soft, springy ball or making light little hops, kids naturally strengthen their core and back, improve posture, and even boost concentration.
For example, “Balance Ball Jumps” is a game where you sit on the ball and do gentle hops.
“Tummy-and-Back Roll” involves lying on your back or stomach on the ball and rolling forward and back; it gently works the abdominal and back muscles, so it’s recommended.
There are many other ways to play too, so get creative and have fun!
