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 (71–80)
20 indoor activities you can enjoy even on rainy days
Let me introduce a brain-teasing rule game.
The key point for the kids is to tell them, “Watch carefully.” Then the teacher shows numbers with their fingers, saying, “This is 1, this is 2,” and so on, which naturally makes the children focus on the finger movements.
But here’s the twist! They should also pay close attention to what the teacher says.
The level of excitement changes depending on the themes or rules the teacher sets.
Be sure to have fun playing it together with the kids! It’s also great because you can play it anywhere, like at camp or on a field trip.
cat’s cradle
Cat’s cradle is a very old game, and it exists not only in Japan but all over the world.
There are even organizations dedicated to collecting, preserving, and passing down cat’s cradle figures.
With just a single string, you can enjoy the game alone or with two people in many different ways.
It would be fun to try shapes you don’t know yet.
Once you get used to cat’s cradle, creating your own original designs also sounds enjoyable.
play sword-fighting (make-believe)
Little kids love playing pretend sword fights.
Since you can play it indoors, it’s perfect as a rainy-day recreation game.
It’s easy to make the swords using newspaper, and these days you can also buy soft foam sticks made for pretend sword fighting, which might be a good option to use.
Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games (81–90)
Card Flipping Game
A card-flipping game where you flip floor-laid cards to your team’s color.
First, lay out many two-sided cards on the floor, each side a different color.
At the start, make sure the same number of cards are face up for each color.
When the signal is given, flip any cards that aren’t your team’s color to turn them into your team’s color.
Even if the other team flips them back, you can re-flip as many times as you want within the time limit.
In the end, the team that has flipped more cards to their own color wins! It’s surprisingly active, so if you feel your child might not be getting enough exercise, give it a try.
Drawing Shiritori
Let’s play Drawing Shiritori, a game that combines everyone’s favorite drawing and shiritori! You look at the picture drawn by the previous person and then draw a picture of a word that follows from it, passing it on to the next person.
For example, if you’re shown a picture of a “neko” (cat), you draw something that starts with “ko,” then show it to the next person.
If someone misunderstands the picture and draws something unrelated, they lose.
Since some kids are good at drawing and others aren’t, you can offer hints if it’s too difficult.
Target shooting game
How about trying a target-hitting game like the ones you see at food stalls or festivals? When you think of target games, things like balls or shooting games might seem a bit difficult for small children, and you might need to prepare lots of balls.
But in this version, you aim at the targets with an easy-to-use “extendable sword.” The extendable sword can be made easily with just a straw, disposable chopsticks, and copier paper.
It would be fun for everyone to make their own original sword, too.
For targets, you can reuse materials like plastic bottles.
Saying the same things, doing the same things.
This is a game that develops the ability to listen carefully and follow instructions—and it’s fun, too.
First, several people hold hands and line up side by side.
When the leader says, “Say the same, do the same: right,” everyone jumps to the right.
When the leader says, “Say the same, do the opposite: right,” this time you do the opposite, so you jump to the left.
You can also jump forward or backward! It builds a sense of unity, so it seems perfect as a recreational activity with new students.