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!”
- 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
- [For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities 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 (141–150)
Find the Snacks! Treasure Hunt Game
Work together with your friends to crack the codes! Hunt for snacks! Here are some treasure-hunt game ideas.
They’re perfect for building teamwork and reasoning skills! It’s thrilling to pool your wits to solve the ciphers and finally discover the treats.
Even in heart-pounding moments, you’ll learn to calmly interpret clues, and by collaborating toward a shared goal, you’ll naturally develop coordination and communication skills in group activities.
With clever cipher design, the fun of puzzle-solving doubles!
Drawing Telephone Game
The goal of the telephone game is to make sure the original prompt is accurately passed along to the last person, which really tests everyone’s communication skills.
This version makes it even harder by adding a drawing element, turning it into a game where each person’s artistic ability also matters.
The first person draws a picture based on the prompt, the next person interprets the prompt from that picture and then conveys it to the following person through another drawing, and so on.
Even if the message doesn’t make it to the end intact, you can still have fun figuring out where it drifted from the original prompt.
Let’s check everyone’s artistic sense and communication skills.
Body Rock-Paper-Scissors
Normally, when you play rock-paper-scissors, you use your hands, right? This version lets you play using your whole body.
Let’s start by checking the poses.
For Rock, make your body small like a stone.
For Scissors, turn to the side and spread your arms with your right hand pointing down and your left hand pointing up.
For Paper, spread out both arms and legs to make a big X shape.
The rules are the same as regular rock-paper-scissors, so try playing with a friend to the call of “Jan-ken-pon!” Be sure to play carefully so you don’t bump others with your hands or feet.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Basketball
Players form a circle around the person in the middle (the “oni”), and the game proceeds with rock-paper-scissors between the oni and the surrounding players.
At the oni’s signal, everyone plays rock-paper-scissors.
Anyone who loses to the oni must leave their current spot and move to a different place.
If someone fails to move and gets stuck, they become the new oni.
The fun lies in quick movement and strategic feints to avoid becoming the oni.
It also works well if the surrounding players sit on chairs, since it makes the spots for the oni and the losers to move to easier to see.
Knee Touch Game
Let me introduce a knee-touch game that’s simple yet surprisingly deep.
First, two people stand facing each other, bend their knees slightly, and hold one hand together.
At the start signal, they begin to move, and the first person to touch the opponent’s knee wins.
It may sound easy, but touching your opponent’s knee while protecting your own is quite a challenge.
Use your explosiveness and reflexes to play.
It’s also recommended as a game where you can enjoy feints and strategy.
beast hunting
A fun indoor adventure game: Monster Hunt.
First, everyone sings the Monster Hunt song along with the teacher.
In the song, it says you’re carrying lots of weapons needed for the hunt, so try adding gestures that match the lyrics.
At the end of the song, the teacher says the name of the beast that’s been found.
Make groups with the same number of people as the number of characters in that beast’s name and sit down—that’s a success! For example, if the beast is “raion” (lion) with four characters in Japanese, you form groups of four.
It’s also fun to make it harder by choosing beasts with longer names as you go.
See how many different beasts you can find!
seesaw game
The seesaw game where you hang several pool noodles horizontally and place cut pieces of pool noodle on top is a fun activity for everyone.
Play it with children aged three and up, who are getting used to games with rules.
Take turns stacking the pool noodle pieces, and the game ends when the balance is lost.
To keep things orderly, have children waiting for their turn sit on chairs.
The suspense of not knowing when the noodles will collapse is thrilling.
Teachers should join in too and enjoy it together.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train Game
Let me introduce the Rock-Paper-Scissors Train game.
Move around the room pretending to be a freight train to the music of a freight train.
When the music stops, play rock-paper-scissors with a friend.
The person who loses places their hands on the winner’s shoulders, boards the same train, and sets off together.
Repeat this process to add more friends to your freight train.
When everyone is riding on the same train and departs together at the end, the game is complete.
Try speeding up or slowing down the music to match the children’s pace and have fun!
Don Janken
A game everyone can enjoy, from kids to adults! Here’s an idea for “Don Janken.” Split into two teams; the team that reaches the opponent’s territory first wins.
When you do rock-paper-scissors, the chant is “Don janken pon!” This idea requires almost no preparation and works great with large groups—that’s the key recommendation.
However, because players can get too fixated on winning, disputes may arise near the territory line, so it’s best for adults to make the final call on wins and losses.
Give it a try!
Exercise play using balloons
Let’s try playing with a variety of movements using a parachute (paraballoon)! For example, place crumpled newspaper or paper balls on top of the parachute and shake it to bounce them around—this move is called “popcorn.” You can also dash under the parachute while the teacher lifts it up, or crawl under it when it’s laid flat on the ground—those sound fun too.
Rather than deciding on a specific activity, start by freely touching and exploring the parachute.
For these kinds of games, a mini-sized parachute is recommended.