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 kids: A roundup of exciting games (41–50)
Rhythm play with words
Word Rhythm Play is a game you can enjoy while moving your body, building vocabulary and a sense of rhythm, and training skills like quick thinking and problem-solving.
Listen to the beat and match your words to it.
Any words are fine, but the key is to stay on rhythm.
Start with an easy beat and gradually increase the difficulty.
Once you get used to it, adding handclaps while playing can make it even more exciting.
Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games (51–60)
Recommended for elementary school kids! 5 games that make you work up a sweat
“Touch and Dash,” “Feint Tag,” “Marker Tag,” “Math Relay,” and “Rock-Paper-Scissors Race.” All five of these active games involve running and let kids get plenty of movement even indoors.
They also include elements that exercise the mind: for example, in a relay format, players pick up a pinnie and add the number written on it, and once the total reaches 20 or more, they finish; or they use markers to cleverly lure opponents and dash through gaps.
Even children who get bored with simple movements are sure to get hooked.
5 super fun activities
We’ll be introducing five activities: “Irregular Play,” “Swirly Tail Chase,” “Receive & Catch,” “Ball Rolling Play,” and “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase.” They mainly use a ball—putting it into a basket, catching it, and combining movements like hopscotch and forward rolls to get the body moving.
In “Swirly Tail Chase,” attach a jump rope instead of a string and run away from the tagger, changing directions between clockwise and counterclockwise.
For “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase,” stretch elastic bands across the room and escape from the tagger while jumping over the bands.
Solo play you can really get into!
A handy item for enjoying a quick game at school is the math blocks.
Many schools probably purchase them in bulk for first graders.
Try a stacking game using those math blocks to see how many you can stack within a time limit.
You could also compete to see how many seconds it takes to stack 10 blocks.
Because it requires fine finger movements and focused engagement, it can also serve as practice for staying calm during lessons.
Just be careful not to lose any blocks if the stack collapses while you play.
Jump into a rock-paper-scissors game!
The “Rock-Paper-Scissors Jump Game,” which combines rock-paper-scissors with jumping, is a playful activity that helps children learn how to use their bodies while potentially improving their athletic ability.
Create waiting spots on the left and right, and have participants play rock-paper-scissors with the person next to them.
The winner then jumps while moving from their current waiting spot to the one on the opposite side.
It’s a simple game that repeats this process, so any child old enough to play rock-paper-scissors can join.
For the jumping styles, start with a “rock” jump keeping both feet together, then move to a “scissors” jump.
After that, switch to a gallop and finally to a “paper” jump.
Animal pretend play
Kids love animals, so pretend play where they become animals is always a big hit.
Teachers or parents can call out an animal, and the children simply imitate it—making for a very fun indoor activity.
Imitating the teacher or parent is, of course, fun too, but it’s also great to give prompts and play an animal gesture game.
Fun boredom-buster ideas for kids you can make with 100-yen store items!
Set a writeable, stick-on whiteboard into a file folder you can get at a 100-yen shop.
Next, cut a frame out of cardboard, cover it with OPP tape or similar so it can be adhered, and stick it onto the file.
I also recommend adding a lid made from a clear file to the frame—this prevents whatever you’ve stuck on from falling off or getting in the way.
Attach a pouch that can hold origami paper and washi tape, and finally add a pen.
Now you’ve got a portable boredom-buster file you can take anywhere!