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 (51–60)
Expressive rhythm play
Expressive rhythm play is a perfect activity for training to express various emotions using your body.
First, teachers or guardians show how to move the body and teach basic motions.
After that, move on to training that focuses on expressing emotions and moving in time with the rhythm.
Moving your body like a dance will lift your spirits and make it fun.
Marble Challenge
This is a game you can play at home using marbles or small glass counters and everyday items.
Stretch a tissue tightly over a container and secure it firmly with a rubber band.
Then carefully place marbles or counters dampened with water onto the tissue.
The fun comes from trying to place as many as possible while being careful not to tear the tissue.
There are lots of exciting moments—sometimes they fall sooner than you expect, other times the tissue holds more than you imagined—so even adults get absorbed.
Taking turns adds a competitive edge, making it perfect for lively times with family and friends.
It’s a thrilling idea that tests both your sense of balance and your nerve.
Hula Hoop Crawl Relay
Divide into teams and stand in a single horizontal line, holding hands with the person next to you.
Starting from the child at the front, pass a hula hoop along the line by stepping through it without letting go of each other’s hands.
The team that passes the hula hoop all the way to the end the fastest wins.
You can add variations by using a rope loop instead of a hula hoop, or by setting a time limit and competing to see how many people can pass through within the time.
Epicenter Game
Let me introduce a game called “Epicenter,” a fun activity for any number of players that both young children and adults can enjoy.
Choose one person to be It and one person to be the Epicenter; everyone else sits in a circle facing inward.
When It steps into the middle of the circle, the Epicenter starts performing a movement they decided on, and everyone except It imitates it.
Whenever the Epicenter changes the movement, the others also imitate and switch accordingly.
It tries to guess who the Epicenter is.
People’s eye lines can sometimes give away the Epicenter, so it might be tricky to avoid staring and to look around naturally.
Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games (61–70)
Plastic Bag Carpet Race
This is a two-person game called “Plastic-Bag Carpet Race.” Prepare a plastic bag and place it on the floor; one person stands on it.
The other person crouches down and holds the edge of the bag.
On the cue “Ready, go!”, the standing person jumps slightly forward, and while they are in the air, the crouching person pulls and moves the plastic bag forward.
The jumper must land on the bag.
Progress little by little toward the goal.
If the jumper fails to land on the bag, you have to go back and start over from the starting line.
Red Light, Green Light
Although “Daruma-san ga koronda” is often associated with being a game for large groups outdoors, it can definitely be enjoyed indoors as well.
You need a bit of space, but if the children are small, a single room is more than enough.
The rules are: divide into “it” and the players; the players line up some distance away from “it”; while “it” covers their eyes with a wall or their arm and says, “Daruma-san ga koronda,” the players move closer; if they move while “it” is looking, they get caught; players can free those who’ve been caught by getting close to “it.” No matter how many times you play, it gives you a little thrill.
KY game
KY means “can’t read the room.” The “KY Game” is a game to find out who among everyone can’t read the room.
You make a gesture or strike a pose that fits the prompt and try to match answers with the group.
If everyone matches, that’s a perfect success; even if not everyone matches, as long as your pose is one of the several patterns that appear, you’re safe.
But the person who’s the only one to strike a different pose is literally someone who “can’t read the room,” and they get a minus point.
In the end, the person with the most minus points loses.