Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities

Pon-kotsu Paint with Everyone

“Ponkotsu Paint,” a game where you convey prompts using only circles and straight lines, gets insanely hype lol [Analog Game]

This is a game where you draw the prompt written on a card using only combinations of circles and straight lines to convey it to the guessers.

Since the rules have players reveal their drawings in order from the fewest strokes, focus on drawing concisely with as few strokes as possible.

If you think the key features of the prompt can be captured with few strokes, it’s recommended to explore ways to reduce the stroke count even further.

It could also be interesting to adopt a strategy of making a higher-stroke illustration that serves as a hint if you predict others won’t be able to extract the answer from earlier drawings.

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kappamaki

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beast hunting

[You can also see childcare in action] Ms. Rio’s active play [Big Game Hunting]

An indoor adventure game: the “Beast Hunt Game.” Everyone sings the Beast Hunt song along with the teacher’s lead.

The lyrics say you’re carrying lots of weapons needed for the hunt, so try adding gestures that match the words.

At the end of the song, the teacher will say the name of the beast they found.

Form groups with the same number of people as the number of characters in the name, then sit—if you can do that, you’re all set! For example, if the animal found is “ライオン” (lion) with 4 characters in Japanese, you would make groups of four.

It’s also fun to make it harder by using beasts with more characters as you go.

See how many beasts you can find!

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SAKI

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Original Sugoroku

We made our own original sugoroku and tried playing it!! [Pretty much a punishment game]

A homemade sugoroku game is packed with all kinds of ideas and is a lot of fun.

Small cut-out cards serve as the spaces: standard ones like “Warp” or “Skip one turn” are placed face-up at random.

The colored spaces each have a unique prompt thought up by a player, and those are placed face-down.

Prompts can be anything, like “Sing a song” or “Tell a funny story.” You won’t know what’s written there until someone lands on it, which adds a sense of anticipation and really livens things up!

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hiyori

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Jump Challenge

[Kids’ Exercise You Can Do at Home] Jump Challenge (For Preschoolers to Lower Elementary)

Jump Challenge is an easy indoor exercise we recommend for times when children can’t play outside.

To help kids move their bodies while having fun, it incorporates jumping to a rhythm.

Place items like a towel, a rolled-up stick made from newspaper or a towel, or a jump rope on the floor, and have them jump over the objects as they move along.

Don’t just jump with both feet—try hopping on one foot or laying down two lines to add variety.

Kids can even invent their own original ways to jump.

Try playing along to nursery rhymes or popular songs!

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miyabi

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Pasta Twirling Race

[After-school Day Service] Pasta Wrapping Race! 🍝

Here’s a perfect indoor activity: the Twirling Pasta Race.

Prepare some “pasta” by attaching yarn to a paper plate with tape.

On the free end of the yarn (the side without tape), attach an empty plastic wrap core.

To race, hold the core and twist it to wind the yarn around it.

It’s a fun competition to see who can wind the yarn—pretend pasta—onto the core the fastest.

To make it even more exciting, place a cutout of an animal with its mouth open between the paper plate and the core, and set up a little sign showing it “eating.” You could also time each round to add a competitive element.

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mayumi

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Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors

Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors: Guaranteed to be a hit! A recreational activity

Guaranteed to be a blast—let’s play Pyramid Rock-Paper-Scissors! First, split into a defense team and an offense team.

Draw pyramid-shaped lines on the ground and place the defenders on the lines.

For example, if there are 15 defenders, put 5 people on the longest bottom line, then 4 on the next, and so on, ending with a single person at the top—that person is the King! The offense team starts by challenging anyone among the 5 at the bottom to rock-paper-scissors; if they win, they move up.

At the end, they play rock-paper-scissors with the King, and if they win, they clear the game.

If they lose at any point, they go back to the starting point.

Losing to the King also sends you back to start.

It’s a fun game where luck is put to the test!

Hoop Daruma-san ga Koronda

[Age 3] Daruma-san ga koronda♪

More ways to play! Here are some ideas for playing “Red Light, Green Light” using hula hoops.

You’ll need two balance beams, a hula hoop, a ball, and flat markers.

“Red Light, Green Light” is a game that’s been loved for generations.

Since the rules are easy to understand, many preschools and childcare centers likely include it in their activities.

Using hula hoops, balls, and balance beams expands the possibilities, so it’s highly recommended.

Once children are comfortable with the basic rules, give these variations a try!