[For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities and Games
Spending time with children, indoor fun time is important, isn’t it?
Even when the weather is bad or when you can’t go outside due to coordinating spaces with other classes, kids can refresh and have a fulfilling time if you enjoy doing recreations and games indoors.
Here, we’ve gathered ideas for indoor recreations and games that work well with large groups.
We’ve divided them into activities for preschoolers and for elementary school children, so you’re sure to find ideas that suit the kids who will be playing.
Please use this as a reference!
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[For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities and Games (21–30)
Gesture Game
Gesture games, where you act out prompts using only your body, are a popular activity enjoyed by both kids and adults! You can adjust the difficulty by narrowing down the categories or intentionally choosing prompts that are hard to express physically.
Splitting into two teams and competing to see how many prompts you can clear within a time limit also adds excitement! It doesn’t take much space and isn’t very noisy, so try it at home too.
Think about what movements will get your message across, and work together to clear the prompts!
Dimensional Bomb Game
Let’s play the ‘Time Bomb Game’ that everyone from kids to adults can enjoy! Treat a ball as a bomb, start the music, and rhythmically pass it to the person next to you.
When the music stops, the person holding the ball is out—the bomb has exploded! If someone gets out three times, have them do an impression as a penalty!
A Daruma’s Day
Many people have probably played “Daruma-san ga koronda,” but have you heard of “Daruma-san’s Day”? The rules are basically the same as “Daruma-san ga koronda,” except that the “koronda” part can be replaced with various actions.
For example, if the tagger says, “Daruma-san brushed their teeth,” everyone else must mime brushing their teeth.
If you can’t perform the instructed action, or your action isn’t recognized as matching the instruction, you’ll be caught by the tagger.
It’s a game that requires more thinking than “Daruma-san ga koronda” and is sure to spark lots of laughter.
Suitable for ages 4 and up.
Saying the same things, doing the same things.
This is a game where everyone holds hands and plays in a line or a circle! First, choose one leader from the participants to give instructions.
The others hold hands in a line or circle and move according to the leader’s commands.
If the leader says, “Same words, same action, right,” everyone jumps to the right.
If the leader says, “Same words, opposite action, right,” everyone jumps to the left.
The leader should vary the calls—up, down, left, right—and whether it’s “same” or “opposite.” Let’s unite our minds and jump exactly as instructed!
Thunder Game
This is a game where you hide your belly button so lightning won’t strike you.
The children lie down on the floor in a row and cover their belly buttons.
Make sure to leave space so you don’t bump into the person next to you.
The leader playing the role of lightning approaches the children while rumbling, “Goro goro goro…” When the lightning says “Dokan!” (Boom!), the children must quickly lie face down to protect their belly buttons.
Use words that start with “do” to fake them out and build excitement.