[Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Upper Primary Grades
There are lots of elementary school children who love the internet and online games, right?
Of course, they can build relationships and develop various skills through them, but many parents and educators probably feel, “I’d like them to play something other than games a bit more.”
Kids can learn a lot from new experiences, so we hope they’ll try a variety of activities.
In this article, we’ll introduce fun games and recreational activities suited for upper elementary grades!
All of them can be played indoors, so they’re perfect for days when you can’t go outside!
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[Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreation Activities Recommended for Upper Elementary Grades (131–140)
Indian poker
Indian poker is a game where you bet while guessing whether the value of the card you can’t see—the one on your own forehead—beats your opponent’s card or not.
First, draw one card from the prepared deck and place it against your forehead like an Indian feather so that you can’t see your own number.
You can see your opponent’s number, so if you think your card is higher, you bet; if you’re not confident, you can fold.
The more players there are, the stronger the psychological element becomes, so if you have a deck of cards at hand, it’s a game you should definitely try.
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!
Pose Matching Game
The more people you have, the more exciting it might get! Let me introduce a pose-matching game.
As the name suggests, everyone strikes a pose together on the count of “Ready, go!” to match a given prompt, and if every pose matches, you succeed.
Prompts can be anything everyone knows—animals, characters, different professions, or people you know.
With larger groups, you can make it a team competition where the first team to get a perfect match wins—that sounds fun too.
It’s a unique game that puts teamwork to the test.
Give it a try!
Greeting game
Let’s greet according to the time of day! Here are some greeting game ideas.
These fun activities help you learn greetings suited to different times and cultures in a game-like way.
Walk around to music, and when the music stops, look at the illustration the teacher shows and say the appropriate greeting for that time of day—this helps develop decision-making skills! You can also incorporate greetings from other cultures, such as the United States and France, to learn greetings from around the world and expand your vocabulary.
Give it a try!
Back-carry ball relay
The back-to-back ball relay is a race where you carry a ball in an unusual way.
Two people pair up, stand back to back, and transport a ball held between their backs.
Since there are hardly any sports or events where you carry a ball on your back, it offers a unique experience.
The partners’ height difference and the size of the ball are important factors, so adjust them to make carrying easier.
It’s also important to decide who will lead when moving forward.
Be sure to discuss and plan before you start.
Dodgebee
It’s a sport called “Dodgebee,” which combines dodgeball and frisbee.
Instead of a ball, players throw a soft disc.
The rules are the same as dodgeball: you hit members of the opposing team who are in the infield with the disc; anyone who gets hit moves to the outfield.
Outfield players can return to their own infield by hitting an infield opponent with the disc.
Because the disc is made of soft material, it doesn’t hurt when you’re hit, and the risk of injury is reduced.
craft; handiwork; fabrication; maneuvering (scheming)
Crafts that everyone loves, from little kids to big kids.
Open-ended crafts where you can make anything are so much fun, aren’t they? Let’s make use of materials you have at home—things you can reuse before throwing away, like newspaper, milk cartons, and empty containers from pudding and more.
Just thinking about what to make is really fun too.
By creating freely, children’s imaginations will expand.
origami
When you say, “Let’s play with origami!”, it might sound like an activity for very small children, but there’s also a way to enjoy origami by folding extremely complex creations.
For example, ‘OriRobo’—a robot made from a single sheet of origami paper.
Of course, there are no cuts anywhere; it’s all folding.
And of course, it’s also fun to fold simple things.
Trump
How about trying a game of playing cards that you can easily enjoy indoors without taking up much space? There are so many ways to play that kids of all ages can have fun.
For small groups or two players, you can play Speed or Poker; for larger groups, try Sevens, Old Maid, or Concentration.
One of the great things about playing cards is that when you get bored, you can just switch to a different game.
three-legged relay
Let’s try enjoying a relay using three-legged races! Pair up in teams of two, tie the inside legs together with a string, and step in sync.
Walking is one thing, but running makes it a bit tricky—coordinating your breathing and calling out together as you run is the key.
If you have a lot of people, you can try a three-person, four-legged relay too.
Just keep in mind the difficulty goes up.