[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 Middle Grades (91–100)
Human finger smartphone (likely shorthand for smartphone operated by human finger)
With a numerical count, participants simultaneously show their thumbs and try to guess the total number—this is the classic “finger sum” game, but advanced through full-body movement.
Participants wait while bowing, and with each count, they freely decide whether to raise their upper bodies.
If someone correctly guesses how many people have raised their upper bodies, they clear the round.
The key excitement comes from reading and outmaneuvering how others will move.
Since each person can only choose 0 or 1, it’s best played with a large group to broaden the range of possible totals.
Anything Basket
A game where everyone sits on chairs in a circle and moves if they match the given prompt.
There’s one fewer chair than the number of participants, so the person left without a seat chooses the next prompt, and everyone needs to move quickly without spilling out of the circle.
Picking the right kind of prompt is key—questions that delve a bit into people’s private lives can be fun, too.
Through the game, you might discover surprising sides of each other that you didn’t know, even after spending a long time together.
[Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Middle Grades (101–110)
Hand-holding dribble relay
A “dribble relay” where you carry the ball by dribbling over a set distance.
Everyone does it together, holding hands firmly while dribbling.
Form a small inward-facing circle, place the ball in the center, and dribble as you aim for the goal.
Be careful not to let go of each other’s hands and not to let the ball go outside the circle, and hurry toward the goal!
CC Lemon Game
This is a competitive game where, in time with the ‘CC Lemon’ chant, you decide actions like attacking or charging, aiming to defeat your opponent.
Depending on the region, the moves and chants can differ, and it may even be known by another name.
The rules test your judgment as you predict how your opponent will act while committing to your own move.
It’s recommended to start at a slow pace to check the rules, then gradually increase the game speed to challenge higher-level decision-making.
Rhythm 4
This is a game that tests your ability to listen to instructions and make decisions by calling out your own name in time with a 4-beat rhythm.
You advance through the four counts using actions like tapping the desk or clapping, so the overlap of sound and movement adds to the fun.
You need to listen carefully to which person the previous player called and on which number, then decide and act accordingly.
By adding variations—such as changing the actions for each number or introducing instructions that aren’t just names and numbers—you can enjoy the game at a higher difficulty level, which is recommended for those who’ve gotten the hang of it.
Teleportation Game
It’s a game that tests each player’s quick reflexes as they swiftly move to the next spot to keep a newspaper stick from falling.
You stand the stick up, move to the adjacent stick, grab it before it falls to support it, and anyone who lets a stick fall is eliminated.
The difficulty of supporting the stick changes depending on the moving distance and how the sticks are set up, so by adjusting those factors, a wider range of ages can enjoy the game.
It could also be exciting to try a challenge mode where players test their limits to see how far they can go without letting the stick fall.
Paper Cup Relay
It’s a game where you pull out the bottom paper cup so it drops without toppling the stacked cups, then pass it on to the next person.
You have to judge how to move it to avoid knocking the cups over, which really tests each person’s control of strength and speed.
The relay format—passing it to the next person—is also key, because the pressure of someone waiting makes control even harder.
Precisely because it’s a simple action of pulling the cup out to the left or right, it’s a game that people of all ages can enjoy together.