[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 (121–130)
Balloon Carrying Game
Introducing the Balloon Carry Game, where you carefully transport a gently bobbing balloon to the finish line.
Players form pairs of two, place a balloon on an opened newspaper, and carry it to the goal without dropping it.
The turnaround point—circling a cone set up along the course—really tests how well the two can coordinate.
If you drop the balloon along the way, restart from that spot.
If the newspaper tears, unfortunately, you’re disqualified on the spot.
The team that reaches the finish line first wins.
Since the balloon floats and drifts easily, perfectly synchronized movements between the two players are essential!
Treasure Hunt in a Haunted House
Let’s create a homemade haunted house inside your home! Here are some ideas for a treasure hunt in your haunted house.
They’re wonderful for sparking kids’ sense of adventure and creativity! Try setting up a haunted house in a dark room or a quiet corner.
The process of making it is fun, too! Following a series of clues to search for treasure in your DIY haunted house sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Since it’s easy to do at home, it’s a perfect idea not only for Halloween or special events, but also for weekends.
Hoop Tail Grab
Let me introduce a thrilling hoop tail-tag game.
Attach a tail to your backside and try to escape within a hula hoop so it doesn’t get taken.
If your tail is taken, the game is over.
Since the space inside the hula hoop is limited, the key is to move your body cleverly to avoid having your tail grabbed.
It may be even more exciting if you set a time limit or prepare extra hula hoops.
If you increase the number of hula hoops, it’s also recommended to add more taggers.
Vague Memory Drawing Game
It’s a game where you recall the exact shape of the prompt you were shown and compete to see how high-quality an illustration you can draw.
It tests not only your drawing skills but also your memory—how precisely you remember the fine details of the prompt.
Let’s consider a variety of categories, such as things with tricky color placements like a panda, or logos you see around town.
Even if no one reproduces it perfectly, we recommend deciding the winner based on whose drawing is closest to the real thing.
[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!