Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
Even on days when the weather is bad and the kids can’t go outside, they still want to move their bodies and play! At times like that, many teachers and parents wonder what indoor activities to do.
Here, we introduce indoor recreational activities that can be enjoyed at nurseries and kindergartens.
You’ll find lots of ideas that kids can dive into with sparkling eyes—full-body movement games, activities everyone can enjoy together, traditional games, and sensory play.
Have fun staying active with the children, even indoors.
These are also great as references for games at events!
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Indoor Play and Recreation Games Recommended for Nurseries and Kindergartens (91–100)
Balance game
Let’s play a “Balance Game” using our bodies! Prepare equipment like a vaulting box, balance beam, foam blocks, trampoline, and mats, and set them up like a circuit.
Have the children tackle them one by one.
Can they balance their bodies well—standing on the vaulting box and jumping, or making it all the way across the balance beam without falling? To help develop the children’s problem-solving skills, adults should avoid stepping in as much as possible and simply keep a watchful eye.
If you want to increase the difficulty, try placing obstacles such as blocks on the balance beam.
Pasta Twirling 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.
Indoor games and recreation activities recommended for daycare centers and kindergartens (101–110)
Bingo game
Here’s a bingo game that also helps you learn the names of vegetables.
Prepare paper and a felt-tip pen, and draw a 3×3 grid.
In each square, write the name of a vegetable or draw a picture of one.
You’ll draw vegetable cards one by one; when the same vegetable appears, draw a circle and mark it on your grid.
There’s also a Skull card mixed in: if you draw the Skull card, the vegetable you just drew gets a cross (is canceled).
After the Skull card mode ends, you return to normal mode.
Try it out and see who can get a reach or bingo first!
Bingo Relay
Let me introduce a game called “Bingo Relay,” which gets kids using both their heads and bodies.
You’ll need bingo squares—prepare nine items you can use to mark off spaces, like mini hoops.
If you’re outside, you can draw circles on the ground instead.
Arrange them in a 3×3 grid.
Divide the children into two teams, and have only the first three players on each team hold their team markers.
At the signal, the first player from each team runs to the bingo grid and places their marker inside a ring.
When they’re done, they run back, tag the next player, and switch.
The team that first completes a line—vertical, horizontal, or diagonal—wins.
Starting from the third move onward, players should move one of their own team’s already placed pieces instead of adding a new one.
It’s a fun game that requires quick thinking!
Hoop Music Play
Let me share some ideas for playing with music using hula hoops.
All you need is a piano and large hula hoops.
Eurhythmics nurtures children’s interest in music and their abilities by moving the body to music and playing with rhythm.
While it’s possible to do these activities without any props, why not try eurhythmics ideas that use hula hoops? By moving the hula hoops to the music or along the scale, children can enjoy the fun of expressing themselves with their bodies.
Pool cue play
A pool noodle is a round, hollow foam rod.
It’s a handy item that kids can play with as is or cut down to palm size.
Since it’s made of foam, it’s easy to reshape—bend it into an arch to make a tunnel, have children jump over the rod, or stuff pom-poms into the holes of small, cut pieces of pool noodle.
With a teacher’s creativity, there are countless ways to play! It’s great to separate activities into those that use the whole body and those that use fine motor skills, so children can choose the kind of play they enjoy.
Ball arranging game
Get the excitement going indoors! Introducing the “Ball Line-up Game.” First, split into two teams, and each person takes a ball in their team’s color.
At the start signal, players place their balls onto a ball stand arranged like a tic-tac-toe grid.
After placing a ball, tag the next teammate.
The team that places their balls on the stand first wins.
It’s perfect for short indoor distances and still super fun.
Try adding more stands or creating your own rules to make it even more exciting!
