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 (141–150)
Ice play
A great indoor activity for summer is “ice play”! Just touching ice is fun and cooling enough, but if you have time, try adding a little twist.
When you freeze water, place leaves, flowers, or small toys in it as well.
That way, children won’t just touch the ice—they’ll also think about how to melt it and get the items out as they play.
Be sure to choose objects that are safe even if they end up in a child’s mouth!
Block play
Playing with building blocks—little kids just love it.
They stack blocks like squares, triangles, and cones, keeping the balance as they go.
It’s fun to play quietly on your own, and it’s also great to team up and make something big.
You can build a tall, tower-like stack, or work together to create a huge wall—both are exciting.
And at the end, everyone knocks it all down at once—crash!—which really brings the excitement to a peak.
Picture-matching card game
A picture matching card game played in the same way as the card-matching game Concentration.
For toddlers, pictures are easier to use than playing cards, and if you make your own cards, it’s easy to adjust the difficulty.
If you don’t have time to make them, you can quickly start playing by preparing two sets of the same karuta deck, or by using food cards or vehicle cards.
Indoor activities and recreation games recommended for nursery schools and kindergartens (151–160)
Train play
“Train play” recommended from around age two, when kids start walking! There aren’t any strict rules, so let them play freely.
If you make something to serve as the train cars—like a hula hoop or a square loop made from cardboard—the kids will get excited.
If you pretend mats or balance beams are the tracks, a simple game suddenly becomes much more fun!
Fishing game
It’s the ever-popular “fishing game,” perfect for indoor summer play or as a festival booth! Make sea creatures using construction paper, plastic bags, toilet paper rolls, cups, and more.
For the fishing rods, tie kite string to a pair of chopsticks and attach a magnet to the end—done! For the ocean, a blue tarp works great.
Real fishing can be tough for preschoolers, but with everyday materials you can enjoy a fun fishing game.
Give it a try and have fun making and playing!
cushion hula hoop
You’re only allowed to walk on the cushion strips or inside the hula hoops! Here’s a unique game.
You’ll need two hula hoops, pool noodles, scissors or a utility knife, and masking tape.
Cut the pool noodles or any cushioned material and tape them to the floor—prep done.
Use two hula hoops to make your way to the goal! When you reach the cushioned course, set down a hula hoop and walk on the cushion.
Keeping your balance is trickier than it looks, so give it a try!
Balloon Bomb Game
How about playing an exciting balloon bomb game together and getting everyone hyped? Prepare themes like animal names, and pass the balloon to the next person without making it explode! If you can’t say the theme properly or fail to pass the balloon, you’re out.
Instead of actually popping a balloon, use your voice or sound effects to mimic an explosion so you don’t scare the kids.
You can also adjust the themes based on age to level up the challenge and make it even more fun!
