Fun Indoor Games for Elementary School Kids Without Any Equipment
Looking for easy indoor games? Don’t miss this! In this article, we introduce indoor games for elementary school children that don’t require any equipment.
We’ve gathered a variety of activities—from energetic movement games you can enjoy indoors to word-based games.
Since you don’t need to prepare anything, they’re perfect for when you want to play right now! They’re also great for rainy days, extreme heat when it’s hard to go outside, or when it’s difficult to prepare enough supplies for everyone.
Give these a try and enjoy fun, never-boring time indoors!
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[For Elementary School Kids] Fun Indoor Games Without Any Equipment (11–20)
Shiritori
Shiritori is a game everyone knows, right? You can start it anywhere, even indoors and empty-handed, so it’s fun anytime, anywhere.
You can set a theme, try using difficult words—there are lots of ways to tweak the rules.
It’s great for parents and kids or for getting lively with friends.
As you keep linking words, your vocabulary might naturally improve, too.
On rainy days or when it’s too hot to play outside, this is all you need to beat boredom! How about forming a circle and enjoying a fun round of shiritori together?
Pin Pon Pan Game
How about trying the “Ping-Pon-Pan” game, which requires no preparation and can be played with any number of people? First, form a circle and choose the first person.
That person says “Ping.” The person to their left says “Pon,” and the next person to the left says “Pan.” The person who says “Pan” points at someone, and starting from that person, the sequence “Ping, Pon, Pan” continues again.
When you’re suddenly pointed at, you might panic and say the wrong word, so you can’t let your guard down.
It’s the kind of game that tends to be more fun with a larger group.
Sitting tag
How about trying a seated game of tag that you can play indoors? First, choose who’s “it,” and have everyone—including the tagger—start in a seated position.
It’s best if people are spaced a little apart.
The rule is that everyone must keep their bottoms on the floor even while moving.
Moving while your bottom stays on the floor is tricky and slows you down more than you’d think—that frustrating feeling is what makes it so fun.
Since you can’t move very far, you can enjoy it in a small space.
Give it a try!
Catch
Catch is a game you can play without any equipment and without worrying about the number of players.
Everyone forms a circle.
First, make your right hand into a tube shape.
Then extend only the index finger of your left hand and insert it into the tubular right hand of the person to your left.
At the command “Catch!”, try to grab the right-hand finger of the person on your right with your right hand, while at the same time pulling your left index finger out so it doesn’t get caught by the person on your left.
You succeed if your right hand catches and your left hand escapes.
It’s simple, but because you need to focus on both hands, it’s a very engaging game.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
Here’s an introduction to “Janken Train,” a group game that’s widely enjoyed.
In Janken Train, two people play rock-paper-scissors; the loser moves behind the winner, places their hands on the winner’s shoulders, and joins the line.
Repeating this creates a long line like a train.
The excitement of winning and losing at rock-paper-scissors is part of the fun, and so is moving around in a line and cheering for the person at the front.
By the way, there are variations, such as “Kira-Kira Train,” where if the person at the front loses, the people who were connected scatter in all directions.
Let’s look for a loooong word
In the “Let’s Find Long Words” game, the questioner specifies the final letter and asks for long words that end with that letter—in this case, words that end with “n.” The respondents think of and answer with long words ending in “n.” The longer the word, the more impressive it might be.
You could also score one point per character and have the team with the highest score win.
Once everyone gets used to the game, try setting themes like food or animals, or add rules such as not allowing words that have already been used, to make it more fun.
[For Elementary School Kids] Fun Indoor Games Without Equipment (21–30)
King Janken
A King Rock-Paper-Scissors game everyone can get excited about.
The rules are simple: everyone plays rock-paper-scissors, and the child who keeps winning until the end becomes the first King.
If a participant loses to the King, they go to the back of the line.
If they beat the King, they switch places and become the new King.
The child who remains King at the end of the time limit is the winner.
The thrill of competition and cheering will further boost the atmosphere.
It’s also recommended to prepare a crown for the King to wear.