[For Kids] Indoor Games and Activities Recommended for Winter Break
We’re introducing indoor activities for kids that are perfect for spending winter break with family and friends!
It’s important for kids to play actively outdoors even in winter, but when it’s too cold, that’s not always possible.
Plus, winter is the season when colds and other illnesses tend to spread, so to avoid getting chilled, indoor play naturally becomes more common.
So in this article, we’ve put together a list of recommended indoor activities for winter to help you when you’re wondering, “What should we do for fun during winter break?”
We’ve picked out a variety of activities, from brain games to those that get kids moving, so be sure to have fun trying them with your child!
- Fun winter activities: Recreations that children can enjoy
- [Part 2] Recommended Indoor Activities and Recreation Games for December
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- Popularity ranking of recreational activities for children
- A big hit at after-school childcare! A special feature on group games and activities you can play without any equipment
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- [Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Upper Primary Grades
- [Elementary School Rec] Recommended Games and Performances for a Fun Party
- [List] A roundup of games and recreational activities kids love
[For Kids] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Winter Break (61–70)
Snowflake made with origami
The appeal of paper cutting is that when you unfold it, it turns into an unexpected shape.
Since it’s winter, let’s make snowflakes this time.
All you need are paper and scissors, which makes it easy and casual to enjoy.
First, to create the crystal shape, start by folding the paper into a hexagon.
Fold it into a triangle like a paper napkin, then fold it in half once more; when you open it up, it will form a hexagon.
Make free cuts without cutting all the way through, then unfold it to finish.
It’s also a good brain exercise, so I highly recommend this activity.
Kagami mochi made of origami
How about making a kagami mochi out of origami to get into the New Year spirit? Its plump look is so cute.
Let’s also make other New Year-themed items like kadomatsu and hagoita to display together.
It’s a perfect winter-break activity for when you want to relax under the kotatsu.
Clay play
Playing with clay is also highly recommended as training to develop dexterity in the fingertips.
Place a large lump of clay on the table and let the children create pieces that draw on their own free ideas.
You can paint them with colors or set a theme and have everyone make the same item.
As they knead and stretch the clay with their hands, they may make new discoveries.
If you’re doing this over winter break, making Christmas items like Santa, reindeer, or snowmen is a great idea.
Give clay play a try—it’s a fun way to learn while playing.
paper airplane
Paper airplanes—hasn’t everyone, from small children to adults, played with them at least once? And they’re something people of all ages, from kids to seniors, can enjoy together.
Paper airplanes are very simple, so even those who aren’t great at origami can have fun with them, but there’s actually a lot of depth: there are many folding methods, and the distance they fly changes depending on how you fold them.
The gentle, floaty kind is nice, but the sleek, fast ones that soar far are great too.
Competing to see whose flies the farthest sounds fun as well.
Paper dragonfly
If you’re making a bamboo-copter, you need to prepare bamboo, but a paper copter can be made with just a straw and a milk carton.
The trick is to fold the blades at alternating angles.
If you spin it fast, it flies well.
You can also enjoy the fun of crafting.
invisible ink (revealed by heat); rubbings to reveal hidden text
During winter break, there are mandarins on the kotatsu table—and the peels keep piling up.
How about using those peels to play with invisible ink? Paint a picture on paper with the juice from mandarin peels, then hold it over a flame and the image will gradually appear.
Please enjoy, but be careful when handling fire.
Doodle Pancakes
How about everyone sitting around the kotatsu and making “drawing pancakes” on a hot plate? Use batter mixed with cocoa to draw the lines, then fill in the rest with plain batter.
First, try drawing a character while watching the video for reference.
Once you get the hang of it, challenge yourself with an original design!
kinetic sand
Are you familiar with Kinetic Sand, the sand play activity? It’s a Swedish-born indoor sand-play kit that comes in very colorful varieties.
Unlike ordinary sand, it has a unique feel—like clay, it holds together, yet even when it’s formed, it can crumble softly apart.
You can enjoy it in many ways, like pressing it into molds you’d use in a sandbox or slicing it with a plastic knife.
And despite being sand, it doesn’t make a mess indoors and won’t get your hands dirty, which is another great feature.
Trump ‘Ikkyu-san’
This is a game played with playing cards called “Ikkyu-san.” Shuffle the deck well and place it face down on the table.
Players take turns flipping one card face up into the center while calling out “Ikkyu-san.” When the card is a 1, 3, or 9, everyone must quickly place their hand on the card.
The player who is slowest to react, or whose hand ends up on top, must take all the cards in the center.
If someone slaps by mistake, they also have to take the pile.
The game continues until there are no cards left in the center.
The player with the fewest cards at the end wins.
Donjara
Donjara is a tabletop game released by Bandai.
There are versions featuring various characters, but Donjara is a tabletop game themed on the beloved national anime Doraemon.
The game is originally based on mahjong, but it’s simplified to make it easy for children to understand.
You collect tiles illustrated with characters, so both kids and adults who don’t know mahjong can enjoy playing.
The score changes depending on the combinations of images you collect.