4 Easy Indoor Games & Activities
This time of year tends to mean lots of inside time. As parents and caregivers that means lots of entertaining ideas are needed! Here are 4 great ideas for a wide range of ages that will not only provide hours of fun, but are also easy to put together!
1. Car Track
For this activity, you’ll need painter’s, washi or masking tape and cars.
Stick tape to the carpet in 2 parallel lines.
Don’t stop at the carpet, create your “track” all over the house – up kid safe furniture, in cabinets and over pillows or beds!
Kids can bring in toy cars, trains houses, dolls etc to go with their full city of roads.
You can even build your own skyscrapers and parking garage out of recycled cereal boxes to add to your indoor city! Get the how to here.
2. Balloon Tennis
Kids build up a lot of energy being stuck indoors. Balloon tennis is a a great activity to get a little exercise and can be played safely without the worry of breaking furniture or a trip to the hospital.
To play Balloon Tennis you’ll need:
Paper plates
Craft sticks (or paint stir sticks)
Duct tape or glue
A balloon
Crayons/markers (optional)
Create the “racket” by attaching your craft stick handle to the back of the paper plate using duct tape or a strong adhesive.
Let kids personalize their rackets with crayons, markers or paint.
Blow up a balloon (or two or three) and you’re ready to go!
For single players try to keep the balloon in the air using only the plate
If there are partners or teams hit the balloon back and forth using your racket
3. Target Practice
Target practice is a great way to help little ones develop their hand eye coordination. Here’s a few fun ways to create a couple different targets for gameplay to do with your kids.
To make these targets you’ll need:
-Painter’s
-Washi or masking tape
-Soft balls and/or paper airplanes
Create a target on the floor with however many rings you wish.
Fly the paper airplanes to see who can get it closest to the middle, or make point values for each “ring” and see who can get the most points!
Roll the balls onto the target to see who can get closest to the center or try to knock others’ balls out of the way.
4. Yarn Maze
Build up those logic and reason skills with a Yarn Maze challenge!
To create your own maze you’ll need:
Yarn
A prize at the end (prizes can be a small treat, a new movie, new coloring books and crayons etc.)
Tie the yarn to the prize in one room and then pull the yarn all around the house going over and under itself to create an entire house maze.
You can use clips to hold the yarn on mantles or counters if you run out of places to “anchor” the yarn when you want it to change directions.
Once you’ve made a maze large enough for the child’s age give them the end and have them follow the yarn maze while winding it up, going over and under other lines of yarn until they reach the prize.
Allison Waken is a kids’ activity and craft guru always ready to try something new. See more on her blog, All for the Boys, where she features activities and crafts that inspire creativity, play and interaction.