Active and Engaging Indoor Games for Kids to Play Inside

Don’t let a rainy day ruin the fun: Having some great indoor game ideas up your sleeve is a fantastic way to keep kids occupied, no matter the weather! Below, we’ve got the best indoor games for kids, from entertaining activities to classic pastimes.

Contents:

• Active and Fun Indoor Games to Burn Energy
• Quiet and Creative Indoor Games
• Educational Indoor Games for Kids
• Easy Indoor Games for Small Spaces
• Solo Indoor Games for Independent Play
• Indoor Group Games for Kids
• FAQs

Active and Fun Indoor Games to Burn Energy

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Hide and Seek

Everyone has known this indoor game since their own childhood! One child is designated as the Seeker and counts to a set number (say 20 or 100) with their eyes closed, while the others find a hiding spot somewhere in the house. Once the time is up, the Seeker’s job is to find them. The last person to be found is the winner and is the Seeker in the next game. If there comes a point when the Seeker can’t find any more players, they can surrender, and these hidden players all win.

Musical Chairs

Put out one chair for every child playing—and then take one chair away. Now, play some music and have kids move around and between the chairs. Stop the music at a random point. When this happens, children must rush to sit down on a chair—the one left without a chair is out of the game. Take a chair away and repeat these steps until there’s only one kid left.

Dance Party

What better way to bring the sunshine than by throwing an impromptu indoor dance party? Keep things interesting by introducing a dance-off, having a game of limbo, and getting everyone to freeze when the music stops. Don’t be surprised if the whole family wants to join in the dancing fun!

Balloon Keepy-Uppy

Have kids form a rough circle and throw a balloon up in the air in the middle of the group. The idea is simple—children must work together to keep the balloon in the air—and off the floor—for as long as possible. For such an easy activity, you may be surprised at just how long this keeps kids entertained! Adapt the game for two players by making bats out of wooden spoons stuck to paper plates, and try balloon tennis.

Quiet and Creative Indoor Games

Set Up a Crafting Station

Many kids enjoy crafting, and it’s a great means of developing fine motor and creative skills. Set up an indoor crafting station (or corner) with a range of supplies, including paper, cardboard, child-safe glue, pens, colored tissue paper, buttons, stuff for junk modeling, and whatever else you have to hand. Put sheets on the floor for added peace of mind (and a stress-free experience), and be amazed at the wonderful creations that your kids make.

Need more fun ideas? Subscribe to Pingo on YouTube for awesome DIYs, drawing, sculpting, and endless creative inspiration!

100 Cup Challenge

Give each child (or small group of kids) 100 plastic or paper cups, and ask them to build the tallest structure possible within a certain time period. This is a good way to get kids thinking both logically and creatively, with the added interest of a little competition! For younger kids, try giving just 25 or 50 cups each.

Name Five

Start by choosing a category; this could be birds, flowers, colors, or vegetables, for example. Beginning with A, the first player must list five things in this category. The next player needs to list five things in the category, beginning with B and continuing with so on. If a child can’t name five items, they’re out of the game, and the winner is the last child left!

Fortunately and Unfortunately

Gather the kids together, and ask the first child to start a story with the word “fortunately,” such as “Fortunately, the train arrived on time.” The next child starts with the word “unfortunately”—like, “Unfortunately, the train turned into an elephant and stomped away!” See how far the group can get with the story before everyone gets a fit of the giggles.

Educational Indoor Games for Kids

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The Geography Game

A great activity for helping kids learn the names of (and how to spell) countries around the world, the Geography Game can be played by two or more players. The first person starts by saying a geographical place name (such as Paris or Ohio) and the next player has to think of a place that begins with the last letter of this place—so for Paris, the player would have to think of a place beginning with S. If someone can’t think of a place before the time runs out, they’re out, and the winner is the last person left!

Related: Journey Across Continents: Geography Trivia Challenge for Families.

Movement Memory

This game is an effective way to boost memory skills—and is a lot of fun, too. Have kids form a circle and choose a player to start. This player makes a movement, such as clapping their hands twice. The second person must then complete this movement and add one of their own, such as jumping on the spot three times. The third person must now make both of these movements and add a third. See how far you can get before someone makes a mistake!

Card Games and Board Games

Digging out a favorite board game or teaching children a new card game are great indoor activities for the whole family to enjoy. From Snakes and Ladders to the more challenging Monopoly, many games have an educational element, like helping with addition and subtraction. There are plenty of card games, too, that support kids’ learning and provide hours of rainy-day entertainment, too.

“I See a Rhyme”

Kids will have such fun playing this rhyming game that they won’t even notice they’re building literacy skills at the same time! The first player starts by completing the phrase, “I see a…” For example, “I see a hat.” The next player has to create a rhyme, such as “No, I see a cat!” If a player can’t think of a rhyme, they’re out of the game, and the winner is the last child still rhyming!

Easy Indoor Games for Small Spaces

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Simon Says

One of the classic indoor games for kids, Simon Says is easy to learn and needs no equipment. Gather the players and choose one to be Simon. This person gives commands to the group, such as “Simon says hop on one foot” which everyone has to obey. However, there’s a catch! If the command doesn’t begin with “Simon says” and a player carries it out, they are out of the game. The last person still standing is the winner.

Charades

To play charades with kids, start with a category. This could be movies, songs, books, or TV shows. Each player takes turns acting out with body motions and gestures something that fits into the chosen category. For example, if the category is movies, the player might act out the phrase The Sound of Music. A timer is set, and if a player guesses correctly within this time, they earns one point. If no one guesses correctly, the player acting out the charade gets one point. The player with the most points at the end of a specified time or number of rounds wins the game.

There are several hand motions to understand when playing charades. Sticking with The Sound of Music example, a player should start by holding up four fingers to show that the phrase or title contains four words. To demonstrate which individual word they are acting out, they then show, say, two fingers to signify “second word.” A player can cup their hand to their ear to show that the word they’re acting out sounds similar to another word. To show that a guessed word or phrase should be shorter or longer, the player can make a karate chop action for the former, or stretch their hands out for the latter.

Guess the Sound

A fun game that can be played even in the smallest of spaces, Guess the Sound is super simple and can be enjoyed by even very young kids. Choose a child to begin with and have them tie a blindfold gently over their eyes. Next, use everyday household objects to make a sound, and see if the player can guess what it is. Need some sound ideas to get started? You could tap a spoon against a table, rattle coins in a jar, or run a brush through your hair.

He Said, She Said

Have kids sit in a circle and give each a pen/pencil and piece of paper. Next, ask each to write the first line of a story and then pass their paper to the person to their left. This person then writes the next line of the story until the papers all come back to their original authors. It’s now time to have fun reading out the collaborative creations! Ready to switch it up a bit? In this version of the game, kids fold their papers after writing their storyline so that the next player can’t see what has been written!

Read also: Making the Most of Rainy Days: Fun Activities for the Whole Family.

Solo Indoor Games for Independent Play

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Fort Building

A fort-building activity is a good idea for independent play and can hone coordination and problem-solving skills. The best thing about this game is that there are nearly endless items and materials your kid can use to build their creation, from chairs and blankets to cardboard boxes and tubes. Let your child’s imagination run wild! Mix things up by suggesting your kid design a fort maze or a fort city connected by tunnels!

Reading Challenge

A rainy day is the perfect opportunity to snuggle up with a favorite book. Encourage your kid to dive into the pages of an adventure by setting up a cozy reading nook for them—make a pillow fort, hang string lights around a window seat, or add some ambiance by playing instrumental music that vibes with the theme of the book. Make things even more interesting by suggesting they see how many books or chapters they can read in a set time frame.

Have a Go at Origami

Origami—the Japanese art of paper folding—can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. There are plenty of books and online resources to get children started in this peaceful, engaging activity that’s perfect for developing creativity and fine motor skills. From pretty pastel flowers to paper animals, you’ll be amazed at what it’s possible to create.

Get Quizzing

Lots of kids enjoy quizzes, and there are loads to be found online, suitable for all ages, to help fill a little time on a rainy day. Alternatively, create your own quiz for your child to have a go at, perhaps themed around their favorite book or movie. Once they’ve completed it, add up their score to see how they did—and maybe challenge them to write a quiz for you to try!

Indoor Group Games for Kids

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Indoor Bowling

Looking for a fun game for kids to play in a group? Try indoor bowling! This game is super easy to set up: all you need are a few empty plastic bottles and a softball. Have kids take turns bowling the ball to see how many “skittles” they can knock over, with one point earned for every skittle knocked down. Specify the number of rounds to be played, and the child with the most points at the end of the final round is the winner.

Scavenger Hunt

Create an indoor scavenger hunt to keep even the hardest-to-please customers content on a rainy day. There are two types of hunt you can arrange. The first involves writing down (or drawing) a list of items for kids to find around the house. These could be things like a hair clip, a blue pen, or a book with a red cover. The child who returns with all the items first is the winner.

For the second type of scavenger hunt, split kids into two teams and plant two different sets of clues around the house, each of which leads to the next clue until finally, the teams are led to a prize.

Four Corners

To start, label the four corners of the room—these labels could be colors, objects, letters, etc. and then get all the kids to stand in the middle of the room. Next, ask each child to choose a corner to stand in. Once everyone has chosen, hold up a piece of paper with, for example, a color, object, or letter (whichever you have chosen to label the corners). All the kids standing in that corner must sit down, and the remaining players return to the center of the room. Repeat the process until only one child is left—this kid is the winner!

All Aboard

Divide kids into small teams and then set out things to use as playing surfaces—one for each team. This could be mats, large towels, hula hoops, or the like. Now, each team needs to try to fit everyone onto their playing surface and stay there for at least ten seconds. The teams that manage this are through to the next round—where they have to again try to fit inside a playing surface, but this time a smaller one! The last team left is the winner.

Indoor play can be full of fun and adventure, but staying connected with your child is just as important. With the Findmykids app, you can easily check their location, set safe zones, and ensure they’re where they should be—giving you peace of mind while they play.

Keeping Children Entertained with Fun Indoor Games for Kids

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Having a selection of fun indoor games for kids up your sleeves is a fantastic idea. As well as keeping children entertained on an unexpected rainy day, they’re also perfect to fill a little time with, add some fun to a family evening, or give you ten minutes of peace to get on with fixing dinner!

Use our guide above for inspiration, and feel free to tailor the games to suit your own unique child and their ability level.

Are there any particular indoor games that are always a hit with your kids that don’t appear on our list? Other parents out there would love to hear about them—drop us a line in the comments box below!

FAQs

What are 10 indoor games?

Looking for indoor games for kids to keep children entertained? There are loads to try, including hide and seek, musical chairs, balloon keepy-uppy, scavenger hunt, charades, Four Corners, indoor bowling, Simon Says, indoor bowling, and Guess the Sound.

What are the best indoor games for kids?

When choosing an indoor game for kids to keep children busy and entertained on a rainy day, first consider the kids’ ages, abilities, and preferences. If you want an active game to burn energy, try playing musical chairs or throwing an indoor dance party. Looking for quiet, creative games? A fort-building or reading challenge could be perfect. Indoor bowling, a scavenger hunt, All Aboard, and Four Corners are great games to engage groups of children.

What’s the most fun game for kids?

Some of the most fun indoor games for kids are charades, Simon Says, All Aboard, Fortunately and Unfortunately, indoor bowling, and scavenger hunts. There are also many fun board and card games that, as well as being highly entertaining, often promote skills such as math, memory, and strategic thinking.

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