Cooler weather and rainy days offer a break from the hot temperatures and mean more stay-at-home time for the little ones. When going outside is not an option, you can help children burn their energy and remain fully engaged in playtime. Indoor play can be as fun and active as outdoor activities! It only takes a bit of creativity and imagination. Here are 8 fun indoor activities to do with children on fun days indoors:
Build a Race Track
With masking tape, a marker, and a bit of creativity, children can build their own race track for hours of indoor fun! Get their imagination flying and have them create their dream racetrack on a piece of paper and then bring their design to life! From the streets in a city to a proper race track, children can be as creative as they want. Substitute cars for cotton balls and straws and have them blow their way through the race to the finish line!
Organize a Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunts are exciting, keep children on the move and thinking to solve clues, mathematical problems, or riddles. A home is a great place to hide clues and offers opportunities for critical thinking. Tailor treasure hunts to the child's interests, abilities and make them as challenging or as friendly you desire to encourage engagement. If you need some inspiration for clues, here is a great resource to consider! Overall, think creatively and add academic, dexterity, or physical challenges. Have fun!
Build a Fort
Building a fort offers many levels of engagement. From planning to execution, children are tasked to find the best materials to create the most stable structure. After accomplishing their goal, their creation can serve as a play tent for pretend play in a cave, spaceship, or submarine or as a hideout to read and play with toys. Happy building!
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are super fun! Children get active and compete against time, family members, or friends, going from room to room finding whatever they need on their bingo card to ultimately win the game! Create a bingo card adding household items for the children to find, make sure to get a few tricky items that are hidden or require children to open doors or explore to find them. Want to make it more challenging? Adapt your bingo card to the age or grade level of your child. Finding colors, shapes, or items that start with a letter of the alphabet can help toddlers and preschoolers learn basic concepts. Here are a few great examples of indoor scavenger hunt cards.
Plan an Indoor Obstacle Course
Another entertaining option! Children can burn energy and use their abilities to complete an obstacle course! Get the kids to plan and set up the course. Use pillows, buckets, masking tape, balls, rope, boxes, or any material you can think of, then add movement and exercise to complement your obstacle course (crab walks, bear walks, squats, jumping jacks, or pushups are great options). The sky is the limit. When the course is ready, get a timer and go! Happy racing!
The Freeze Dance Game
Get moving with a freeze dance competition. Turn the music on and show off your best moves but, don’t forget to freeze immediately when the music stops! Wait and hold your position until the music starts again. If a child doesn’t freeze quickly enough or moves during freeze time, have them do 10 jumping jacks or squats to rejoin the game. Lots of exercise and fun!
Play Balloon Tennis
Love tennis? Inflate a balloon and create tennis rackets using paper plates and popsicle sticks! Use masking or painter's tape to draw a line on the floor, get your balloon and start playing. Keep the balloon in the air as long as possible! The first one to let the balloon fall loses the round. Check out our Balloon Tennis Curriculum.
Indoor Picnic
For children who prefer less active interactions, an indoor picnic is a great option! Have the little ones help prepare the food and set up for the picnic. Choose easy finger foods and sippy cups to avoid messes. Grab a blanket, a couple of pillows. You can even decorate with fake flowers or invite stuffed animals to join! Enjoy!
Weather is not an obstacle to creating fun, educational and engaging experiences! Our homes offer many opportunities for children to enjoy and remain engaged without the use of electronics. Enjoy the fun activities and share your favorite indoor activities in the comments below!
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