It’s Thursday, and you’ve been trapped inside with your kids since last Friday. And there is so much for you to do! The best thing about having small children is that they can be easily entertained, on the flip side of that they are easily distracted or “get bored.”
New games and games that are relatively short are right up their alley, and you can read on for some ways to save the day (and your sanity) with items you likely already have in your home! How great is that?
I mean it’s not like you don’t have an entire room full of toys – half of them still in their packaging or haven’t been played with since the day you got them.
Let’s pretend those toys aren’t there – maybe even take a look at some ideas to reduce the number of toys and games that are taking up all of the space in your home.
Here we go, fun indoor games to play with those little sweeties of ours.
1. Balloon Bop
Strange name, yes I know, but kids love games with fun names. It’s the most straightforward game ever and super entertaining. Younger kids love to play this game, and honestly, so do 14-year-olds – it’s literally fun for everyone.
What You Need to Play: A balloon – yes, that’s it. I typically go to the dollar store and buy a small bag of balloons, and they last us for months.
How to Play: Pretend the “floor is lava,” and the balloon can’t touch the ground – bop the balloon back and forth.
The rate at which the balloon falls is perfect speed for a little one to practice some hand-eye coordination and it’s easier than using a ball (which we also use sometimes, but that’s more for the 14-year-old and balls can break things, so let’s stick with the balloon indoors).
Development
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- Movement/Physical Development
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2. Play, Theater, and Make Believe
At this age, kids are developing more of an imagination, and this is such an awesome game to help them harness that imagination and make something from it. I also like to think of this as sort of a Narnia type game.
What You Need to Play: Costumes or props (it’s going to depend on what little Johnny or June comes up with. They can even pretend the bamboo spoon you have in the kitchen is a magical wand or bath towels are capes!!
How to Play: Let each of the kids get involved, and you can give prompts to help get things moving along. It’s almost like an improv sketch. Ask them “where are we going, who is going on this trip, is there a bad guy, who is the good guy, and what should we take on our trip with us?”
Let them lead, and you can follow and help provide the necessary props and costumes for their adventure. The possibilities are endless, and most likely, this game will be too. All day long your little one will want to be Leezalo the Tardy – a knight from Colorado on his way to save the family dog.
Development
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- Language/Communication
- Social/Emotional
- Cognitive
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3. Karaoke
Who doesn’t love a good jam session? You like to sing, and your kids like to sing, so grab a microphone and belt it out with them. Sure you won’t get to rap along with Eminem, but maybe you’ll get to throw in some Taylor Swift in between rounds of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baby Shark.
What You Need to Play: A microphone or something that can “be” a microphone (you know you’ve used a hairbrush as a microphone before, pass that on for your kids to use too).
If your kids love this game, consider a karaoke machine – you can use this for the adult-only gatherings you host at your house also!! For under $20 you can get these cool karaoke microphones on Amazon, or you can get a little more expensive and get a karaoke machine with a speaker – totally up to you and your budget!
How to Play: Pick a song, turn on the microphone (or pretend microphone) and belt our your best Michael Jackson or Old McDonald, you know, whichever you or your kids choose.
Development
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- Language/Communication
- Social/Emotional
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4. Prop Dance
What’s more fun than dancing? Prop Dancing! Use your imagination, let your children use their imagination, and dance away with your props.
What You Need to Play: Ribbons, hats, skirts, really anything you have lying around – and of course, music. Try dancing around with long ribbons or streamers. You can make fun designs with different movements and have fun seeing the pretty colors floating through the room.
How to Play: You can play songs that tell you what to do, such as the hokey pokey or head, shoulders, knees, and toes – or any upbeat music. That’s it! Just turn on the music and begin dancing. This is a great way to be active and have fun.
Development
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- Social/Emotional
- Movement/Physical Development
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5. Skate Socks
If you have hardwood or tile floors, your kids will enjoy skating around the room in their socks! You may want to reserve this game for the older kids with a little more balance, the smaller kids might spend more time falling than skating, but that’s how we learn right?!
What You Need to Play: Kids and a pair of socks for everyone playing
How to Play: I’ve found that the best socks for this game are the cozy socks that Dick’s Sporting Goods has around the colder months – link to those here. Be careful when cruising around the living room in these because they are slick.
Development
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- Social/Emotional
- Movement/Physical Development
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Creating Lasting Memories
These ideas of games to play with your kids have little or no additional expense. I hope that by reading this, you’ll have a fantastic day playing with your little ones. Even if it helps spark your imagination to create games that you and your children will get to play together.
Skate socks is a game I used to play with my mom, and I cannot wait to make these kinds of memories with my little ones someday. I’m sure these types of games have been played by many others, or something similar, but creating memories with your littles ones is something to cherish.
Happy playing!!!
