50 indoor physical activities for kids
Whether we like it or not, there are days when we have to stay indoors. But indoor activities can be just as fun as outdoor ones when you have a list of great ideas for your kids. Whether your space is large or small, there are so many opportunities for your kids to move and have fun! Here are 50 indoor activities for your family to try.
1. “Butterfly” catch
Pick up some craft feathers from the dollar store, throw them in the air, and have your kids catch them with a butterfly net.
2. Roll & jump!
Have kids roll on the floor while others jump over them. Or, if this is too challenging, have your kids lie still while others jump.
3. Freeze dance
Freeze dance is always a favourite! Have your kids dance while you play music. As soon as you stop the music, your kids must freeze in place until the music starts again. If you want to add a bit more movement to the game, have whoever moves when they’re supposed to be frozen touch their toes five times before the music starts again.
4. Twister
Pull out a Twister game board or make your own with six rows of coloured circles on it (you can cut circles from cardboard) with a different colour in each row. With at least two players playing at once, have your kids place either a left or right hand or foot on one circle at a time. You can use a spinner to pick which colour and which hand or foot. Prepare for twisted-up kids!
5. Bean bag darts
Use painter’s tape to create a “dart board” on the floor. Start by making a large rectangle and make smaller rectangles within the large one. The middle or smallest rectangle will be the bullseye.
Have kids take turns aiming for the bullseye by throwing bean bags towards the board. The start line can be close for younger players and further out for older ones. Assign values for each rectangle or see whose beanbag comes closest to the bullseye after a few chances.
6. Colour quest
Provide your child with a piece of paper with five colours either written out for the older crowd or with the colours drawn with pencil crayons for kids not yet able to read. Send your child on a hunt to find a certain number of items of each colour.
7. Bubble-wrap stomp
Kids love this game of jumping, dancing, or running on bubble wrap as they pop the bubbles away!
8. Snowball fight
Have a much drier snowball fight indoors by scrunching up paper into balls and throwing them (gently) at friends and family.
9. Laundry basket rides
Have your kids pull each other or their stuffies in laundry baskets for bucketfuls of fun.
10. Hide and seek
It’s always fun to see the spots kids can find to squeeze into!
11. Juggling
Start your child off with scarves to get used to the throwing and catching of two items. Eventually your child can use rolled up socks, beanbags, balls, or even balloons to practice throwing the items between their hands. Learning is half the fun!
12. Door frame high jump
How high can your kid jump? Have them hop beside a door frame or wall and mark the highest spot they reach. Can they jump even higher? (Using painter’s tape to mark the spot will make sure no permanent spots are left on your walls!)
13. Standing hot potato
It’s an all-time favourite at birthday parties. Have your kids stand in a circle or across from each other if there are only two players. Hand one player the “potato” (this could be a beanbag, a ball, or even a real potato). Start playing music and have the kids throw the potato back and forth. Stop the music and whoever is holding the potato is out.
14. Pillow case race
Hit the linen closet and pull out some pillow cases (preferably not the slippery silk ones). Have your kids step into one case each, hold onto the sides of theirs, and jump from one point to another.
15. Yoga
Yoga is a wonderful activity to improve your child’s balance, strength, endurance, and mindfulness. Learn some simple poses and practice together.
16. Hula hoops
There are SO many ways to use a hula hoop. Spin it around your waist or use it to skip. Use some of our ideas or let your kids’ imaginations run wild.
17. Astronaut walk
Your child will feel like they’re walking on the moon when you make their own space boots. Tie sponges to the bottom of their shoes and send them off on an expedition.
18. Frozen toys
Take a selection of your kids’ small toys, pieces of Lego, or beads and place them in empty tubs. Fill the tubs with water and put them in the freezer overnight. Provide your kids with toy hammers and spoons to excavate the items.
19. Blow the cups down
Line up plastic cups at the edge of a table and have kids use paper plates or fans to see how fast they can blow the cups off.
20. Slithering snake
Take a rope and turn it in a circle on the floor. Have your kids jump over the rope as it comes to them. Turn it slowly for the younger kids and fast for the older ones.
21. Hokey pokey
Talk about a fun and silly game. Sing the song (or find a video of it) and follow the actions. Put your right foot in, take your right foot out … don’t forget to shake it all about!
22. Build and smash
Use blocks, paper cups, cardboard boxes or empty plastic tubs. See how high you can build a tower then knock it down with a rolling ball.
23. Balloon keep up
How long can your kids keep a balloon up in the air without it hitting the ground? To make it more challenging and fun for older kids, change up the rules and have them keep the balloon up without using their hands.
24. Wheelbarrow walking
In this fun game, one player is the wheelbarrow and the other is the driver. The wheelbarrow puts their hands on the ground and the driver holds the wheelbarrow’s legs in the air. The wheelbarrow walks on their hands while the driver holds their legs and drives them all around. Have the driver maneuver around a couch or between pylons. Check out this page for more detailed instructions.
25. Dramatic!
Have your child or children come up with an idea for a show. It can be a story they already know (such as a fairy tale) or they can make up a whole new one. Have them find props and costumes, rehearse, and put on the show for the family or friends.
26. Simon/Simone says
Pick one player to be Simon/Simone who will give instructions to the other players. If Simone says an instruction with their name as part of it—ie. “Simone says touch your shoulders”—then all players must touch their shoulders. But if Simone says “dance” without saying “Simone says” first, the players must not dance. If they do, they’re out. Have the last person still in the game take over the role of Simone/Simon in the next round.
27. Kitchen band
Set your band members around the kitchen to gather up their instruments. Between spoons, pots, plastic tubs or bowls, or muffin tins, musical masterpieces are just waiting to be created. There’s nothing like a kitchen dance party!
28. Paper airplanes
There are so many types of paper airplanes you can make. When you’ve found one you like, see how far your child can throw it. Can they throw it further?
29. Hopscotch
Make your own indoor hopscotch course using painter’s tape. The course can be as long as you want or have space for. Once your kids have hopped the course, see if they can double hop on each box or alternate feet on the way up and the way back.
30. Bean bag balance walk
Can your child walk from one point to another balancing a beanbag on their head? Once they have conquered walking with one, how many more could they add?
31. Hop challenge
Set up a start and finish line and have your child start at one end. Have them jump with two feet from one end to the other. Next, have them jump to the other end on one leg. Then using the other leg. Got that down pat? Can they do each of the jumps backwards?
32. One foot high kick
This Inuit game will keep your kids aiming high! Hang a ball on a string or rope on the top of a door frame. Have your kids try to kick the ball with one foot and land on the same foot with which they kicked. Keep raising the ball until only one person can successfully kick it and land properly. Your kids can stand still to kick, or can run and jump at the ball.
(For younger kids, have them practice landing on both feet until they get the hang of the game.)
33. Charades
Have a set of cue cards with pictures or words of things that your kids can act out. No ideas for things for your kids to act out? Use a random charades word generator.
34. Bowling
Find at least six items to use as bowling pins such as empty milk cartons or water bottles. Set up the pins and have your child use a foam ball to try to knock them down.
35. Mini golf
Make your own indoor course using blocks, pool noodles, wooden train tracks for walls, empty tin cans for tunnels, cardboard for ramps, and any other pieces you can imagine for your dream range.
36. Indoor curling
Use painter’s tape to make the area you aim your curling rocks into. Make an outer circle 60cm in diameter, an inner circle 30cm in diameter, and a bullseye 5cm in diameter in the middle. Use unwrapped bars of soap for your rocks. And sweep! If you could use a refresher on the game, here’s everything you need to know.
37. Cheerleading
Your kids can perform their own routine by learning the basic cheer motions and jumps.
38. Lego amazing race
Gather up Lego or blocks and choose three different locations in the house such as a dining room table, coffee table, or desk. At each location, leave a pile of blocks, a picture of something for your child to build, and a picture of a motion. In order to move from one location to the next, your child must build what’s in the picture then perform the action.
An example could be to have your child build something as simple as a fence or bridge or as complex as an animal. Each piece of Lego must be used. The child must then perform an action such as a snake wriggle to the next Lego location. And while you’ve got the Lego out, here are 10 Lego game ideas to get your kids moving!
39. Indoor camping
Provide your kids with blankets and sheets and let them build their own tent or fort. They can hang sheets on a table and “camp” underneath or create a roof between a couch and a chair.
40. Toy wash
Kids love to play with water! Fill a bin with warm water and give your children a selection of their toys to wash.
41. Sensory bags
For kids of all ages, sensory bags are a fantastic activity to engage a child’s senses. Making a sensory bag is easy and inexpensive.
Fill a Ziploc bag with any items, from hair gel or shaving cream mixed with buttons and coins to rice or beans. Whether the bag is squishy or dry, the possibilities are endless. Seal the bag tightly and double bag it to ensure no leaks occur.
The bags can be duct taped at the edges for further sealing and can be taped to your floor, a chair, or window to be explored.
42. Walk the tightrope
Help your child develop their balance skills while having fun on a variety of “ropes.” Use painters tape to make a “balance beam” on the floor or lay down a pool noodle or actual rope. Have your child practice walking forwards, backwards or while holding an object in one hand.
43. Yo-yos!
Move from the simple up and down method to learning some awesome tricks. There are some great videos to teach your kids a ton of tricks.
44. Mirror mirror on the wall
Choose one child to be the leader and the other to be their mirror. The leader will make a motion that their partner has to imitate as if they’re looking into a mirror. The leader can wave, touch their toes, march in place, or perform any other action they can imagine. After a set amount of time, have the players switch roles.
45. Conga line
It’s not just for weddings! Teach your kids this classic party dance in a few easy steps. Line everyone up and have them place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Play your favourite playlist and have the leader of the line snake the group around your home. Show your kids how to step, step, step, kick. Pump it up with some shake, shake, shake, kick moves.
46. Pillow walk
Set up a line of bed or couch pillows on the floor and have your child walk from one end to the other. Can they balance their way from one end to the other?
47. Wrap and run
Provide one roll of toilet paper per two players. Have one child wrap their partner from head to toe like a mummy using the entire roll. All limbs must be covered. Can your mummy run from one spot to another? If there is more than one pair of players, see which team gets their mummy to the finish first.
48. “Frisbee”
While you may not want a traditional disc zipping towards windows or pets, there are safer options that are just as fun. Use lids from empty yogurt tubs or paper plates to make your own flying fun.
49. Jacks
It’s a game of bouncing, catching, and grabbing. How fast can your kids go?
50. Tissue dance
Have each child place a tissue on their head, cue up the music and let the dancing begin. Can your kid keep the tissue balanced for a whole song?
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