15 Fun Indoor Games for Kids  - Number Dyslexia (2024)

Have you ever tried keeping your kids indoors? If yes, so you know it is not an easy task rather it is far from easy.

Kids are always bouncing up and down with energy. Desperation to do something and end the boredom is at its peak during those indoor days. Well, to tackle such situations, we have compiled a list of fun and energy-filled indoor games that are a perfect solution to end boredom and help toddlers utilize their pent-up energy efficiently.

Indoor games are easy to play and can be enjoyed in the comfort of homes. Whether it’s the long summer afternoon or gloomy rainy days, indoor games will not only keep your kids energized and healthy but will also improve the cognitive and motor development of your little ones. Further, indoor games provide a perfect break from technology and help indulge in some really fun games.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and find the best game for your kid and make their summer vacations extra fun and enlightening.

Fun indoor games for kids

Indoor games are a perfect stress-buster that provides a much-needed break from monotonous activities and brings zeal and enthusiasm to a kid’s daily life routine. Some fun indoor games for kids are-

1. Hide n Seek

The kid’s all-time favorite and classic game Hide n Seek is a fun and easy to play indoor game that requires no extra effort and is filled with plenty of thrill and excitement. It is a wonderful activity to enhance a kid’s mobility and improve their visual-motor skills. The game can be played among children and their parents or a group of children, as convenient.

Material required:

• Space to play the game

How to play?

• Among the group of players, one player, that is the seeker will close his/her eyes and will count to 20 or 50.
• Meanwhile, other players have to hide at any place they can find.
• Once the counting is completed, the seeker has to find the other players who are hiding. Whichever player will be found first, will be out of the game and will be the next seeker. And the game will continue similarly.

2. Treasure Hunt

Treasure Hunt is a game filled with lots of anticipation and surprises that will make your kid’s day more fun and enlightening. You can use some educational hints that will improve a child’s understanding and knowledge and will help them learn how to follow directions. It will improve their cognitive skills and help them better apply their learned skills. The game can be easily played with one child or more than one child. An adult’s guidance is a plus point in the game.

Material required:

• Treasure Hunt Map
• Treasure
• Hints

How to play?

• The game demands some early preparation for its better execution. Parents have to prepare the hints in advance such as any riddle, quiz, or problem (Bonus: you can utilize your kid’s curriculum syllabus material in these hints) and hide them at different locations.
• Prepare a treasure hunt map which the kids will follow to find their hidden treasure. And prepare some treasure. It could be some coins, food treats, or gifts for your kids.
• Provide the map for the kid and let him/her follow the directions and find their hints. With the combination of a treasure map and hints, the kid has to find the final location of the treasure.

3. Musical Chairs

A light and fun game that requires a group of children to play the game. An amazing game to improve kids’ auditory skills and motor coordination.

Material required :

• Chairs
• Music

How to play?

• Count the total number of kids playing the game. Place one less chair than the total number of kids playing the game in a circle.
• Every kid has to sing, dance, or simply walk around the circle of chairs when the music is playing.
• When the music stops, everyone has to immediately sit on the chair. One who is left standing will be out of the game.
• The game will go on similarly with one less chair than total kids every time. The child who remains in the game till the last will win.

4. Indoor Hopscotch

Indoor hopscotch is a famous and easy game that makes the evenings more fun and memorable. Indoor hopscotch provides several benefits such as motor coordination, balance, and improved flexibility. This game can be played solo or in group.

Material required:

• Tape
• Chalks
• Small stone

How to play?

• First, kids have to make hopscotch in some free space in their homes. They can draw it using chalk or tape.
• Simply, draw box lines in a single line vertically. Mark 1, 2, and 3 in the initial first boxes, 4 and 5 in one box, side by side, 6 in a single next box, 7 and 8 again side by side, and the last 9 in a single box. Ensure to mark each box.
• Now, using a stone, first, throw it in box no 1, jump over there, pick the stone, throw it to box 2, jump there, pick the stone, throw it to box 3, jump there, and so on.
• Complete it till 9 then come back to the starting point in the same manner.
• If your stone lands in the wrong box or out of boundary or the player uses both legs instead of one, he/she will be out of the game and have to restart.

5. Castle building

The perfect game to play on those cozy winter days when all your kid wants to do is lay around comfortably and enjoy the day. The presence of one player is enough for the game, however, the more the merrier. A great activity to develop motor coordination skills of your kids and categorical learning while they put material in a specific manner to retain the castle.

Material required:

• Old cardboard boxes, pillows, blankets, chairs, tables, etc.

How to play?

• The game is simple. Here, your kid has to build a castle or a tower using the waste cardboard, pillows, blankets, or anything that can strengthen the castle.
• The game can be played between the kid and the parent or among kids. Whoever’s tower will be the longest and the strongest will win.
• Later, you can let your kid spend the day in their castle and have their snacks.

6. Obstacle course

A wonderful game that not only keeps the children engaged and thrilled but also aids in the development of kids. The game helps improve the balance, attention, spatial awareness, and mobility of developing toddlers. This game can be played solo or in group.

Material required:

• Hula hoops
• Balls, buckets, blankets, or anything that can work as an obstacle without harming the kid.

How to play?

• First, it is suitable to mark a free and large space with tapes that will act as an obstacle ground. Or you can have obstacles spread all over your house, with caution.
• Put different items or obstacles in different places.
• Kids have to ensure that they don’t touch any obstacle, rather they have to walk around it, hop through it, jump through it, or anything.
• If the kid touches any obstacle even slightly, he/ she has to restart the game.

7. Red light, Green light

An exciting game that is full of laughter, thrill, and fun. The game helps kids develop motor skills, improved visual abilities, attention, and concentration. The game can be played with a solo player or group of kids, as convenient.

Material required:

• Red light
• Greenlight

How to play?

• One of the players who will facilitate the game, preferably parents, will have to mark one of the empty spaces as the starting point and the other as the endpoint. You can do it across rooms or in the house to make it more challenging.
• The green light is the signal for a go and the red light is the signal for a stop.
• If the green light is turned on, kids can run from one hiding stop to another. If a red light is turned on, kids can’t move. They have to freeze in there.
• If any player is found to be moving when the red light is on they will be out of the game and have to restart.

8. DIY Games

Indoor games are the best way to engage kids in creative and unique activities that will keep kids’ brains stimulated. DIY Games are perfect indoor games to help kids unleash their creativity and improve their artistic and cognitive skills. The game can be played solo or in a group.

Material required:

• Origami papers
• Fevicol
• Colored pens

How to play?

• Provide each kid with at least 5 origami papers and tell them to build something unique and creative out of it such as DIY origami stars, hearts, etc.
• The first person to create something will win and a reward awaits him/her.
• If a solo player is playing, you can add a time limit to the game. If a kid creates something in a given time, he/she wins and will be rewarded.

9. Simon says…

Another classic and kid’s favorite game is “Simon says” and it is a wonderful game to pass the lazy afternoons and engage kids in some activities. The game will improve kids’ auditory skills, decision-making skills, and motor skills. The game can be played solo or in a group.

Material required

• Free space to play

How to play?

• One of the people, preferably a parent, will act as Simon. Simon has to give commands or orders to the players and will ask them to do random things, such as stand on one leg, recite a poem, tell the meaning of certain words, revolve in a circle five times, and so on.
• Kids have to perform these actions when the command is followed by the words Simon says. Any command without these words is not to be followed.
• If kids act on a command without these words, they will be out of the game. The last one standing in the game will win.

10. Balancing Beam

Balancing Beam is surely a kid’s favorite and easy-to-play game with numerous benefits. It will keep your child engaged for a long period and this can be played solo. An entertaining game to improve the motor coordination of kids and improve balancing skills.

Material required:

• Colorful broad tapes

How to play?

• Stick the tapes on a floor in a random manner but ensure that the tapes are connected and are easy to walk on.
• Set different rules on how to walk for each tape. For instance, on green tape, you have to hop, on red tape, you have to walk on one leg, and so on.
• Your child has to walk according to the rules and if the kid walks or falls out of the boundary tapes, he/she will be out of the game.

11. Dominoes

Dominoes is a wonderful and relaxing game that kids can play for hours. As fun as this game is, it is useful to improve attention, concentration, visual-motor coordination, spatial awareness, and hand mobility of the kids. Also, this game is a wonderful example of fine motor skills manipulative. Kids can easily play this game solo.

Material required:

• Stack of dominoes
• Any items of equal size and normal weight.

How to play?

• Kids have to stack the domino pieces in a row one after the other. Ensure that each two pieces has neither too much distance between them nor too little.
• Once kids have completed stacking their pieces, they have to lightly push the first piece and enjoy viewing others falling successively.

12. The Listening Games

The Listening Game is the perfect amalgam of fun, creativity, and learning. This game is amusing and full of thrill to keep children guessing what’s next. Additionally, it is a perfect game to improve the auditory skills of the kids along with their recognition skills. The game can be played using a single player or more than one player.

Material required:

• Stick
• Spoons
• Mugs
• Plastic glasses
• Plates, or any other object that produces sound.

How to play?

• First, parents have to blindfold the kids or kids playing the game.
• Using a stick, they have to slightly beat or touch any other object and produce sounds.
• Kids have to identify the object that produces the specific sound.
• If kids recognize the sounds and the objects correctly, he/she will win the game.

13. Toss the coins

A fun and light game to keep kids entertained and help them improve their motor dexterity, balance, attention, concentration, and eye-hand coordination. The game can be played among the kid and the parent or among various kids easily.

Material required:

• Empty cans/ hoops
• Coins

How to play?

• Among the two players, one (preferably the parent) will hold the can or a bucket with its mouth side to the other player.
• The other player has to toss the coin or the sock in the mouth of the can or bucket, respectively.
• If the coin or sock lands inside the can or bucket the maximum number of times, the kid will win.
• Alternatively, you can have coins or some food items placed on a table. Kids have to throw a hoop around the placed item. If the kid successfully lands the hoop around the object, the kid wins and the placed object will be won by the kid.

14. Balloon tennis

A simple yet creative game that will engage and amuse kids. It will help improve the balance and hand-motor coordination of kids. Additionally, visual-spatial awareness and improved mobility are other benefits of these games.

Material required

• Balloons

How to play?

• Inflate at least three to five balloons.
• Slightly push them in the air one by one.
• Kids have to ensure that none of the balloons touch the floor and they have to keep every balloon in the air for as long as possible.
• If any one of the balloons touches the ground, kids can restart the game.

15. Yoga Flashcards

A fun, enlightening, and knowledge-filled game that is equal parts creative and amusing to kids. Additionally, this game has various benefits such as improved cognition, better mood, improved flexibility, and better body posture for kids. The game can be easily played with one person or more.

Material required

• Yoga mat
• Yoga flashcards

How to play?

• The game is a simple acting-out game. Kids have to simply act out the yoga posture present in the flash card.
• Or a parent can act out the yoga posture for them and kids will act out.
• Once kids maintain the posture they will be freezed and then they have to maintain the posture for as long as possible, until the facilitator says otherwise.
• If they break the posture or fall, they will be out of the game and have to restart. The main assumption here is that kids love to maintain random posture just for fun so using it we can bring fun and flexibility in a single game.

Wrapping up

Indoor games for kids have various benefits, such as they are easy to play, can be executed with much less material, are much safer than outdoor games, and keep children moving and fit. Along with improved physical development, indoor games ensure healthy cognitive, motor, and emotional development of kids. These are the perfect games to keep kids engaged and healthy on those lazy days when all kids want to lie down. So, pick your favorite game and enjoy it with your kids. Ensure to try some new games every day and let your kid enjoy their free time and gain the most from it.