101 indoor games for kids and other activities

When bad weather keeps kids (and their grown-ups) inside, boredom can quickly set in — but staying indoors doesn’t have to mean missing out on fun. In fact, it’s helpful to have a variety of easy indoor games and activities for kids to do while they wait for rain, snow or even extreme heat and humidity to go away.

“Kids have tons of energy to burn,” says parenting expert and pediatric specialist Jennifer Chung. “So if the weather is keeping everyone indoors, turn on some music and let them dance it out.” Alternatively, if you need to dial it down, Chung suggests making a fluffy nest of blankets and pillows on the floor and having a little indoor storytime.

To keep everyone entertained, check out this diverse list of indoor games and indoor activities — from high-energy to quiet, creative play — organized by theme, to suit kids of all ages and interests.

Benefits of indoor games for kids

• Weather-friendly fun for kids — any time of day, rain or shine!
• An active and engaging alternative to sedentary screen time.
• Good for encouraging learning and helping kids develop new skills.
• Keeps kids safe and entertained at home (where adults can keep an eye on them).

Artsy activities children will enjoy

1. Craft a fairy house (or a whole fairy house neighborhood) out of empty TP rolls or paper towel rolls, like these from The Best Ideas for Kids.

2. Inspire a future decorator or architect, and design a dream house out of cardboard.

3. Use this cool cardboard hack to create colorful friendship bracelets out of thread.

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4. Get out the face-painting kit, and paint adorable little monsters on each other.

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5. Craft a dollhouse and decorate every room.
6. Create multi-textured nature crafts using items you found on your last nature walk.
7. Collect family photos and make an album.
8. Learn how to whip up your own Kool-Aid Lip Balm.
9. Make dream catchers out of paper plates and string.
10. Stitch some delicious-looking felt dumplings (but don’t eat this kind).

Indoor games for kids that require no prep

11. Play the “Clapping Game.”

12. Play your favorite rhyming game.
13. Play “Duck Duck Goose.”
14. Pick favorite animals or people and play the “Who am I?” or “What is it?” guessing game.
15. Play “Follow the Leader.”
16. Play patty cake.
17. In a basement or large space, do some crab walk or wheelbarrow races.
18. Play “I Spy.”
19. Play hide-and-seek.

Sports-related indoor games

20. Set up an indoor hockey rink, a fun idea from Hands on as We Grow.

21. Set up an indoor hopscotch grid using painter’s tape.
22. Create a “balance beam” using masking tape on the floor.
23. Set up an indoor basketball game using a bucket and a rolled up sock.
24. Make paper footballs and see who can make the most touchdowns.
25. Set up indoor bowling using empty water bottles and a tennis ball.
26. Blow up a balloon and play “Keep It Up.”
27. Set up an indoor obstacle course.
28. Try some easy, kid-friendly yoga stretches.

Indoor activities to bring out a child’s musical side

29. Have a sing-a-long.
30. Gather objects from around the house (pots, spoons, paper towel tube, etc.) to make your own musical instruments, and play your favorite songs.
31. Look up popular YouTube dance videos for kids and follow along with the choreography.
32. Sing karaoke.
33. Have a dance party.
34. Pick out your favorite songs, and play the “Music Freeze Tag” game.
35. Create noisemakers out of empty bottles and beans or rice.
36. Play musical cushions, just like musical chairs, but using cushions spread out on your living room floor.
37. Gather around the fireplace and sing camp songs.

Educational activities kids can have fun with

38. Make birdy bookmarks to save your place during storytime or free reading.

39. Try some simple science experiments.
40. Plant indoor flower pots or herbs.
41. Write a story together.
42. Create a touch-and-feel box by cutting a hole in an old shoebox and filling it with different items that your child will be able to identify by feel
43. Practice chemistry that smells nice by making your own perfume. You only need three things.
44. Take turns reading to each other. Everyone reads a sentence or a page.
45. Do this fire craft with watercolors — just add oxygen.
46. Start a piggy bank or coin collection.
47. Learn how to sew, and make colorful pom poms.

Indoor games that get kids moving

48. Grab a potato, beanbag or ball and play “Hot Potato.”

49. Have a pillow fight.Have an indoor snowball fight using balled up socks.
50. Use this free printable to play “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”
51. Find a hula hoop and see how long you can keep it going.
52. Set up and play a game of “Number Hop.”
53. Create a DIY “Twister” game using masking tape and colored paper.
54. Using a broom, try out some “Limbo.”
55. Place a balloon between one another’s torsos and see how far you can walk without dropping it.
56. See who can do the most jumping jacks.

Indoor games for kids using simple toys and objects

57. Using string, play “Cat’s Cradle.”

58. Try one of all of these fun “Minute to Win It” challenges from Happiness Is Homemade.

59. Turn the family room or playroom into a riding toy racetrack, as seen on Let’s Play Little One.

60. Collect all your kid’s toy cars, and have a mini car wash in the sink.
61. Make and blow bubbles that are safe for indoor use.
62. Build a pillow fort.
63. Fill up your bathtub “ocean” and bring in the toy boats.
64. Fill a balloon with a little sand using a funnel, and blow it up halfway to make a fun ball to play with.

Sit-down games to play with kids 

65. Make your own tic-tac-toe game on most any surface using easily removable washi tape.

66. Play pickup sticks.

67. Play the “I Doubt It” card game.

68. Play one of these hands-only games.
69. Print out your own Bingo cards and play.
70. Try a concentration game by setting up a group of stuffed animals. Take one away and ask your child to figure out what’s missing.
71. Whip up this quick DIY matching game with caps or lids and play.
72. Use play dough, rigatoni and straws to practice stacking and building.

Easy crafts for kids using paper products

73. Build a homemade telescope using a paper towel roll.

74. Make binoculars out of TP rolls and personalize them with art supplies.
75. Using sheet paper, make an origami fortune teller.
76. Make cards for loved ones like grandparents and put them in the mail.
77. Construct an indoor sandcastle using paper towel rolls and miscellaneous cardboard and construction paper.
78. Cut up magazines and newspapers and create a collage.
79. Create snowflakes with scissors and a sheet of paper.
80. Paint or draw a picture on cardboard, cut it into shapes and create your own puzzle.
81. Get large pieces of paper and trace one another’s bodies on the floor.
82. Create your own paper beads out of magazines for a necklace or bracelet.

Entertainment and pretend play activities for children

83. Learn a few good magic tricks.
84. Put together super-cool sensory bottles.
85. Sit in a circle or around a fire and tell each other ghost stories.
86. Host your own matinee movie.
87. Drag out the costume box and have a fashion photo shoot. Must-haves include feather boas and necklaces.
88. Dress up in old costumes, or create new ones.
89. Teach them how to tell a joke.
90. Try different hairstyles on each other.
91. Do some silly shakes when you need to get the energy out.
92. Set up a stage, and put on your own show.

Fun food activities for kids

93. Make banana sushi.

94. See how animal faces you can make out of toast.

95. Construct marshmallow toys using marshmallows and pretzel sticks.

96. Put together a tray of kid-friendly snacks, like this Nuts and Bolts snack recipe from A Pretty Life.

97. Have an indoor picnic in the family room. Everyone can pick out or make something to share.
98. Prepare breakfast in bed (or lunch on the couch) for someone special.
99. Play a game where kids shut their eyes and you feed them different types of food. Have them try to guess what they’re eating based on flavor alone.
100. Bake and decorate sugar cookies.
101. Make pancakes for breakfast (or breakfast for dinner!) and see who can come up with the most creative shapes.