Beat the cold-weather blues with these five no cost indoor games for kids that will stimulate your kids’ imaginations and increase their activity level.
Each game offers hours of enjoyment with little preparation or mess to clean up. Best of all, you get to spend quality, one-on-one time with your kids as you lead them in fun and adventurous play. To beat the winter chill, try these five fun indoor games.
No Cost Indoor Games for Kids
Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of items for your child to find around the house, but don’t be too specific. Instead, make your child use his own imagination and skills. For example, the list may include “find something small and blue; find an item that starts with the letter G.” Mix in easier items, such as “find a green crayon” or “include your favorite book.”
Be sure to use every room in the house, as in “find a soft item from the bathroom” or “find a plastic utensil from the kitchen.”
Once the list of 10 or more items is created, give each child a bag in which to put the collected items and let them go. The first one to collect all the items wins!
Print my free indoor scavenger hunt!
Treasure Map
Hide a small toy or object in one room of the home. For younger kids, take a piece of paper and a pencil and diagram the rooms of the house. Professional artwork is not required; simply outline the rooms and include furniture items to give perspective. Starting with a home “base,” such as the couch or fireplace, use arrows or dashes to indicate the direction kids should go to find the hidden item.
For older kids, use written directions, such as turn right or left, and the number of steps the child should take. The direction may be something like, “Take ten steps and turn right, then hop three steps and turn left.”
Watch their faces light up as the “treasure” is found.
The Anytime “Easter Egg” Hunt
Kids love to find Easter eggs, so why not parlay this into an indoor game? Instead of eggs, use kid-friendly items such as 12 crayons from the crayon box or “Littlest Pet Shop” figures or toy cars. Kids will get the same enjoyment no matter what items they are trying to find.
An Indoor Obstacle Course
With a few props and some imagination, kids can have fun and get active with an indoor obstacle course. Use index cards to write directions for each “obstacle” and connect the course with several jump ropes, towels, or a line of cotton balls.
Toss rolled-up socks into a round laundry basket on a table; roll a boiled egg from point A to point B with their nose; push a tennis ball through a weave pattern around drink cans using only one foot; stop and do five jumping jacks; stand on one foot for 15 seconds are just a few possible “obstacles” for the course. Kids can even think of their own obstacles and help design the course!
Go on an Indoor Camping Trip
Spread several large blankets over parts of a table or the back of chairs or on stools. Use stacks of books to hold the blanket corners to create an indoor “tent.” Then, let the kids plan and pack a lunch using a small, soft ice chest or school lunch box.
Collect small toys, a book or crayons, and a small pad of paper into a handkerchief or hand towel tied up with a string to a wooden spoon.
When it’s time to leave for the camping trip, play a game of follow-the-leader on the way to the “camp” site. Then, enjoy the campout with a picnic and fun games, “campfire” songs or stories.
Don’t let the winter chill turn your kids into couch potatoes. Use one of these no-cost, indoor games to stimulate their imaginations and creativity. You’ll be surprised at what they think of to make these ideas even better!
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