Indoor Kid’s Games – Not For Children Only

Games are one of the more important activities for toddlers and adults to interact and bond. Some of these are well-known, and some are enjoyed not just by children. Adults can be children, too, at least on rainy days.

Hot Potato

The “potato” here has to be something soft and lightweight (a small plastic ball, perhaps or a very small stuff toy) that cannot break if it falls on the floor or gets thrown onto something hard.

This is actually a version of the musical chair. Music is played and the “potato” gets passed around. When the music stops, the “potato” suddenly gets “hot” and has to be thrown to the next child.

If there is no music, and someone is still holding the potato, she is out. Whoever drops the potato is counted out too.

Animal charade

This is going to be great if there are silly children around. Children sit around in a circle and one child goes into the center.

The “animal” child acts out with NO SOUND only a very small portion of any animal action (a lion’s roar, a rabbit jump, etc.) he imagines and get the group to guess it. The animal child stretches the action if nobody gets it. Anyone guessing correctly gets to play the animal.

Hot Lava

Put some papers on the floor as “stones” to step on, the rest of the floor is a flood of “hot lava” from a volcano. There are two sets of “stones” for each team to travel, with parts that merges, meaning there are only a stone or two for use.

The object of the game is to transfer “dinosaurs “eggs” (rolled up socks) one by one from one end of the room to the other. The fun part is when two teams will fight out the parts where there is only one stone to step on.

Any “accident” and the team member has to start from the starting line again.

Trip to Spain

Two children from each team are blindfolded. Once they are, the floor will be littered with soft objects (stuffed toys, pillows) as the obstacle course.

The blindfolded children are then made to walk and go to the end of the room across the obstacle course. Their team mates will guide each one of them, meaning telling them where to go to avoid hitting objects on the floor.

It is fun because both teams will be shouting directions and there will be shouting. The first one to reach the goal wins for his team.

Zoo 

There will be pairs of children for this game. Each pair will represent an animal they want. (Make sure there are no duplicates.)

The children will all be securely blindfolded and scattered around the room. At the signal, they will look for their pair using only SOUNDS of their animal. There will be barking, meowing, clucks, quack-quacks and all kind of animal sounds in the room.

The winning team is the one who met each other first.

Considerations 

Prizes could be candies and other goodies. Disputes and arguments (if any) shall have the game restarted. Any game wanted by the children to be played over and over should be played, unless there will be objections. Indoor kid’s games should be enjoyed, not disputed.

• Guessing Games: In this game you have to blindfold the young child. When they cannot see anything you have to jingle keys or snap your finger and have them guess what the sound was. This will help them to think of what things sound like.

• Hot or Cold: A great indoor toddler activity that teaches the child to listen. In this game the adults tell the toddler where to go in the room to find what is hidden and the child has to listen to the adults and make it to the object. The adults cannot say things like "a little more" or "step forward" they can only say hotter or colder. Hotter means that they are getting closer and colder means that they are getting further away from it.

• Memory: A game played with a deck of cards that are laid face down so the children cannot see the other side. This indoor toddler activity is modified for toddlers to use only 4-8 cards so they can easily find the mates to begin with. Going from the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise you take turns flipping over two cards to see if they are a match. If they are you get another turn. Then when all of the cards are gone you count up your mates and see who has the most and that is the winner.

• Hand Puppets: Needing some fun for those rainy days? This is a great way to pass away the time when the weather is looking bad. All you need for this indoor toddler activity is some hand puppets for the adults so they can put on a show or you need enough hand puppets for all so they can play it together. A glove with faces painted and hair attached on the fingers make great hand puppets/finger puppets.

• Story Time: The best time spent with your child is reading a good story to them. It helps them to have inspiration and want to read for themselves and they can learn to read at a younger age. You could have an older child read to them or the adult that is watching them can read to the toddlers. Usually this gets the children making some interesting stories up from the pictures. Tip!! A good story before naps or bedtime helps them to unwind and settle down.

• Indoor Tents: Build the tent out of blankets and your kitchen chairs or other household furniture. Use pillows, stuffed animals or anything soft for the sides and flooring. We used some old sheets and tied some string to the four corners. I then tied them to door handles, bedposts, or baby cribs for their roof. Just be sure it is sturdy and nothing will fall on them while playing. One of our children's favorites and will keep them busy for hours!

Educational Indoor Games For Kids

What's worse than rain on a perfect day? It's the lack of a good thing or a productive thing to do. Nowadays, children, instead of having to play kids indoor games would rather spend their time playing with their top of the line gaming console or their latest handheld portable game devices. Though there is nothing wrong with these advancements in technology we have to pay a certain price that some people are not even aware of.

One of the perils of technology taking over the play time of children is the separation of children from their friends. In the past children would gather together in a vacant lot to play baseball or tag or horse or whatever it was that kids play at the time. These physically challenging games helped children develop muscle tone and promoted exercise that in a way helped them in taking care of their bodies. Aside for the physical rewards that games children play bring it also promotes social interaction, attitude adjustment and cooperation among peers. These games helped them see that there are things that can be done individually and as a group.

Because of the isolating nature of these high tech devices children are more inclined to sliding back into their own worlds safe from anything that the outside world can dish out. Though there is a certain safety and comfort that these devices bring it isolates children from their peers and social skills that they should have are not developed. This results in kids having little tolerance to failure, low self-esteem, the need to find an easier way out and fault finding. To remedy this situation some parents are reintroducing children to classic indoor games that can be played by the family, with the family such as:

- board games. Since then, board games have always dominated the indoor games for kids scene since the beginning of gaming history started. Some of the classic games that captured the hearts and imagination of kids and adults alike are board games like Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble and other turn based board games. These games develop strategy and critical thinking in kids because of the high level of decision making involved in them. Recently board games have been given a facelift and have enjoyed new edition to their line. Games like Warhammer 3000, Tactics the game, Vampires: Bloodlines and other games introduced recently.

- card games. Unlike before when card games were considered plain and boring, many card games come with a twist these days, making it a popular choice for kids' indoor games. The secret to a good card game is the ability of the player to more cards to complement the core of their games. In Japan, card games like Yu-gi-oh: Duel Monsters, Pokemon card game, Duel Masters and other recent developed card games give the old Trump cards a new twist and a new flavor. The Japanese have conquered the world with these card games and they have brought dying kids indoor games new life.

They have created and developed a new interest in these games; card games from the Japanese include a high level of strategy and skill in predicting an opponent's move. And because its turn based the level of excitement is higher than ordinary car games.

Charade – All-Time Popular Indoor Kid’s Game

The game of Charade is thought to have been invented in France, but more as a game of riddles. The clues are given in sentences instead of the modern “acting out” of the hidden word or object.

The acted charades later became popular in England. In the novel Vanity Fair, William Thackeray made mention of the game.

It was very popular in the 30s till World War II. There were a few TV shows in the 60s based on the game’s mechanics, and today it is still a classic party game.

Charades is often played as an after-dinner game by adults. But with a bit of coaching, kids are certainly good, if not better than adults, especially when it evolved into an action-oriented game.

Some props 

There are some things needed for the game: a stop watch (one with a visible minute hand), a pen and some paper, index cards to write words, sentences, phrases, names, and a referee to keep time and the score.

Game mechanics

The object of the game is for a team’s member-player to act out a word, an idea, a person’s name, boom, movie, etc. his team mates will then have to guess the answer in the shortest possible time. The “hidden” word or idea is given by the opposing team.

The team members pepper and shout out what they think is the word or sentence is. The actor nods or shakes his head, and repeats and repeats his actions.

He can change it any which way, all in the hope of making his teammates understand it. They can begin by asking if it is an object, a person, a place, etc.

This makes for a somewhat easier guessing. When a team member finally gets the word correctly, he points at him/her and present the index card the actual word.

The referee takes note of the time. He can also be the arbiter in cases of disputes. Scoring is to be agreed by the two teams, and whoever has the highest correct guesses wins.

Dos and don’ts

The opposing team is not allowed to do anything to derail the other team who is doing the guessing. The member who guesses the right word gets to do the next acting of the word.

The team who gets it within the time limit wins the point for that round. Win or lose, the other team will do the next round of acting and guessing. The scores will be tallied after the designated number of games.

Preparations 

Before the game, each team will write out the words on the card for the other team to act out. (The harder to guess the words are, the better.) They give these cards to the referee for safekeeping.

Sometimes, themes are written on the card which can be announced by the referee. So that children will have an easier time acting them out, only one word is used for guessing. Sometimes, the topics are limited to a few groups like animals, places, or famous celebrities. An indoor kid’s game should not be hard.

Some Games to Enjoy as Indoor Kids’ Games

Games children play are the most fun of all games. Most of them are played outdoors. What happens when the weather is not cooperative. Kids could not possibly sit down and wallow in their bedrooms. They need to have fun and have excitement in whatever form. Now, as parents, you need not worry too much about such concerns. Indoor kids’ games are there to provide assistance and facilitate children’s genuine fun times. Here are several indoor kids’ games that you should observe and play while staying indoors due to bad weather.

Computer games do wonders. They are now considered as among the top indoor kids’ games that are available to the public. Anyone could enjoy computer games anytime of the day. You could play them through the computer, the laptop, the television set, or through special video gaming gadgets available commercially. When you say videogames, think more than Warcrafts, Sega, and Nintendo. There are stil numerous computer games out there. All you need to do is to open up your eyes and wander around for available computer games that could be fun and exciting to play at the same time.

‘Where did you find that face?’ could be a really fun indoor kids’ game. To play, have players sit around a circle, all facing inwards. The first player starts by creating a silly face. The player who would laugh out loud while making the face would be instantly out. Remember that chuckling or laughing is not allowed, but smiling is permitted. The current player would then pass the ‘face’ to the next player, which could be the one to his or her left.

Play Classic Bullseye board game. This is based on the popular TV classic dart quiz. The game confronts children with hoards of tricky questions with corresponding rewards for every correctly answered ones, the Bully’s star prize. Go through various rounds. Undoubtedly, this is a great entertainment that even older family members could participate in and have fun.

An indoor scavenger hunt would be equally fun and exciting. Do you need ideas for the game? Here are some: ask for something that is green, that ties, that is fuzzy, that has a face, and so on. Whoever among the children would be able to find the items asked for would score points. Whoever does so at the quickest time would qualify to win prizes. As you organize the event, make sure you promote and foster sportsmanship. Do not forget to ask the children to clean up and fix their mess.

Monopoly is one of the most popular board games ever. It even gets more popular. This board game is played like purchasing property and real estate. You have to develop the ‘acquisition’ and make sure opponents would lose their money long before you do. Monopoly has gone several versions and is now reaching out more to children.

There are variations for kids like Disney editions, cat and dog edition, and deluxe editions. Kids would surely have a grand time playing these indoor kids’ games.

The Ultimate Guide To Kids' Indoor Games

It's never easy being a parent. Several reasons that contribute to this fact, one of them is that some parents have the amazing ability to work around a problem and some just don't. There are parents that can see what the child needs just by looking at the child and some need hours and hours of professional consultation just to find out if the their kid has the cold or not. Some parents teach their kids' indoor games that have value formation capacities and some parents are lead to believe that technology can cater to their child's every need.

Parents often think that for kids to have fun they must have the latest in gaming consoles and handheld gaming devices. Though for some kids it feels like heaven to have one of these toys, one truth remains true. These modern artificial companions that kids call games have become one of the most recent culprits for kids not having social interaction skills that older generations have earned early on in their development stages.

Technology plays a big role in exposing kids to concepts of learning but one of its downside is that without proper supervision, technology also introduces garbage and harmful information that are stored in the child's mind. When left unchecked, these information may cause children to believe that everything they are seeing on the television or on the internet is practical good.

One of the most effective ways of battling the influx of the wrong information is through responsible parenting. This means involving ourselves in the censorship of materials available for the child's consumption. Paying attention to the message of what they are watching, guiding the child during play, actively engaging in kids indoor games, using games as a tool for teaching children the right values.

Kids' indoor games can be very essential in teaching children proper values and corrective association. Games like charades (A guessing game that allows children to act out words. Words can be names of people, places, things, events and other relevant figures) teaches a child word association, patience, creativeness and participation. By acting out simple words kids are taught to be patient with their peers and they develop a high sense of creativity when acting out words for the group.

Another game is called Mystery suspect, this game allows children to act the part of different characters in a murder mystery. In the heat of the party the host dies and it's up to the inspector to find out who the suspect is. These games teach children to be observant, to be good listeners, to be methodical in their approach to solving a problem and to be creative in the manner of the conversation.

These different kids' indoor games can be used by parents to develop a positive mental and emotional attitude for children and it is also effective in bonding with your children and spend quality time together. With the proper guidance and constant monitoring your children could be the best at what they do in the future.