10 Kids’ Indoor Activities That Burn Extra Energy
Jan 15, 2022 By now cabin fever is beginning to set in and we’re all going stir crazy from being home too long. Everyone’s working remotely and children are being homeschooled. But what activities can children do in between homeschooling?
Fun indoor activities for children are necessary to keep them entertained and supply a mental break from schoolwork. During this pandemic, kids’ activity ideas need to planned for indoors and involve gross motor skills to burn the most energy. For children to do energetic activities that are indoors, you need to get creative!
Start by looking around at the space in your home and find an area to accommodate your children running, jumping, and more! This list of boredom busters for younger kids is lots of fun!
1. Balloon Balance
This is a simple and fun indoor game for kids requiring little preparation. All you need to do is blow up a few balloons and make a game out of it. Don’t let the balloon touch the ground.
To make this indoor activity even more exciting, turn on a fan to blow the balloon around. This will make the children move quickly to get to the balloon.
2. Climb Mountains
If your couch has removable cushions, take them off and pile them on the floor. Add pillows to the pile as well. Couch and pillow cushions are great for jumping or rolling on, as well as building pillow forts!
3. Workout for Kids
Since your family has extra time to spare, why not start a workout routine to do together as a family? To make sure your children are burning off the most energy, choose workouts that are fun and energetic!
You may need to do trial and error workouts. Trial and error workouts mean for the first few weeks do different workouts to see what your children like the most. You can do a dance workout one day and high impact cardio another day.
4. Different Variations of Tag
The game of running and “tagging” another gets dull after a while. Change up the way your children play the game with some of the following variations of tag:
- Try skipping instead of running to chase someone;
- One-legged tag- a player can only chase on one leg;
- Flashlight tag- turn off all the lights in the evening and ‘tag’ each other with flashlights.
5. Bedsheet Parachute
This is a simple game that even babies can get involved with. Take a flat bedsheet and have at least two people hold it. You can make a game of tossing stuffed animals in the air or having the children crawl underneath the parachute before being “trapped.”
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6. Hockey
You don’t have to play with a hockey puck and a wooden hockey stick. Get creative with a game of hockey by using household items to make hockey gear.
Instead of a puck, you can use a small ball. Cardboard can be taped together to make a stick. Better yet, use a pool noodle for a hockey stick and use laundry baskets for goals.
7. Freeze Dance
Like the title implies, freeze dance is all about dancing. Turn on some music and have your kids dance however they want. Then pause the music. When the music is paused, they have to freeze immediately.
To take this game up a notch, instruct your children to freeze into animal poses, letters, and more every time the music stops. Then, start a guessing game for freeze poses. This game is perfect for taking an energetic break from home school activities.
8. Simon Says
This classic game is about following commands that begin with “Simon says.” If Simon doesn’t say, then you don’t perform the action. Simon says is a great game for destressing and creating a room full of laughter.
Here’s some Simon says ideas:
Simon says . . .
- Jump up and down on one leg
- Behave like a monkey
- Make a silly face
- Tickle someone
- Cry like a baby
- Do a cartwheel.
9. DIY Bowling
A bowling alley can be created anywhere in your house. You can use stacked Solo cups, paper towel rolls, or plastic bottles to set up as pins and a ball. To make indoor bowling even more fun, try these two ideas with plastic bottles!
- Fill plastic bottles with water; glitter; colored rice; small noodles.
- Bowl at night with plastic bottles filled with water and glow sticks. Use a light-up ball as well and turn off the lights.
10. Hopscotch
Hopscotch is played indoors with the use of painter’s tape. All you have to do is tape squares attached to each other. You can make the hopscotch area as long or as short as you want.
But get creative with the squares. You can do this by adding easy to follow instructions in each square. For instance, tape a piece of paper in the squares with instructions to hop three times, spin, roar like a lion, and stomp your feet.
Games for Kids are Fun!
If you’re like many families during this time of quarantine, you’re running out of ideas for entertainment. Although your children are working tirelessly on homework assignments, they need a break. Preferably a break that allows them to destress and burn energy.
But you can only do so many activities indoors. And not all indoor activities for kids are doable. Thankfully, with a little creativity and small changes to your favorite childhood games, life stuck at home doesn’t have to be boring. The above 10 indoor games for kids are meant to provide entertainment and an escape from day-to-day life while burning off extra pent-up energy!
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