Wondering what to do if you’re stuck inside with your kids all day? Living in Seattle during the winter, it’s pretty much impossible to do any activities outside so I’ve researched, found activities and bought so many toys to keep my kids occupied indoors.
Here’s a list of the best active indoor games and toys for kids (from toddler to school age) that will get them moving and burning energy while still having fun. And not only that, it will keep them entertained for hours so that you don’t have to worry about them saying “I’m bored!”
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38 indoor games and activities for kids to burn energy
I love these ideas as they are all fun and kid approved, but they are still challenging their minds and muscles – and ultimately wearing them out by the end of the day! Check it out below.
FUN MOVING GAMES:
Of course getting physical activity is the best for kids. They definitely need to run that energy out! I love that these are all fun games that keep their physical activity up so that they can be a bit more mellow by bed time.
Obstacle Courses – This resource has a ton of ideas how to create obstacle courses in your house
Floor is Lava Game – Don’t touch the floor, the floor is lava! Create a course using pillows, toys, chairs, etc. and get from one end to the other without touching the floor
Freeze Dance Game – Get your favorite music playlist and start and pause the songs for your kids, when the music stops they must freeze. If you have an Amazon Alexa device – you can ask Alexa to play freeze dance and it will play the music and play along with you!
Land, Sea and Air Jumping Game – A creative game that gets kids moving! Check out the link for full step by step instructions
Simon Says – Play Simon Says and instruct your kids to do various active moves like jumping jacks, dancing, hopping, etc.
Rock Paper Scissors Tag – Turn classic rock, paper, scissors into a fun running game! Check out the link for step by step instructions
Leap Frog – A classic hopping game that is fun for all ages!
Cleaning Games – So many fun ideas here to get your kids moving and ALSO cleaning, it’s a win win!
The best indoor toys to keep your kids busy:
Ball pit and balls – These are so fun for little kids and toddlers! They will love jumping into the ball pit and throwing the balls into the air.
For a more cost effective solution, you can be like us and just fill up a cardboard box with some ball pit balls. I swear my toddler thought it was the best day ever when we did this!
Charades – Fun for the whole family to get moving
Hoola-hoop – A classic fun toy that really gets kids up and moving
Mini Slide – Great for younger kids to get moving
Marble Run – We bought this for our oldest as a fun activity as you can get really creative on how to build the marble run but our toddler loves it just as much! They both play on it for hours!
Indoor Mini Trampoline – Another great one for younger kids to build balance and strength
Tumbling Mat – The fun is endless with this mat!
Hopper Ball – These aren’t just for outside! We keep one in our living room and my daughter loves hopping around the couch and all over with it! It gets out so much energy and she loves it!
SCAVENGER HUNTS:
Scavenger hunts are great as kids just love to check all the boxes and find everything on the list! We love to have scavenger hunts when my daughter has her friends or cousins over.
Flashlight Scavenger Hunt – Turn off the lights and have a scavenger hunt where you have to find the items by pointing the flashlight at them
Treasure Hunt – Put together a list of items to find, and hide a “treasure” prize at the end!
Alphabet Hunt – Go through the alphabet and find items that start with A-Z, a great learning activity also
Indoor Scavenger Hunt – This is a great free printable list for an indoor scavenger hunt!
Color Scavenger Hunt – Choose a few different colors and have a scavenger hunt to find items that matching the colors. An easy way is to pull out a piece of construction paper and have your kids find whatever they can in the color of the construction paper. Once they find it they must run back to put the item on the construction paper. Pull out another color and start again!
HOW TO USE PAINTER’S TAPE TO CREATE FUN GAMES:
Painters tape is great for so many things, especially creating fun games for your kids! You can find inexpensive colored masking tape to make it even more fun! Check out these super easy things you can do with your kids and how to play.
Hopscotch – A classic side-walk chalk game turned indoor version with tape!
Tape Jumping Game – Create a pattern on the floor with tape and have your kiddos jump through the course
Tape Bean Bag Toss Game – Create squares and allott different numbered points for each with tape on the floor, toss the bean bags and count up your points
Indoor SPORTS GAMES:
If your kids like sports, these are fun and can be as competitive or non-competitive as you want them to be! It really depends on the rules that you set but they can have so much fun with them.
Balloon Ping Pong – Blow up a balloon and hit it back and forth across the table
Indoor Capture The Flag – This is great if you have a few kids to create teams! Give each team a flag, the goal is to capture the other teams flag and bring it to your base
Laundry Basket Skee Ball – This set up is genius and the fun is endless. Check out the instructions here
Indoor Bowling – All you need are plastic cups and soft ball to create your own indoor bowling alley
FREE EXERCISE RESOURCES FOR KIDS:
Cosmic Kids Yoga Videos – Kids themed yoga videos
7 Minute HIIT Workout for Kids – A great free printable for a quick but effective workout that is fun for kids
GoNoodle – Great movement and mindfulness videos
Just Dance – Short dance videos with fun music
Spell Your Name Workout for Kids Free Printable – Such a fun workout that also helps with spelling your kids name, you could also spell different words to mix it up
Kidz Bop – We love the dance along videos for kids!
Swordkit – Kid-friendly workouts focusing on strength, agility, flexibility, balance and more
Let’s Be Fit Game Free Printable