Games and activities to enjoy inside when your kids need a break from outdoor play

It's important to get outside to play as much as possible, even if it means bundling up on cold days. But when weather is rough or days off from school get numbered, active indoor play is a needed alternative. Try these games and activities to keep kids active inside your home:

  1. Dance. Hold an impromptu dance party in the living room with the family. Turn up your favorite music and jive like no one is watching. Make up new dance moves together. You’ll all have a great time and get a workout too!
  2. Masking tape games: hopscotch, balance beam and more. Pull out the masking or painters’ tape and create an indoor hopscotch, a balance beam or number grid or bullseye for bean bag toss. Get creative! With tape, you can bring dozens of outdoor games inside.
  3. Fort building. Pull out the old sheets and clothes pins. Push together the couches, place the pillows on the floor and suddenly, you’ve transformed your living room into an adventureland to let the kids’ imaginations run wild! To extend the fun, bring your next meal into the fort for a picnic, and blankets in for reading or even a fun sleepover that night.
  4. Stair sledding. Pull out the sleeping bags. Survey your stairs for potential risks and add pillows for cushioning where necessary. Stair sledding isn’t for the faint of heart, but sure can be fun! Jump and wrap yourself in your sleeping bag at the top of the stairs, then with a slight push down, enjoy the ride. Wheee!
  5. Block building contests. Challenge everyone to see how tall they can build with blocks. Watch as the kids get increasingly creative with how they build to keep the structure sound and pull over chairs to reach higher heights.

What indoor games do you and your kids enjoy at home?

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