Looking for simple play ideas for kids? I get it – little people need to move, but weather, time, and circumstances don’t always allow for outdoor play. So what is a parent to do when their kids are wired with pent-up energy and you just can’t get them outside to burn it off? Check out this list of 18 easy and fun active play ideas that can be completed indoors.

18 Indoor Play Ideas for Kids

1. Learn a Dance

What You’ll Need:

• Computer, Tablet, or Smart Phone with an internet connection
• YouTube video of dance you would like to learn (check out Thriller, Achy Breaky Heart, Mashed Potato, or the Macarena).

Make it Happen:

• Play video and practice the moves as many times as needed to master the dance.

Other Thoughts:

You might want to spread your practice out over several sessions if you really want to get good.

2. Play Ring-Around the Rosie

What You’ll Need:

• You and your kids

Make it Happen:

Clear enough space so that you can hold hands, walk in a circle, and sit down without hitting anything.

All hold hands to create a circle. Walk around in a circle and sing:

“Ring-a-round the Rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes, ashes, We all fall down!”

On “fall down,” sit quickly on the floor.

Repeat as many times as you like.

3. Have a Pillow Fight

What You’ll Need:

• Pillows

Make it Happen:

1. Remove all objects from the area that could be harmful to a falling child (or parent).
2. Use pillows to whack each other.
3. Make sure to call a time-out if anyone gets too carried away.

4. Host a Dance Party!

What You’ll Need:

• Music

Make it Happen:

1. Clear enough space so that everyone can dance like crazy without crashing into each other.
2. Turn on the music.
3. Dance until you drop.

5. Try Out Two-Liter Bottle Bowling

What You’ll Need:

• Ten empty two-liter bottles
• A lightweight ball
• Painter’s tape

Make it Happen:

1. Set up bottles to form a triangle (one bottle in the first row, two in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth).
2. Use the painter’s tape to create a “do not cross” line.
3. Each player gets two rolls per turn to knock down as many “pins” as possible.

Other Thoughts:

If you want to keep score, you can just keep track of the total number of pins each player has knocked down.

6. Play “Hot and Cold”

What You’ll Need:

An object to hide (a stuffed animal works well)

Make it Happen:

1. Designate one player as “it”.
2. Whoever is “it” hides their eyes while someone else hides the designated object somewhere in the house.
3. The object hider must tell “it” whether they are hot (close to the item) or cold (far from the item) until “it” finds the item.

Other Thoughts:

Good game for two players. While you can play with more players, it can get boring for players who are not “it” or the object hider.

7. Play Musical Chairs

What You’ll Need:

• Chairs (One less than the total number of players)
• Music that you can pause

Make it Happen:

1. Set chairs up in a circle, with the chairs facing outwards.
2. Play music and have children walk around the chair circle in the same direction.
3. Pause the music.
4. When the music stops, each player needs to sit down as fast as possible. The player left standing is out.
5. Remove one chair and resume playing music.
6. Repeat until one player wins by sitting in the last chair.

8. Play Duck-Duck-Goose

What You’ll Need:

• You and your kids

Make it Happen:

1. Sit in a circle with legs crossed.
2. Choose a player to be the duck first.
3. As the duck walks around the outside of the circle, have them gently pat each person’s head as they go past.
4. As the child taps each head, they should say “duck”.
5. Whenever the child chooses, they should say “goose” when they tap the head of the player they choose.
6. The goose must get up and chase the duck around the circle. The duck has to try and run around circle and sit in goose’s spot before the goose can catch up.
7. If the duck sits down before the goose catches up, the goose becomes the next duck. If the goose catches up to the duck and tags him or her, the duck has to be the duck again.
8. Repeat as many times as you like.

9. Start a Marching Band

What You’ll Need:

• Children’s toy instruments or pots, pans, and wooden spoons.

Make it Happen:

1. Give everyone an instrument and march around the house making lots of noise! Pots and pans and wooden spoons can be substituted if there are no age-appropriate instruments on hand.

Other Thoughts:

Skip this one if you feel a headache coming on.

10. Jump on the Bed!

What You’ll Need:

• A bed

Make it Happen:

1. Forget about the old-school rules and jump on the bead until you’re all out of breath.

11. Have a Pillowcase Race

What You’ll Need:

• A pillowcase for each racer
• Painter’s tape

Make it Happen:

1. Clear the race area of all hazards (sharp table edges, stray toys, etc.)
2. Use the painter’s tape to create a start and finish line 10-20 feet apart.
3. Have each player get inside a pillowcase, holding it up with a hand at either side of the top.
4. On your signal, racers begin jumping to see who can reach the finish line first.

12. Build an Obstacle Course

What You’ll Need:

• Pillows
• Blankets
• Couch cushions
• Chairs
• Blocks
• Large serving spoons
• Plastic balls
• Hula hoops
• Jump rope
• Bean bags
• Laundry basket
• Washcloths
• Etc.

Make it Happen:

1. Use whatever objects you have to create an obstacle course. Here are ideas for different activities to incorporate:
2. Crawl through a tunnel of couch cushions
3. Climb over a pillow mountain
4. Carry a plastic ball in a large serving spoon; if it falls, pick it up and start over
5. Jump in and out of a series of hula hoops
6. Jump over hurdles made from blocks
7. Tight rope walk across a jump rope laid out on the ground
8. Walk while balancing a bean bag on your head
9. Toss bean bags or rolled up socks into a laundry basket
10. Do jumping jacks
11. Jump from washcloth to washcloth along a hallway

Other Thoughts:

Use your imagination to create obstacles using whatever you have around the house.

13. Bouncing Balloons

What You’ll Need:

• Large circle balloons

Make it Happen:

1. Inflate balloons
2. Give each participant a balloon and have them see how long they can keep bouncing it off their hand towards the ceasing before it touches the floor.

14. Play Simon Says

What You’ll Need:

• You and your kids

Make it Happen:

1. Explain to the kids that you will give directions for them to follow. If you say “Simon says” first, they should do it. If you do not say “Simon says” first, they should not do it.
2. When a child does something that “Simon” did not say to do, you can either just point it out in a playful way or have that child be out of the game.

Other Thoughts:

You can either remain Simon throughout the game, or let the kids take a turn being Simon too.

15. Play Sock Toss

What You’ll Need:

• Laundry basket or large cardboard box
• Paired and rolled socks
• Painter’s tape

Make it Happen:

1. Use painter’s tape to mark a line 5-10 feet away from the basket (or box).
2. Have kids take turns trying to toss the socks into the basket (or box).

Other Thoughts:

Move the line closer if you are doing this activity with small children.

16. Have a Wheelbarrow Race

What You’ll Need:

• An even number of participants
• Painter’s tape

Make it Happen:

1. Use painter’s tape to mark a start and finish line 10-20 feet apart.
2. One person gets down on all fours; they are the “wheelbarrow”. Their partner stands behind them; they are the “driver”.
3. The “driver” carefully lifts the legs of the “wheelbarrow” while the “wheelbarrow” supports themselves on their hands.
4. Someone calls “on your mark, get set, go”.
5. On “go”, the teams race to the finish line, where they switch roles (the “driver” becomes the “wheelbarrow”) and race back to the start line.
6. The first team to cross the finish line wins.

17. Freeze Dancing

What You’ll Need:

• Music that you can pause

Make it Happen:

1. Have the kids dance like crazy and pause (or turn down the volume of) the music at random intervals.
2. When the music stops, they have to freeze.

18. Play Follow the Leader

What You’ll Need:

• You and your kids

Make it Happen:

1. One person is the “leader”; all of the other participants have to follow the “leader” and perform whatever actions he or she does (running, jumping, push-ups, jumping jacks, spinning in circles, rolling on the ground, etc.)