Kids play idea

50+ Play Ideas and Kid Activities at Home

Looking for fun activities for kids at home with your toddler and preschooler? I’ve been there. I, too, use a quick list of kids’ creative activities at home to keep in my back pocket. Years ago, I felt the need to get my children playing more and wasn’t exactly sure how to get there. 

I felt overwhelmed by the task of minimizing stimulation and encouraging my kids to be more creative at home. I needed to find solutions. And I did. These 50+ kid activities at home are just a sampling of all the ways we invite play into our every day, and it has been life-changing.

RELATED: These activity cards help make finding ideas so simple! Learn more here with our Startup Guide.

What Kid Activities Do Children Enjoy?

Kids enjoy activities that encourage open-ended play when the object doesn’t have one specific purpose. For example, a puzzle has an end goal. The child starts it knowing how it is supposed to finish. Although close-ended toys have their place, open-ended ones are great for one-year-olds because they provide endless imagination, creativity, and problem-solving opportunities.

I researched, dug into my teacher’s brain, and looked for the best toys for kids that encourage open-ended play. We use these toys in our kids- creative activities at home to keep our days afloat.

RELATED: Curious about the best toy storage solutions for kids- creative activities at home? You can find all of your storage solutions here.

Why is Playing at Home Important?

As parents, we know that play is important, and we want kids- creative activities at home. We have also learned that play is the foundation of all learning. Yet, here’s the thing about kids at home…

Sometimes, toddlers and preschoolers need a small seed planted to get them going, which will not be produced from a worksheet. The sources I am talking about are play ideas that encourage children to touch, move, and manipulate objects to create.

The more we encourage kids- creative activities at home, the more children will become exceptional at self-guided play, problem-solving, and forming conclusions on how things work.

RELATED: Want free kids’ creative activities at home? You’ll love this list!

Different Ages for Play

Before we dive into the best kids- creative activities at home, allow me to set the stage and will enable you to understand the importance of play better:

• In the infant/toddler stage – the child needs physical experiences using senses, experiencing substances, and discovering how things fit together. 
• Preschool age – the child will begin to add social play into the learning they have had the chance to dive into. Now they are making connections with their peers.  
• Middle years – the child is more analytical with textbook concepts because they had a chance to touch, move and explore what they are now reading about. The middle schooler is now ready to take learning to the next level, more easily pulling it together.
• Teenage years – the child can show how things come together. The child has touched, worked with peers, read more about fundamental concepts, and is now ready to become the producer.  

The following at-home ideas will allow your preschooler to hit the ground running. These kids- creative activities at home are as good as that savory cheese dip. They are tried and true, toddler and preschooler approved!

RELATED: Have a toddler? Be sure to check out 40+ Top Play Ideas for Toddlers.

When we first began sensory kids- creative activities at home, I quickly realized it wasn’t working. Beans were sprouting from our deck cracks, and rice had been under the fridge for months. And we certainly don’t want that for you!

Instead, I am happy to be your guinea pig and guide you to success. I put together this Introduction to Sensory Play page to help you get set up like a boss. I want you to list what to put inside a toddler sensory bin.

Inside this post, you will learn how to set up your buffer zone, prompt your toddler back to the sensory bin when they walk off with oats in hand, and better understand when it is time to put the sensory bin away. – This is a sure way to begin fun at-home kid activities.

Okay! Now that the training is over, let’s keep the momentum going with our preschoolers at home. Ready to try sensory play in your house? You’ll adore these easy-to-put-together sensory kids- creative activities at home ideas.

• Cloud Dough – whip up some cloud dough and construction toys for a fun play scene.
• Color Mix – A play on ketchup and mustard, just with paint!
• Color Squirt – the fun way to repurpose shredded bills.
• Cut the Play Dough – Have a child that enjoys play dough? Grab the blunt-edge scissors for some cutting practice. 
• Dry Noodle Sensory Play – a simple way to color noodles.
• Fill the Lines – this one kind of looks like sweets! See if your child can scoop pom poms into plastic bottles up to the different measuring lines.
• Glue the Noodles – An effortless way to practice gluing skills through sensory play.
• Kinetic Sand – grab some kinetic sand and put it in a sensory bin for hours of fun.
• Ice Rescue Game – add ice to anything to win Christmas kid activities at home. Freeze plastic toys in ice and watch your child experiment with water to release them.
• Ice Skating Bears – a wintery way to bring sensory play inside. 
• Nature Sensory Hunt – Use contact paper to collect and chat about nature. A fun way to spend some time outside with minimal prep. 
• Sand Sensory Play – pop sand in a sensory bin and add scoops, jugs, and anything else lying around.
• Scissor Sensory Cut – chuck some cooked spaghetti in a sensory bin and watch them cut away.
• Water Beads – see our favorite brand of water beads here.

Water kid activities are one of my very first WHOA. I just got 40 minutes of parenting from the sideline realizations. I ensured the water level was low and watched them closely as they poured and scooped. Water games are a genius way to catch a break at home. But before you dive in, I want you to know my best tip.

My boys are allowed ONE refill. They know this from practice. Need more water? Sure. One time. Once it is gone, it is gone. These quick tips will avoid numerous trips to the sink, and your child will better understand how to assess play so it doesn’t all go to waste.

Now you are ready! Dive into water kids- creative activities at home that can be played indoors or in the backyard for endless fun.

RELATED: Head outside with these outdoor toys for kids.

Having a one-year-old can be tricky! I get it. They are too old to sleep all day yet too young to emerge in self-guided play for extended amounts of time. We may notice our one-year-old exploring a color-matching game and then quickly becoming distracted by wanting a snack again.

With all this said, I firmly believe that babies, toddlers, and preschoolers should explore the environment and different textures. You do not have to buy out Amazon for 12 months. So how can we use our environment to encourage baby play as we catch our breath?
I searched the internet, so you don’t have to.

RELATED: Here is a list of the best toys for one-year-olds.

Days with Grey participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

Let’s give it up for the independent play school ideas that allow us to drink our morning coffee. As we get our preschoolers thinking about important concepts, they will explore them throughout their lifetime. Since we all understand that playing is learning, let’s plant seeds and watch our children dive in.

I call these play school kids- creative activities at home Breakfast Invitations.

Simply put, these play invitations:

• Are a quick and easy setup – think under 5 minutes.
• Engage play to create a powerful morning routine – so you can have a relaxing morning.
• Use supplies – items like markers, painter’s tape, etc. Find everything in our supply list here.
• Align with lifelong learning skills – giving your little one the best start in life.

Craving a calmer morning?

Breakfast Invitations are simple learning games to begin the day with play.

Eek! I see you looking at this image and shrieking in fear, so I am here to give you a quick messy play tip. Right now, go fill up your washing machine with water and detergent. Get it ready to toss the clothes in once your preschooler is done exploring.

I assure you, it’s as simple as that. – Get messy, strip them down, and toss the messy play clothes in the wash.

Why is Messy Play  Important at Home?

Messy play kids- creative activities at home encourage children to explore substances. These are the same substances that will be what they will revisit in grade school. If you encourage children to touch and feel now, they will make dynamic discoveries as they connect the dots later. You will help spark connections such as:

‘I know this! I remember when I poured the liquid into the tall, narrow squirt bottle that it overflowed faster than the large pitcher.

• Color Mixing; A Play on Ketchup & Mustard – add red and yellow paint to squeeze paint bottles and let them go wild!
• Color Mixing Shredded Paper Bin – adding paint to shredded paper couldn’t make an easier messy activity. Plus, it’s a great way to reuse your recycling!
• Decorate the Cake – Use shaving cream or an alternative taste-safe whip cream to make your own cake using a box. 
• Eyeball Shaving Cream Play – kids love shaving cream. Add some spooky eyeballs so they can play away.
• Eyeball Soup  – popping some fake eyeballs in water and seeing if your tiny terrors can scoop them out make great Halloween activities for kids at home.
• Hidden Hearts Cloud Dough – sometimes cloud dough gets outside the bin. Play with cloud dough in a space that can quickly sweep away the mess. 
• Muddy Water Messy Play – grab a few items from the kitchen for water play with nature.
• Neon Squirt – they’ve done normal paints, but what about neon?! Try them out; it’s amazing.
• Shaving Cream Car Tracks – cars and shaving cream is great for exploring textures and patterns.
• Shaving Cream Duplos – what happens when you mix Duplos with shaving cream? Messy play comes to life, and the kids need a hose down. -pure joy.
• Shaving Cream Foam Block Sensory Play – Are kids tired of using blocks? Add some shaving cream and see what they come up with!
• Squirt the Ice – paint on ice shards makes a fun and colorful science experiment.
• Sweet and Tasty Edible Bin – kids need to taste and touch, so add something to your sensory bin to get them started.

RELATED: Read what healthykids.org shares about how play helps kids thrive.

Outdoor Kids- Creative Activities at Home

As adults, we know when we need a restart, it is helpful to walk outside, breathe in the fresh air and get some sunshine. Being outdoors stimulates the senses and wakes up the brain. These outdoor ideas make great summer activities for kids at home.

Check out these ways to play with kids- creative activities at home – outside edition!

• Backyard Hunt and Sort – hide a collection of items in the yard and see if your kids can seek and sort them.  
• DIY Movement Dice – grab an empty tissue box, cover it in paper and draw colored dots on each side with an activity. For example, red means jump!
• Fall Leaf Painting – keep the drops of paint outside with this large mural of fall. 
• How Balance Can Improve Reading – check out why balancing helps your little ones literacy skills, then pull out some balancing activities. 
• How to Paint with Kids Outside – painting with kids can be…tricky! Learn a fuss-free way to paint with them outside.
• Musical Scavenger Hunt – put that sidewalk chalk to good use with this musical color-sorting game. 
• Nature Mural – easy as it looks. Collect nature and add it to a large piece of wood to make a nature mural. 
• Outdoor Sensory Supplies – in need of some supplies? Check out my recommended outdoor sensory supplies.
• Paint the Rocks – have a child that loves to collect rocks? Try painting them! 
• Practice Prewriting with Movement – draw some dots outside with chalk, then connect them to make spirals, curves, and lines. Ask your toddler to follow the lines to get comfortable with the shapes.
• Pumpkin Balance – nothing beats a relay race. Grab the mini pumpkins and try to get to the other side.
• Stick Painting – Gather some sticks and paint them to combine nature with fine motor skills.
• 51+ Things to Do for Spring – you’ll love this great list of sensory, crafts, and field trip ideas for Spring.

RELATED: Read what the NAEYC says about why outside play is important for the whole child.

Kids – Creative Activities at Home Are a MUST for Little Learners

I hope you find some fantastic activities from these lists to start your kids- creative activities at home!

How are cognitive development and sensory play helping our babies, toddlers, and preschoolers? Be sure to read this from Michigan State University.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good play ideas?

Play ideas are best when they are grounded in your child’s interest. Sensory play helps children explore the frustrations and emotions of the day through movement. Sensory play outside can include balancing, running, tossing a ball, or riding a bike. Sensory play indoors may consist of playing in the bathtub with a favorite toy, introducing a sensory bin, or play dough.

What are messy play activities?

Messy play activities are activities that children may need to wash off when finished playing. Our favorite messy play activities are playing in the mud and using shaving cream. Set up messy play outside near a hose and wear older clothing.

20 ideas to keep the kids entertained on a rainy day

Here are 20 indoor games that will keep kids (and you) happy and active—no TV or video games required.

Another rainy or bone-chilling day? We see you over there: Restless kids fidgeting on the couch, the clock ticking slower than usual, and you’re fresh out of ideas for things to do. Well you’ve come to the right place. We have your back with this list of the best indoor games you haven’t already tried.

From Battleship to Sprouts, we’ve created a must-play list of pencil-and-paper indoor games that beat TV any day. Gather some pencils and paper and check out our best of pencil-and-paper games.

You don’t need a fancy building set for this. Popsicle stick cities, card towers, even buildings out of blocks, or indoor forts out of boxes or pillows, will do just fine. If you want to get competitive, whoever builds the highest tower wins.

3. Magical Mama (or Papa)

Be your kids’ very own Harry Houdini—without the locks, chains and water tanks, of course. Simply place a coin under one of three cups and shuffle the cups around. Then ask your children to guess which cup holds the coin. Sneaky parents can place the cups near the edge of a table and secretly drop the coin. Watch your tots’ eyes light up in amazement when they learn the coin is gone!

Card games are great for challenging young minds and creating hours of indoor fun. Grab a box of cards and check out our favourite traditional card games.

Exercise those creative, cognitive and problem-solving muscles with a good puzzle. You can use a store-bought variety or have the kids make their own. Have your children draw a picture on a sturdy piece of cardboard or Bristol board. Then use a pencil to outline puzzle pieces directly on their drawing. Cut out the pieces with a good pair of scissors, mix them up and get solving. Indoor games and craft in one fun activity!

Choose some of your kids’ favourite tunes and turn up the volume. Ask them to dance until the music stops. When it does, they have to freeze in whatever position they find themselves in – even if they have one leg up. To make the game more challenging, ask the kids to freeze in specific poses: animals, shapes, letters or even yoga postures. Toddlers in particular love this game.

The winner gets her very own gold medal! Make your own ribbons with this easy craft:

For a comprehensive list of the best of family indoor games from Nursery Rhyme Games and Candy Land to Clue, check out our handy list of top 20 family games.

This indoor game is ideal for larger groups — a sleepover favourite. Divide the kids up into groups. Give each group a bag filled with props, such as a spoon, toy jewelry, a sock, ball or ribbon. Then give them 15 minutes to construct a skit around the props. This game is so much fun that it doesn’t have to be competitive. If the kids want, though, they can all vote on a winning skit.

This schoolyard favourite is sure to be an indoor hit, too. Set up your hopscotch game on any floor surface. Masking tape will do perfectly to form the nine connecting squares. Boxes 1-3 will be placed in a single line, one on top of the other. The next two boxes (4, 5) will be placed side-by-side, followed by a single box (6), two more boxes (7, 8) and the final half-circle “home” base (9). Next, choose a marker, such as a coin, stone or beanbag. The first player will throw the marker into square 1 without letting it bounce or touch the lines. If successful, the player will then hop — one foot on single squares and two feet on side-by-side squares — avoiding square #1. The player may rest on “home” before hopping back. On the way back, he or she picks up the marker on square #1 and, if successful (lands within the lines, hops or jumps with proper footing, doesn’t fall), takes another turn and throws it into square #2. When the player is unsuccessful, the next player takes a turn. Players resume their turns by throwing the marker on the last box played. The winner is the first player to throw the marker home (#9), and smoothly complete the whole course.

While you have your masking tape out, why not make your own balance beam? We all know how much kids love walking in straight lines every chance they get. Put on some music, and one at a time the kids can take their turn walking one-foot-over-the-other across the straight line of tape. Make the game more challenging by having the kids walk backwards or balance with one foot on the line.

No list of indoor games would be complete without Hide and Seek, now would it? In this classic game, one person (“It”) covers his or her eyes and counts aloud while the other players hide. When “It” is finished counting, he or she begins looking for the hiders. The last hider to be found is the next “It.” Warning: this game is often a source of giggle fits. Families with older children might want to take things up a notch and play Hide and Seek in the dark. Just to be safe, make sure there are no loose items on the floor. If you want, allow “It” to carry a flashlight or turn the lights on once “It” finishes counting.

Kids love finding hidden objects — especially when there’s a prize at the end. Simply write your clues on some slips of paper — get creative. Place the first clue somewhere easy to find, like inside your child’s snack or cereal bowl. Then leave as many clues as you like around the house, making a trail to the final clue. Instead of a prize, the treasure hunt can lead to various coins around the house. This way the kids get to collect all the coins and put them in their piggy banks in the end. If you want to create the most amazing treasure hunt, follow these 11 tips.

A great way to reuse water bottles (or you can purchase an indoor bowling set). Line six-10 water bottles up at the end of your hall or living room. Place a line of duct tape at the starting line. Grab a medium-sized indoor ball and start bowling! If you want, keep score and give out trophies at the end. (Note: if you need to stabilize the water bottles or make the game more difficult, simply fill them up with some water. Don’t forget to screw the tops on tightly!)

This game will have everyone giggling. Ask the kids to sit on the floor in a circle. Turn on some tunes and have them pass the potato (a bean bag or soft ball) around the circle as fast as they can. When the music stops, the player holding the potato leaves the circle. Keep going until only one player is left and wins the game.

Former preschool director and grandmother of three, Marsha Colla, has some innovative games up her sleeve, including this fun and simple verbal memory game, which, Colla says, “challenges the children and makes them giggle.” To play, everyone sits in a circle. The first player says, “In my basket for the picnic, I packed…,” and then says what item he or she packed. The next player then says, “In my basket for the picnic, I packed…,” and then recites what the first player packed and adds his or her own item to the basket, and so forth.

One of Colla’s go-to indoor games for her preschoolers and grandchildren, this game is sure to both educate and delight little ones. Take out several miscellaneous items. Have the children look at all the items, and then take them away. Next, ask one child to hide his or her eyes and listen as you pick up an item and make sounds with it. Ask the child to guess which item made the sound. Examples of items might be a comb (run your fingers along it), a glass (gently tap it), cymbals, shakers, sandpaper, blocks rubbed together, a pot and spoon. Be creative and have fun!

You don’t have to go outside to enjoy bubbles. For this indoor game, you need a plate and straw for each player, some dishwashing soap and water. Place a dime-size drop of dish soap at the centre of each plate. Pour a little water onto the plate and gently mix with the dish soap until some suds start to form. Have the kids place the straw in the suds and blow very gently. Watch as massive bubbles start to form. To make this competitive, see who blows the biggest, or longest-lasting, bubble.

This traditional favourite will never get old. To start, choose one player (probably a parent for the first round) to be Simon. The rest of the players will gather in a circle or line in front of Simon as he calls out actions starting with the phrase “Simon says”: “Simon says…touch your toes.” The players then have to copy Simon’s action, touching their toes. If Simon calls out an action without uttering the phrase “Simon says,” the kids must not do the action. If a child touches his toes when Simon didn’t say…, he or she is out of the game. There are lots of great ways Simon can trick players into doing actions when Simon didn’t say: Simon can perform an action without uttering a command, for example, or he can perform an action that doesn’t correspond with the command. Fun! The last player left in the game wins and becomes the next Simon.

Most preschoolers flock to the classroom sensory table as soon as the teachers pull it out. So there is little doubt they will love this entertaining challenge. Find a shoe box or any box that has a lid on it. Cut a hole in one of the sides of the box —large enough for your child to fit her hand in. If you want, get creative and decorate the box with glitter and question marks. When you’re ready to play, put an item inside the box and have your children guess what it is. They can ask questions about the item if they need to, or you can offer clues. Get as ooey-gooey as you wish (fresh pumpkin seeds or slimy spaghetti are great choices for Halloween), or use such simple objects as a brush, a toy, a piece of fruit. To make it competitive, you can give a point to the first child to name the object.

You can’t be too little for this version of basketball. All you need is a bucket and a rolled up sock (or a small, light ball). Each player takes a turn at throwing the sock-ball into the bucket. When a player scores a bucket, he or she takes a step back and throws again until missing. The player who shoots the ball in the bucket from the farthest distance wins.

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42 ideas for a great pastime

In the era of prosperity of technology, endless cartoons and the same endless feeds in social networks, both children and parents began to forget about simple communication, looking into each other's eyes, and not at the screen of a TV, tablet or smartphone. Think about how long it has been since you played with your child? Oddly enough, even the ideas for the simplest and once popular games have long been lost in memory and have undeservedly lost their relevance.

Games for children are not only a great way to spend time with the family, but also an opportunity to develop thinking, memory, logic, reaction speed. We have collected the best children's games that will captivate the whole family and give a charge of vivacity and positive for a long time.

Contents:

1. Children's play at home
2. Entertainment games for children at home: types
3. Active games
4. Sports games
5. Competitions
6. Development games
7. Speech games
8. Construction of houses
9. Math games
10. Interesting games for two children
11. Role-playing games
12. Unusual home games
13. Music games
14. Water games
15. Interesting games
16. Advice to parents

Children's games at home

Entertaining games for children have many advantages: they bring together all family members who take part in the process, allow you to spend time rich and exciting, without gadgets and TV. The game is a powerful tool for the development of your child. When planning to spend time together blowing dust off a box of checkers or a long-forgotten Monopoly, keep a few things in mind:

• Try not to prompt your child. Make an exception to the rule only if he does not yet know the rules. Let them learn to make mistakes and draw conclusions. Undoubtedly, you know more, but let the baby be independent.
• Do not give in, you must be equal. Therefore, it is worth choosing interesting games for children, where the process does not require encyclopedic knowledge or vast experience, and the rules are simple and understandable for everyone.
• You need to play only with pleasure, getting pleasant emotions. If you notice that the children don’t like the game or they get bored, it’s better to switch to another one: it’s definitely not worth forcing anyone to have fun.

Entertainment games for children at home: types

What kind of games are there in a confined space? When thinking of entertainment, consider the possibilities of an apartment or house and the age of the child. Excessive noise should not be raised late in the evening, and too primitive games are unlikely to be appreciated by a senior student. Therefore, alternate, experiment, and you will definitely select exactly those family games that will captivate everyone, and just spend time with children without a computer.

Active games

1. Let's go!

Have your child pretend to be a car driving down a dark road. To do this, put a few chairs or other objects, give the child a steering wheel or its round substitute, and blindfold. You are a navigator, a kid is a car, turn on and go! Try switching places so that the child also tries himself as a helper.

Suitable for age: 5-8 years old.

2. Hold the balloon

This kids game will require a balloon and some skill. Task: move the ball from one end of the room / corridor to the other without touching it with your hands and without letting it fall. Let the children be smart: you can blow on the ball, push it with your nose, chin, knees.

If there are two children, arrange a competition: who will bring the ball to the finish line faster. For older participants, the task can be made more difficult by building a path or placing small obstacles to get around.

Suitable for age: 5-15 years old.

3. Cross the river

Ropes, ribbons or two pieces of rope, laid out at a distance of one and a half to two meters from each other, can play the role of the banks. From paper, cut out circles that will replace the pebbles.

Invite the child to "get over" from one bank to another, stepping over the stones without "wetting" the legs. The game is simple, but perfectly develops coordination of movements in children 3-5 years old.

Suitable for age: 3-5 years old.

4. "Brilliant" basketball

In the conditions of an apartment, entertaining games for children with a ball are not very convenient, but if you replace it with small foil balls, and build a basket from a children's bucket or a cut-off five-liter bottle, you get quite a decent basketball.

The competition can be made more difficult: throw in turn with the left and right hand, count who will have more hits per minute, vary the distance from the player to the basket.

Suitable for age: 5-13 years old.

5. Classics

The good old "jumping" is definitely worth remembering and arranging a game even within an apartment or house. With construction tape on the carpet, “draw” a classic, a round candy box can be used as a “bit”. The main thing is to remember the neighbors below and try not to disturb their peace in the evening.

Suitable for age: 5-10 years old.

6. ​​The fastest turtle

Turning into a turtle is easy! Get on all fours, put a pillow on your back and go to the finish line, so that your "shell" is not lost along the way. You can arrange a competition "Who is faster?" or which of the "turtles" will show the best time.

Suitable for age: 4-7 years old.

7. Insidious ball

Throwing the ball within the apartment is not the safest activity, so you can think of other activities with it. Lie on your stomach opposite each other, put the ball between your heads. Try to stand up while holding the ball with two hands, without the help of hands.

Another option would be to compete, in which case two balls would be required. Get on all fours and, on command, start rolling the ball, touching it with your forehead or nose, without helping with your hands. Whoever crosses the finish line the fastest wins.

Suitable for age: 5-10 years old.

Sports games

It is possible to entertain children at home with games not only for the purpose of entertainment. Motor activity is necessary, especially for a fidget baby. Come up with stories, remember your favorite animals or fairy-tale characters, accompanying interesting stories with movements as the story progresses. The child will be happy to imitate a bear, jump like a monkey or stretch his neck like a hissing goose. Mobile children's games will allow you to spend all the extra energy that the baby has accumulated, directing it in the right and useful direction.

8. Jumper

Hang balloons from the ceiling at such a distance that the child can reach them only by jumping. Pre-fill them with foam balls, large confetti or other light fillers.

The child's task is to jump up, hitting the ball with his hand, and reach it. You can diversify the game by taking multi-colored balls and placing them at different heights, and then, naming the color, ask them to jump to each of them.

Suitable for age: 3-5 years old.

9. Gulliver and the Lilliputians

This activity is suitable for a group of children. Ask them to stand in a circle and tell them that everyone can imagine themselves both very small and very large, the main thing is to be attentive.

At the command of "Lilliputians!" (as an option for children: dwarfs, kids) children should sit down, at the command “Gulliver!” (or "Giants") - stand up. The most attentive wins the game.

Suitable for age: 4-5 years old.

10. Take off the feathers

The following game will help you run and practice your agility. Divide the children into two teams. One attach several clothespins to clothes. The task is to get rid of the “feathers” by attaching them to the clothes of the second team members. The one who first removes all the "feathers" from himself will win.

Suitable for age: 6-7 years old.

11. Who is faster?

If you need to keep the children company at home, offer them something like a small relay race. From the options for passing the distance, use:

• squatting;
• walking around the room with a balloon without touching it with your hands;
• walking with a bag of beans (or a book) on the head;
• jogging over obstacles (for example, without stepping on spread out pillows or, conversely, jogging on sheets of paper), etc.

Suitable for age: 5-10 years old.

Competitions

Sedentary children's games will also help you out in a situation when children need something to keep them busy, especially since the place or time may not allow active movement. Such an activity requires, albeit minimal, but preparation. And it, as you know, is no less interesting than the process of the game itself.

12. Quiz

Invite the child to be the leader and prepare a competition, say, for a family dinner or tea party when the whole family gathers at the table.

Tell me what questions or riddles to choose, prepare prizes for correct answers, choose the winner, dilute the script with a musical break, turning on karaoke or dance music.

Such quizzes can eventually become thematic and turn into a good family tradition.

Suitable for age: 7-13 years old.

13. Answer within a minute

Prepare a list of simple questions and organize games for the children at home if you have two or more of them. Offer to try to give as many correct answers to the questions as possible in a minute.

In this way you will train the speed of thinking and the speed of reaction. Select questions from the area of ​​​​general knowledge or on topics that children know well, as well as in accordance with age.

Suitable for age: 7-15 years old.

Family games for development

Entertaining games can be organized with children at home, using the simplest objects. Thus, you will develop logic, thinking and help your child explore the world. Do not forget that during the game the child learns.

14. Magic Pencils

Colored pencils or felt-tip pens are needed to play. You will repeat the colors and work on the development of observation and imagination in the baby.

Explain that pencils sometimes come to life and can daydream, imagining themselves as other objects. The red one said that he was a strawberry, the green one - a maple leaf, the yellow one introduced himself as the sun.

Invite your child to "voice" different colors of crayons by naming the corresponding objects.

Suitable for age: 4-5 years old.

15. Touch!

Another way to repeat or study colors is this game. The child needs to touch the object of the color that you name.

You can play within the same room, or you can complicate the task and look for a suitable color throughout the apartment. As an option, to train your memory, at the end of the search, ask the child to name the items that he found.

Suitable for age: 4-7 years old.

16. Draw a story

Making up stories is a favorite pastime for many children. But it can be diversified by inviting the baby to draw everything that you are talking about.

A variant of this story: “There was a big house on a green meadow. It had blue walls, a red roof, and gray smoke coming from a black chimney. The yellow sun smiled at the blue sky and blue clouds. Red flowers grew around the house and multi-colored butterflies fluttered.

You can continue the story, add characters and objects, giving them a description. If the child likes this activity, roles can be reversed. Try to draw on paper everything that your creative child will come up with!

Suitable for age: 4-7 years old.

17. Attention to the picture

Children's favorite books usually contain a large number of pictures. For this game, drawings are suitable, which depict many different objects. You say, “I see something red in this picture. It does not know how to speak (as an option - to walk, ride, no pens, etc.).” The task of the child is to guess the object. Roles can be reversed.

Suitable for age: 4-5 years old.

18. Memory

Game ideas surround you even within the same room, so that with children at home you can develop any thought process even with the help of ordinary toys.

Take a few objects (doll, soft toy, ball, cube, etc.) and arrange them randomly. Ask the child to remember what toys he saw and look away.

Swap them or take one and ask what has changed. Tasks can be complicated when the baby has a little practice.

Suitable for age: 4-7 years old.

19. Didactic games

Suitable for studying mathematical and geometric concepts, natural phenomena and the world around. With the help of pictures cut out from old magazines or printed on a printer, you can help baby animals find their mother (for example, make pairs of chicken-chicken, sheep-lamb, etc.).

Geometric shapes cut out of colored paper will help you repeat colors and practice counting, while circles cut into segments will introduce you to the parts of the whole.

The process of preparing such material will be no less interesting and creative than the lessons themselves.

Suitable for age: 4-8 years old.

Speech games

The development of speech is an important and necessary process. Talk to your child on the way home, in the car, look at the pictures together. Cognitive games can be organized at home with children and in a simple conversation, the main thing is to show a little imagination.

20. Write a story

Some children's games are aimed at the development of imagination, and they should not be neglected. And to begin with, try to come up with a story that will be based on just two words. At the same time, they do not have to be combined in meaning. For example, ask one word from your dad (mother), the second - from your sister (brother). Look what a funny story you can make!

Suitable for age: 5-8 years old.

21. Who and what

By asking simple questions, this game can be played both with a child and with a group of children. Tasks can be as follows:

• Who (what) is swimming?
• Who (what) walks?
• Who's talking?
• What can you eat?
• What can be cooked?
• Who (what) can fly? Etc.

There should be as many answers as possible. If there are many participants, there will be a competition.

Suitable for age: 5-7 years old.

Construction of houses

Needless to say, how children love to build things? Moreover, it does not matter at all whether it is an expensive designer, wooden blocks left after repair, shoe boxes or an umbrella and a blanket - the process is always captivating.

Although, as practice shows, unnecessary boxes or a covered chair usually win in terms of popularity.

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22. Constructors

In any home there are small Lego parts or a box with wooden towers, arches and blocks of different sizes.

Offer a bored child to build a home for his favorite toy: a little man, a doll, a bear, etc. you can go beyond walls and build simple furniture and celebrate the move.

Suitable for age: 5-8 years old.

23. Cardboard boxes

It happens that shoe boxes have accumulated or a large package of household appliances has appeared. Then the house can be built for dolls (for boys - a garage or parking lot) or for a baby.

Such structures can be pasted over, decorated, filled with furniture - in general, playing with them will captivate young architects and designers for more than one day.

Suitable for age: 6-10 years old.

24. Armchairs, blankets and umbrellas

The good old version of “housing”, inexplicably of interest to all generations of children without exception. A bedspread or a blanket can be put on the table, fixed with books, two chairs can be covered with it, or something similar can be built using an ordinary umbrella.

Fantasy begins to manifest itself instantly, and sofa cushions, blankets and other improvised means are used. True, after such a game you will have to spend some time cleaning.

Suitable for age: 4-8 years old.

Math games

Don't you think that mathematics is a boring science? Wrong opinion. Usually children like to count, add and subtract, play with geometric shapes. The main thing is to interest them and not turn the game into a long annoying task.

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25. Mathematics in the kitchen

Setting the table is a great way for your little one to practice counting. Ask him to put two forks on the table, bring three cups, take five apples from the basket, or put four cookies on the plate.

Get creative with addition and subtraction using teaspoons, large pasta, or other household tools.

Suitable for age: 4-6 years old.

26. Tasty Numbers

Bake number cookies together. Prepare the dough, let the child roll out the sausages, and you help to add them in the form of numbers.

You can play with them, build pyramids, stack them up and down, and even make simple examples. It's not scary if a couple of signs suddenly disappear imperceptibly - after all, this is a cookie.

Alternatively, math pastries can also be made inedible. Blind such numbers from salt dough, dry and decorate them, and then open them with varnish. Spreading examples from this counting material will be especially nice.

Suitable for age: 4-6 years old.

27. Math ball

The ball can be played even within the same room without damaging neighbors or surrounding furniture. Repeat verbal counting with your child.

When throwing the ball to him, name an example, and he, throwing the ball to you, must say the answer. Depending on age, you can take numbers from the first ten, second or three-digit. The main thing is to have time to count yourself in order to check the correctness of the answer.

The variant of the ball game can be like this. When throwing the ball to a child, name the number, and in response he must name adjacent numbers (5 more, 10 less, half as much, etc., depending on age and knowledge).

Suitable for age: 5-8 years old.

Interesting games for two children

Children often only need to be prompted to play, and they will perfectly play with each other, mostly without paying attention to the difference in age.

Calm games at home can be very different, the main thing is that they are interesting for children.

28. Wonder Beast

All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. The first player draws a head and folds the sheet so that only the neck is visible.

The second one completes the torso, then again the first one draws the legs (paws, flippers, etc.). Expanding the "picture", the children will see a rather funny creature that you can think of a name for.

Suitable for age: 6-10 years old.

29. Funny stories

A similar activity can be a variant of the game on paper, when children need to play with each other or with adults. The first participant must write two lines from a song, a poem or just two sentences related in meaning, and wrap a sheet of paper, leaving only the last phrase.

The next one writes two of his own lines, connecting them in meaning with the previous phrase, and again wraps the sheet. As a result, the bundle will hide a very curious and, most likely, funny story.

Suitable for age: 8-14 years old.

Role-playing games

Children's games, in which children pretend to be adults, are perhaps the most favorite.

From an early age, a child begins to imitate his parents: lovingly puts his favorite toys to bed, builds a garage, cooks food on a toy stove, or builds a semblance of a real store. Play along with the child or switch roles with him, allowing him to become a mom, dad, salesman or doctor.

30. Shop

There are several variants of this game. You can lay out items on the "counter", set "price tags" and make "money" from cut sheets of paper of different sizes, thereby repeating the count.

Or you can ask the child not to name the product he wants to buy, but only to give him a description. So the game will become a small lesson in the development of speech.

Suitable for age: 4-6 years old.

31. Beauty salon

A role-playing game that captivates absolutely all girls. You can become a model for your child to do hair, make-up, and manicures.

But a doll can also act as a “client” of the salon. At the same time, be sure to discuss the rules of conduct and the culture of communication in the salon.

Suitable for age: 5-7 years old.

32. Construction site

You can organize the activities of both the driver and the builder at the same time by showing your son that a big car can be loaded with blocks, help it get to the construction site, unload the “material” and start building a garage or house.

You can also include a crane, "worker" figures and build more than one object.

Suitable for age: 4-6 years old.

33. Playing Pirates

Build a ship from improvised means, and look for costume parts in the closet - the preparation process will be no less interesting.

Then, armed with binoculars, you can go in search of treasures to uncharted shores. Alternatively, a small toy man can become a pirate, and a ship can be built from a designer. Depends on what the child likes more.

Suitable for age: 5-8 years old.

Unusual home games

Family games at home can become a good tradition that will give your children a lot of warm memories in adulthood. In the meantime, they are still small, a little imagination, effort and time will help organize fun games and occupy the leisure of the whole family. Get actively involved in the preparation, do not be lazy, think of what you can play, and you will not notice how you will get carried away yourself.

34. Fantastic patterns

Mix 5 tablespoons of gouache, one of shampoo (dishwashing liquid) and a teaspoon of water. Make a thick foam in the container by blowing into a plastic straw.

Now lightly touch the colored bubbles with a piece of paper. See how the prints turn out, and paint an abstract picture, following your imagination.

Suitable for age: 5-12 years old.

35. Cheerful quest

This activity can be prepared for a birthday or for a group of friends, or you can just please your child with an exciting activity. And if the treasure hunter is interested in the search process, then, believe me, the preparation process will be no less fascinated.

Hide a small gift or sweet prize (there may be more than one) at home and write step-by-step instructions on how to find it.

You can place notes with clues in the most unusual places, the main thing is that each previous one should be the key to finding the next one and eventually lead to the main “treasure”.

Suitable for age: 6-12 years old.

Music games

Every child has favorite songs, regardless of age. You can just dance, learn new moves or prepare a dance as a gift.

Joint games of children at home unite, and music will help recharge with positive and good mood.

36. Leg, leg!

Have you ever danced with your neck? What about a nose or a finger? Well, there is a great opportunity to try! Turn on your favorite tune and start with simple movements.

Ask the children to dance with only their hands or only their feet. Then move on to more difficult tasks: dance only with your elbow or finger. And don't forget: you, too, must be actively involved in the game.

37. Get rid of the balls

For this game you will need a low stretched volleyball net. But as an option, any dividing line in the house is also suitable. Inflate 6 - 10 balloons, depending on the number of players.

The task of two teams (they can have from 1 to 3-4 participants), having received the balls equally, transfer them to the opponent's side.

The game starts when the music is turned on and stops when the music is turned off. Whichever side has fewer balls at that moment wins.

Water games

Children love to splash in the water, bathe and pour water from container to container.

If you decide to use water as a play area, be prepared for the environment to be wet and your baby's clothes and shoes to become wet. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that at the end of the game you will need to completely change your clothes.

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38. Catch, fish!

Prepare a bowl or bowl of water, take a few small items and put them directly into the water. These can be balls, small figures, chestnuts, etc.

Invite the child to catch the “fish” with his hands, a spoon, a small net (a small kitchen sieve can act as this), and then carefully place them in a nearby container.

Suitable for age: 3-5 years old.

39. SpongeBob

Tell your child that a sponge can absorb water and show how it works.

Prepare two containers, fill one of them with water. Try transferring water from one container to another with a sponge, filling it up and then squeezing it out.

Suitable for age: 3-4 years.

40. Catch the ball!

When your baby goes for a bath, drop about ten lightly inflated balloons into the bath with him.

They will funny jump out from under the water, float like boats if you blow on them, and will be a wonderful field for experiments of a little researcher.

Suitable for age: 3-5 years old.

Interesting games

What other games are there for children at home? Choose according to the mood and preference of the child.

They can be active or calm, with a lot of additional materials or in the form of a conversation, but in any case they should be interesting to the child. As practice shows, games without a phone can also captivate and interest a child.

41. Guess what it is

We explore the world around us with the help of the senses, and touch plays an important role in this. Therefore, it will be useful for a child to mentally create images of things without seeing them, but only by touching them.

Place several objects in a basket or container out of sight, then give one to each child's hands while blindfolded (or simply cover them).

Let the baby try to guess what he is holding in his hands, examining the object only with his fingers. Tell me if the child is not coping.

Suitable for age: 4-7 years old.

42. Unusual book

Games and activities with children at home can be remembered not only as an interesting pastime with parents, but also as an interesting craft that has been preserved for many years. You can make a book with your child about himself.

Collect photographs, magazine clippings, interesting small items. They can be glued onto thick sheets of paper and write a story together.

Have your child write the first letter in this book, make the first drawing, circle their pen, or paste a picture they like. After many years, such a craft will evoke very fond memories.

Alternatively, you can make a fairy tale book by inventing a story and decorating it with applications and drawings. The process will take more than one evening and, most likely, will interest the child for a long time.

Suitable for age: 4-10 years old.

Advice to parents

When spending time with your child, do not be afraid to show your imagination, use any household items for play, talk about the world around you, let the baby try on different roles, dance, jump, get his hands dirty in paint or wet clothes with water. So he learns the world, develops and grows.

Remember that your participation in the gameplay is important, but only as a partner, less so as a mentor.

Take a break from everyday activities, spend more time making cookies or cleaning, but do it together with your child while playing.

• Things to do with kids at home: 35 fun ideas for fun

A wise Polish proverb says: "You have a whole life to work, and children will be small only once." Use this time as much as possible, and the useful habit of seeing a friend in a parent will remain forever.

We hope that our advice will be useful to you in organizing your leisure time, and you will always find something to captivate your child at home.

Fun games with kids at home: 22 ideas

We have all recently seen that a family can be stuck at home for a long time, and a child can be left without communication with peers. How to make the faces of the household do not become sadder day by day? Find at least half an hour for a fun game.

Kidpassage has collected family games that do not require special equipment. You can play some of them with your child when you are preparing dinner or when you want to lie in bed longer in the morning, and the child has already come running to communicate. Others will require more activity - but all will drive away boredom.

Contents:

1. Games for children 2-4 years old
2. Games for children 5-8 years old
3. Games for children 9-12 years old
4. Games with parents
5. Games from books
6. Competitions

Games for children 2-4 years old

To develop a child, it is not necessary to sit with a set of geometric shapes and a book about colors. You can fool around together and be pleasantly surprised when you notice new skills in your baby.

1. Mirror

One player shows movements or grimaces, and the second tries to repeat them simultaneously and exactly. It gets even funnier if both players look in a real mirror at the same time.

2.

You need a real apple, and a child will become a worm. He will need to sit on the floor and, pulling himself up with his legs, get to the apple. Parents can also participate, only for fairness, the distance that they have to crawl needs to be increased.

3. Feather

Players sit around a table with a feather (cork, a piece of tissue or cotton will also work). You need to blow on the feather, driving it towards the opponent. You can make the floor a training ground for the game, and drive a feather with a wave of any impromptu fan.

4. Home orchestra

What happens if you tap a plastic container upside down with a spoon? And if you run the same spoon over clothespins on a string? And bang on a large saucepan? Extract sounds from all the objects at hand and sing along or dance to the beat of the resulting music. If there are several children, a parent can become a conductor and manage an orchestra.

Games for children 5-8 years old

Preschoolers and younger schoolchildren already know how to do a lot, they develop a sense of humor. Who will you become in their game - leading or active players?

5. Window dressing

A well-known game can be easily simplified for a small children's company. Let the theme of the game be animals or school supplies - their names should be written on pieces of paper and put in a box. Each participant pulls the task out of the box and tries to explain to others with gestures and movements what is hidden.

6. ​​Barrel of laughter

The rules are simple: each player thinks of a word and pronounces it in response to the host's question. No one knows the questions, the answers are random, and therefore funny. "What did you have for breakfast?" - "Grandma." “Who brings gifts to children in winter?” - "Hippopotamus".

7. Pillow fight

Two players enter the ring, marked with stripes of colored tape, with pillows in their hands. The goal of each is to push the opponent out of the ring using only pillow strikes. The referee monitors compliance with the rules, he also gives a signal if the fight goes on for a while. To keep the game safe, it is better to keep fragile items away and arm the players with lightweight synthetic-filled pillows.

8. Haute Couture

For the game you will need different clothes and shoes - all this must be put in a pile. One of the players turns away from the pile, and the other players take turns picking up a piece of clothing and asking, "Where to wear this?" The turned away player names a part of the body, the rest dress according to his instructions. You can turn around when all the clothes are taken apart. You can add more fun to the game if you announce a competition for the best name for the resulting costume.

Games for children 9-12 years old

The older the children, the more complex games they can be offered. For younger students, you can simplify the rules, and even teenagers and adults will like the ingenious options.

9. Hat

This game is also known as Alias ​​or Say Different. If there is no ready-made board game or application on your smartphone, you can write any words on pieces of paper and put them in a hat (or any container). The goal of each player is to pull random words out of the hat and explain them to others so that they can guess which word it is. The winner is the one who manages to explain as many words as possible in a minute.

10. Twister

Colored circles are a polygon to show reaction speed and flexibility. The presenter spins the arrow on the scale with markings and announces what the arrow has shown, for example: “Right foot on red!” Players must complete the command as soon as possible. With each move, the situation becomes more complicated, and in the end someone falls, dragging the others with them. A ready-made set for this game is for sale, but the color fields can be marked on the floor or fabric on your own, and the determination of which color to put your hand or foot on is entrusted to pieces of paper with inscriptions or an application.

11. Danetki

The facilitator tells the end of a story, and the players must ask him questions to understand what happened at the beginning. The ending usually sounds paradoxical, and questions should be such that they can only be answered with "Yes", "No" or "Unknown". Ready-made stories can be found on the Internet, and then, having got the hang of it, compose it yourself.

12. I'm going to the sea…

The facilitator thinks of some regularity – for example, words that end in a vowel. Then he tells the players: "I'm going to the sea and I'm taking my cap with me (chooses a word that matches the pattern)." The rest of the players take turns saying: “I am also going to the sea and taking it with me ...” - and then they pick up different words, trying to calculate the pattern. If the word fits, the host tells the player: “You are going to the sea”, if not, “You are not going to the sea”.

Games with parents

There are children's activities in which parents become active participants. In such games, new talents are discovered, and trust between family members is also strengthened.

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13. Family canvas

Large sheet of paper (even a piece of smooth wallpaper will do), pencils and felt-tip pens - that's all you need for the game. Sit at a table or on the floor and start painting the big picture. For example, draw a dream house in which everyone will depict their own room and add something important to those places where the whole family gathers - the kitchen or living room.

14. Soap stories

To start the game, you need to dissolve food coloring or gouache in a small amount of water, and then add dishwashing liquid. Beat the foam by blowing into the solution through a straw, and then touch the bubbles with a piece of paper. Think with your child what the print looks like and draw the necessary details. You can just sprinkle paint on the sheet, fold the paper in half, then unfold it and think about what the resulting blots look like.

15.

An adult writes fun tasks on pieces of paper and puts them in a box. Children take turns pulling out pieces of paper and doing what is written there: for example, they read poetry in a squeaky voice or draw a picture with their eyes closed. In games with older children, all participants can write tasks - with the risk that their own phantom will fall out to them.

16. Swings

A game for toddlers, which even older children sometimes like to play. The child lies down on the blanket, the parents take the blanket by the corners and swing it.

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Games from books

Reading is also a good option for family leisure. And how many times have children imagined themselves as characters in books! But in books you can still find descriptions of children's games that have been forgotten over time.

17. My love is called A…

The game played by the characters of Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking-Glass was popular in Victorian England. Its goal is to compose a story according to a given scheme, filling in the gaps with words for one letter. One of the schemes is as follows: “My love is called on ... I love him because he ... I am afraid of him because he ... I feed him ... He lives in ... ". The answers may be out of place: Alice, whose love in the game was called Z, fed her casseroles and splinters.

18. Don't step on the floor

Pippi Longstocking from Astrid Lindgren's book taught her friends Tommy and Annika this game. Players need to go around the room without going down to the floor. You can move around furniture, build transitions from suitable objects, jump from place to place. Tommy and Annika got very dirty during the game - but they played in an untidy kitchen with an oven.

19. Peepers

Leo Kassil described the fun popular in pre-Internet times in the book “Konduit and Shvambrania”. Two players sit opposite each other and look into the eyes, trying not to blink or laugh. The one who blinked, looked away or laughed is considered the loser. Agree whether during the game you can make faces and try to incapacitate your opponent in other ways.

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Competitions

Some children love to compete and win. Compete with the whole family - even the struggle for an individual victory can unite.

20. Tongue without bones

Who, without stuttering even once, is the fastest to say “Karl stole the corals from Clara, and Clara stole the clarinet from Karl”? Tongue twisters develop diction well, but at first all participants laugh at their own attempts to pronounce complex combinations of sounds.

21. Life on other planets

You will need balloons according to the number of participants - these will be uninhabited planets. All participants populate their balls by drawing on them with markers. There can be several awards at once: for the most densely populated planet, for the most beautiful alien, for convenient infrastructure (will someone draw roads, shops and kindergartens?).

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