Are you having a hard time keeping your active kids busy indoors? You’ll love this super fun list of indoor games and activities for kids that will get all the wiggles out! Scroll for my top 15 ideas!
This list of indoor games and activities for kids was written by family travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
My kids are used to being on the go. Whether we are running around Disneyland, snorkeling on Oahu, or exploring the Pacific Northwest, we are always up to something active.
Being inside with the kids has been SO rough and we all started going a bit bonkers.
Snuggling up in front of the TV may be even more tempting now than ever, but getting the kids to stay active helps improve their cognitive abilities while they get a little cardio in the process.
So here is a list of indoor games, activities, and workouts that will help the kiddies burn off energy and stave off the boredom monster.
A Complete List of Indoor Games and Activities That Will Keep Your Kids Active
1. Help Them Come Up With Their Own Dance Choreography
Last summer, my oldest and I went to the Hard Rock Resort in Riviera Maya where we did the KIDZ BOP Experience. My son learned how to dance along to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and it was the first time he truly enjoyed dancing.
Kids don’t really see dancing as a workout because it’s just too much fun. Dancing around the living room is the epitome of a good time. So, get some inspiration from these pop dance workouts and dancing videos on YouTube.
TikTok has lots of choreography from popular stars like Charli D’Amelio that are worth a shot. Then, have your very own dancing party. After they practiced and designed their own choreography, ask them to reenact it for the whole family.
Awesome Dance Tutorials for Kids:
- LIKE THAT – Doja Cat TIK TOK DANCE TUTORIAL
- “Renegade” was a choreo was created by Charli d’Amelio and she posted it on TikTok and on her Instagram. All the kids are doing it.
2. Make a Fun Obstacle Course for Kids
Obstacle courses are so much fun and they can be done indoors and outdoors using all kinds of things you probably already have laying around your house.
For the Outdoor Obstacle Course:
- Try placing a bunch of balloons over a kiddie slide set so kids can crawl under it.
- Then place a couple of hula hoops on the ground that kids have to jump through.
- Set up some pool noodle arches that they have to crawl through to get to the finish line.
For Indoor Obstacle Courses:
- Use strings to create a maze in the hallway that kids have to get through before crawling under a table or jumping over lasers, which are really just streamers.
- Use pillows and decorative objects they can jump, hurtle, or skip over without hurting themselves.
- Make a hopscotch inspired section with stuffed toys or old clothes and have them jump through it to make it to the end. Add extra challenges like having to finish a course on their tippy toes or squatting. It doesn’t matter what the endgame is as long as it’s fun, challenging and burns calories.
3. Dance With Them
Some kids were born to dance. Others have to figure it out, but they can’t do it alone. And if parents don’t know how to dance either, then YouTube can help.
There are lots of videos online that teach kids fun dances that turn kids and grownups into total dance machines and provide a great cardio workout.
This is a fun dance video and kids will love learning this dance.
4. Go Hunting for Color Objects
Go on a color hunt! Draw, make or find a couple of colorful objects and then hide them around the house or in the backyard. Then call out the name of the color or object you hid, (for example, a Paw Patrol plushie or a cushion you always keep on the couch) and have them hunt for the object.
Come up with a few rules if you want to make it extra challenging, like having to skip every time they enter the living room, or doing jumping jacks if the walk near the bathroom.
5. Get Moving with GoNoodle
The GoNoodle app was designed to get the kids off the couch and get them to start doing things like jumping and dancing and other fun activities through a series of mini-games that help them stretch and improve flexibility.
They have a really big collection of videos and they even have series geared for morning, lunch, and evening times. We like to do them as a family to get the kids into it and then let them continue on their own.
The program also has a motion-sensor movement features that monitor their movements the way the Nintendo Wii used to do.
6. Shake the Boredom Off with Freeze Dance
A good old-fashioned game of Freeze dance is a great cardio workout and is so simple to do. The rules are quite simple.
Start dancing as soon as the music starts playing. When the DJ, or in this case, the parents, stop the music, everyone has to freeze. Aside from promoting body health, it also sharpens their listening skills.
We like to let the kids choose which song they like. It should come at no surprise that most of them are from Disney movies. Into the Unknown is their top pick right now.
7. Hula Hoop Indoors
Dust off that hula hoop that’s been sitting in the garage for years and have a contest. Challenge the kids to swing their hips while walking backwards. It’s not as easy as it sounds but it will definitely strengthen those core muscles.
Once they’ve mastered this skill, get them to do switch things up a bit by spinning the hoop around their ankles, too. Or having them try to eat a piece of fruit while hula hooping. Or have them play catch with a ball while continuing to hula hoop.
8. Set Up an Indoor Cardboard Maze
Since a lot of us order items online, we have a ton of boxes laying around just begging to be used. This is a fun way to put them to use.
Grab a bunch of cardboard boxes, cut holes on the sides so kids can walk through them. Then arrange them on the floor in a maze-like order. It might be necessary to use duct tape to keep the boxes in place. Then get the kids to crawl around the maze like little mice would do.
They’ll work a ton of muscle groups and hopefully get a prize when they make it to the end like choosing a movie for the family to watch or getting to pick dinner.
9. Inspire Kids to Stretch with Yoga
Kids can learn to stretch, exercise and control their breathing through yoga through the Cosmic Kids app. They offer a free trial to access their video library so kids can learn how to do yoga and build strength, balance and confidence in the process.
Parents can also access these videos on YouTube.
Like GoNoodle, Cosmic Kids has tons and tons of videos to choose from. Some of our favorites have themes like Disney’s Frozen, Minecraft, and Alice in Wonderland.
10. Keep the Heart Beating to Musical Chairs
Play the music and get the kids and other family members to walk around the perimeter of the circle of chairs. When the music stops, everyone sits and whoever finds themselves without a seat is out. Then repeat the cycle and keep removing chairs until there’s one winner.
Besides training their listening skills, the kids get to move around and give their hearts a workout.
Our family usually turns on Disney Pandora and then manually push pause at random times. You can also have the kids pick out a favorite song to do or have them sing a song and decide when to stop.
And you don’t have to just use chairs. Sometimes we do pillows on the floor, our ottoman, and even our giant stuffed bear.
11. Play Broom Hockey in the Living Room
Use masking tape to create a net on opposite ends of the hall and then divide the family into teams of two. But make sure every player has a broom. Then grab a tennis ball. This will act as the puck.
Use the brooms to try and get the puck across the opposing team and score some points. It’ll get the kids’ hearts pumping and make them breathe harder to deliver oxygen to all their little cells.
You can also turn this into a craft opportunity by having kids create their own cardboard hockey gear like leg pads and chest plates and a helmet.
And you can tell your kids they need to vigorously sweep the floor before you can play the game to get a little more energy out!
12. Have a Workout Session at Home
Exercise is necessary for kids to keep their cholesterol and blood sugar levels in check. There are tons of YouTube videos out there that kids can use to get a good workout.
If all the rest of this list of indoor games and activities fails, mom or dad can be the P.E. coach and order them to do a couple of push-ups and jumping jacks. You can even use a whistle and bark orders at the kids (in a joking manner) to make it more fun.
13. Stay Healthy With a Game of Hopscotch
If you have a driveway or sidewalk, this is an easy game to do outside with chalk. However, you can also play hopscotch inside.
Draw a hopscotch design inside on the floor using colorful painters tape. Then give the kids a button or a shell that they’ll throw to land on a square.
They’ll work their leg muscles as they hop through the squares, skipping the one with the object. On their way back they have to pick up the object and then give it to the next person to play.
Once kids get the hang of it, have them create their own hopscotch design.
If they get bored with that, you can put Post-It notes around the house with instructions like “hop” or “skip” until they get to the next Post-It.
14. Go Hallway Bowling at Home
There are plenty of indoor bowling sets for kids of all ages. These are perfect for really little kids who might not have the strength to knock over heavy pins.
However, you can also make your own indoor bowling set pretty easily.
Grab about 6 to 10 empty plastic water or soda bottles and fill them up with water. Then place them on the floor at the end of the hall in a triangle. Stand at the other end and roll the ball on the floor like a bowling ball.
To make it more difficult, stand further back. To make it really difficult, blindfold your kids!
15. Have Them Meditate With Moovlee
Moovlee offers kids different types of meditation exercise designed to give them a full body stretch.
It’s also quite calming because the exercises that are performed by an adorable animated monkey require meditation and breathing that keep those little heart rates down while teaching kids a thing or two about self-control.
We like to do these when we’re having a rough morning to help refocus the kids. It’s also a nice break between school assignments.