Instead of just letting your kids watch TV or play their games all day,
why not introduce some fun new games and activities that will keep
them on their toes? Kids will especially love playing with you!
Here are 5 exciting indoor activities you can try with your children:
Indoor Bowling
Young children love to stack things and knock them over, that's why
bowling is an ideal game to play! You can easily find a toy bowling set
at a store, but you can opt to make your own as well.
Here's what you need:
- Space to play
- 10 empty soda cans
- Tennis ball (or any toy ball bigger than a tennis ball)
- Masking tape
- Marker
Create a bowling lane using the masking tape. Consider your child's age
and physical abilities to determine how long the lane will be. Arrange the
cans at the end of the lane then show your child how to strike them.
Keep a score board or change the rules to make the game more fun and
competitive!
Building a Fort
Kids love the idea of having their "own space". So when you introduce the
idea of a fort with them, they would love building it as much as playing in
them. Pillow forts are the most popular - all you need are some different
size pillows, blankets to stack or to use as "doors" and some sturdy
furniture that will hold the fort together.
You can also build a cardboard fort - you'll need a few large boxes and
just tape them together to create room to play in (better if you could crawl
in, too!). Once you have a fort in place, provide a flashlight and some
books to read or play their favorite toy with them!
Falling Dominoes
This is a simple activity that may have a big positive impact on your child.
All you need is a domino set. Start lining up the dominoes in any pattern
you like (let your child decide the arrangement), then ask him to help you
with the stacking.
Once all the tiles are in place, get the video camera ready before asking
your kid to flip the first one! Voila - instant entertainment!
Obstacle Course
We all loved crawling under chairs or climbing over tables as a kid, so why
not make it a fun activity? Create an obstacle course in your home using
your furniture and some of your children's toys.
Go through it first to show the kids what to do in each part then give them
scores according to how fast they finish the course. Just pay extra
attention to ensure kids safety.
Card Games
If you want to do something more quiet, play some card games with the
young ones. Start with simple, easy-to-teach games that would encourage logical reasoning, arrangement abilities and number identification.
Start with classic games such as Go Fish, Memory Game (requires 2
deck of cards) or Crazy Eights. Other card games like Uno or Blink would
be ideal, too.
