41 Funnest Indoor Games for Kids to Play Safely at Home

Finding new ways to keep kids entertained at home can be tough — this year, especially. 

As colder weather approaches, your child will likely be spending even more time indoors. But being inside doesn’t have to be boring! 

For many parents, indoor games for kids might mean board games or other sedentary activities. While these are fun, indoor games can also be used to get kids moving, boost social interaction and inspire a love of learning — all from the comfort of home!

To help you get started, we put together a list of 41 fun indoor games for kids of all ages. 

Find your new favorite below!

What are the advantages of indoor games for kids?

Parents might think indoor activities have limitations. But indoor games offer parents and kids some great benefits:

• They foster learning and teach kids new skills
• They take up less space than those played outdoors
• Kids stay safe at home and under parent supervision
• Weather doesn’t matter — rain or shine, kids can always be fully engaged with fun! 

41 Fun indoor games for kids to play at home

Check out our top 41 indoor games to try with your child, sorted into categories to help you find exactly what you’re looking for! 

Skill-building indoor games for kids

Help your child build important skills and develop a growth mindset while they have fun playing games!

1. Prodigy Math

Materials: Electronic device with a web browser or the Prodigy Math app.

Captivate your child for hours with the online math game kids can play anywhere! 

To your child, Prodigy is an exciting video game full of virtual quests, mini-adventures, exciting battles and more. But to you, it’s also an educational tool that promotes independent math practice and helps you support their learning needs with your own parent account. 

Use Prodigy at home to:

• Bond with your child — Help them as they play or get your own account to play together. 
• Keep them occupied — Encourage them to independently play and practice math while you get things done around the house.
• Give them healthy screen time — No more screen-time guilt! While they play, they’re also building important math skills to help them achieve their academic goals. 
• Help them socialize virtually —  Kids can use the Player vs. Player feature to battle their friends, or work together to defeat Titans hiding in different Prodigy worlds.  

2. Family band party

Materials: utensils; plastic bottles, small buckets or empty yogurt tubs. 

Help your child build basic musical skills. Start by tapping familiar songs using utensils on empty bottles or buckets. Then, challenge them to find other household materials to make music with!

3. Card memory game

Materials: deck of playing cards. 

Lay out nine cards on a table and give your child five minutes to memorize the cards. Turn them over and ask your child to remember where they saw specific cards. 

4. Cooking show

Materials: pots, pans and utensils; kid-friendly recipes; plus a camera to film your show. 

Set up a mock cooking show with your child to teach them safe, basic cooking skills and help them develop a love for cooking.

5. Treasure hunt

Materials: store-bought or homemade prize; treasure map. 

Hide a prize somewhere in your house. Then give your child subtle clues to find it, either out loud or in a homemade treasure map!

6. Reading games

Materials: books (use this list to help you get started); a comfortable place to enjoy a good read. 

Motivate your kids to develop a love of literature as they advance through their learning journey. Then play reading games to help them love it even more!

7. Magic show

Materials: magic set or rope, cards and coins. 

Encourage your child to bring out their inner magician. You’ll be dazzled by the results! 

Tip: Give them a head start with one of these five easy magic tricks for kids. 

8. Juggling  

Materials: soft inflatable or plastic balls. 

Your child can learn how to juggle using lightweight and soft items found at home.

Physical indoor games for kids

Help your child burn off some energy with these indoor games that promote physical activity.

1. Dance contest

Materials: music (try this kid-friendly playlist); space to dance. 

Start a family dance competition to get your kids moving to their favorite songs!

2. Indoor obstacle course

Materials: tables; chairs; soft toys; painter’s tape; and your imagination.
Use items around the house to mark lines on the floor, then have your child work their way through various activities in the obstacle course. 

Tip: make sure you child-proof the obstacle course to prevent injuries.

3. Balance beam

Materials: colored tape or folded blankets

Help develop kids' balance and motor skills by showing them how to walk straight along taped floors or folded blankets. You can even challenge them to do some easy (and safe) balance beam tricks. 

4. Hopscotch

Materials: cardboard and markers or painter’s tape. 

Here's a time-honored and fun activity for kids of all ages. Try using painter's tape or large pieces of cardboard and colored markers to create a hopscotch game indoors. 

5. Balloon tennis 

Materials: colorful balloons. 

Blow up several balloons and toss them in the air. Ask kids to tap the balloons toward other players to keep them from touching the ground. Not only is it a blast for kids, it also improves hand-eye coordination!

6. Yoga

Materials: yoga mat or towel; comfortable clothing.  

Not only is it a fun way to get the body moving, regular yoga practice also reduces stress and builds a sense of well-being for kids. 

7. Three-legged race

Materials: tube socks or a circular piece of fabric.
Add an extra challenge to traditional races. Tie kids’ legs together at the ankles and get them to race across the room to reach the finish line. 

8. Potato sack race

Materials: burlap sack or pillowcase.

Use a burlap sack or pillowcase and have kids jump from one end of the room to the other.

9. Land, air or sea

Materials: painter’s tape.

Mark two separate areas in your home with tape. Then call land, air or sea and get your child to jump in that specified area. If they jump in the wrong place, they have to run to a different area and back to continue playing the game. 

10. Target practice

Materials: empty toilet paper rolls; plastic bottles; socks.

Line up toilet paper rolls and empty water bottles. Then have kids throw rolled-up socks to knock over these soft targets.

11. Hula hooping 

Materials: hula hoop.

Hula hooping is a great way for kids to get some heart-healthy exercise. Once they know the basics, they can start learning fun hula hoop tricks!

12. Bowling 

Materials: painter’s tape; blankets; plastic bottles; soft inflatable balls. 

Create makeshift bowling lanes with painter's tape or rolled-up blankets. Use empty plastic bottles and balls to knock them over.

13. Scavenger hunt

Materials: soft toys, pocket-size games and/or chocolate; a timer. 

Kids will have tons of fun searching the house for the colorful and interesting items you’ve hidden. Set a timer to keep them moving! 

Indoor party games for kids

Bring classic birthday party games to your house — no party required!

1. Hide and seek

Materials: places to hide. 

Make this game more fun by adding a twist to an old favorite! 

When one seeker finds a hider, they work together to find other hiders. Another fun alternative is to ask one person to hide while everyone searches for that person together. 

2. Musical chairs

Materials: music; chairs 

Put your chairs in a circle, with one less chair than the amount of people playing. While the music plays, everyone dances or runs around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone must find a chair to sit on. 

The only person who doesn't have a chair to sit on is out of the game. Take away one more chair each round until there’s one winner left! 

3. Broken Telephone

Materials: two or more players. 

Get the entire family involved in this humorous game! 

Whisper a single word or short phrase in the person's ear next to you. They repeat it to the person seated beside them and so forth. Once it reaches the last person, they announce the word or phrase (even if it's distorted). Bonus — it’s a great way to teach kids communication and important listening skills.

4. Freeze

Materials: music and a lot of laughter!

Parents and kids dance and play together until someone calls "freeze." Ask your kids to freeze in goofy poses or as their favorite animal.

5. Pictionary

Materials: Pictionary game or a pad of paper and pens, plus a timer. 

This well-known game is played between two people or groups. One player draws an image, while the others try to guess what they drew within the time limit. 

6. Hot potato 

Materials: music; plastic ball (or a real potato!)

Seat everyone in a circle. Pass a ball or potato around as music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the potato leaves the game. The last person left wins!

DIY Indoor games for kids

Promote your child’s creativity with these crafty games and activities.

1.  Play-dough

Materials: Containers of Play-Doh (or make your own) and your imagination. 

Grab colorful balls of play-dough and watch kids' creativity shine. Teach them how to use cookie cutters, a rolling pin and decorations to make cool art projects!

2. Build a fort

Materials: table; blanket; chairs; boxes; pillows. 

Use blankets, sheets, chairs, boxes and your imagination to create a fun fort with your kids. Then find ways to keep having fun with it, like telling stories or setting up a play with puppets.

3. Family “Guess Who?” 

Materials: “Guess Who?” board game; a custom game template; family photos. 

Put a spin on a classic board game and create a “Guess Who?” game featuring your child’s family members, friends or even their favorite movie characters.

Once it’s made, they’ll have a hilarious time playing it over and over! 

4. Bubble-making

Materials: dish soap; water; bubble wand.

Make a water and dish soap solution to blow bubbles with. Now all you need is a wand to make bubble magic!

5.  Craft paint projects

Materials: washable paints; brushes; small tub of water to rinse brushes; smooth rocks; popsicle sticks; a pad of craft paper. 

Let your kids' inner Picasso emerge through painted crafts you can proudly display at home.

Tip: painting on rocks is a wonderful craft kids love! 

6. Origami 

Materials: origami paper, construction paper or printer paper. 

Use books and other online resources to learn how to create origami projects with your child.

7. Sewing projects

Materials: small amount of fabric (30-50 cm in length); thread; sewing machine; a fun sewing pattern. 

Kids can benefit from learning basic sewing skills, like how to sew a pincushion, a tissue holder or an adorable stuffed animal sleeping bag!

Indoor group games for kids

Your whole family can enjoy playing these fun team-building games together!

1. Twister

Materials: Twister board game

One referee spins the wheel and tells players where to place their hands and feet on the colored mat. It’s fun for the whole family!

2. Simon Says 

Materials: two or more players

Get your kids to say or do silly things, but only when you say “Simon says.”

3. Red Light, Green Light 

Materials: two or more players

Green light allows kids to move from one area to another, while red light stops them from moving. If they're caught moving during a red light, they have to go back to the starting line.

4. Mother May I 

Materials: three or more players

Kids stand at the starting line with a parent several feet across the room. Players "call” the parent to ask, "Mother may I?" plus a question. If the child receives a “yes” answer, they can move forward one step. If the parent answers “no,” the child must stay put.  

The first person to the finish line wins! 

5. Catch 

Materials: ping-pong balls, plastic balls or small stuffed toys. 

Play a simple game of catch using ping-pong balls, soft plastic balls or other soft toys that are safe to throw inside.

6. Put on a play

Materials: homemade or store-bought costumes; music; homemade stage; a cool story idea. 

Plan a mini-production with your child to entertain the rest of your family members, or challenge the whole family to host one show each!

7. Indoor croquet

Materials: empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls; colorful construction paper. 

Toilet paper rolls, construction paper and other up-cycled items inside the house make for a fun game of croquet. Here’s how to play it.

8. Virtual team-building party

Materials: device with an internet connection; Zoom or Google Meet account; another family to connect with. 

Host virtual parties and set up team-building games for your child’s friends and their parents. It’s a great way for kids to interact, build social skills and have fun at home!

Staying at home is fun with indoor games for kids!

Which indoor game is your child most excited to try? Tag us on social media to show us the games they love to play.

We look forward to seeing your photos!

Looking for an indoor game to help your child love learning?

Prodigy Math is a great way to help your child practice their math skills and have fun at home.

Kids answer skill-building math questions as they embark on an epic journey through exciting virtual worlds. It makes learning fun and rewarding!

The optional Membership will keep your child extra engaged with math and give you more useful tools to support them with your own parent account.

Inspire your child to become a lifelong learner today!