10 active indoor games for toddlers and preschoolers (ideal for bad weather)
It can be challenging to entertain young children when you can't get outside much. Children want to move. They need to run, jump, romp, scream, laugh, climb, and clamber. I play these active indoor games with our toddler and preschooler when the weather is bad, or when they simply have too much energy. Another great thing is that these games require minimal preparation time. After all, as moms, we're already busy enough.
Our must-have toys for indoor games
You'll see beanbags pop up frequently below. They're my kids' favorite toys (and secretly mine). We use them in all sorts of ways: to walk on, for throwing games, toddler gymnastics, and balance games.
The Dance Game - Copy each other's dance moves!
Put on a good playlist and take turns coming up with a dance move that everyone can copy. Spin a pirouette, shake your booty, jump in the air three times, and stand on one leg.
We grab our play cloths and make a cape or tie them around our arms like elegant scarves. Dancing with fluttering play silks is even more fun and makes the activities more creative. Let the play silk flutter on your left arm, then your right arm, and then let your cape fly!
Hide-and-seek toys - with your child(ren)'s favorite toys
Never played hide-and-seek with toys? Then do it the next time it rains. Take your child's favorite toys . For us, those are sensory bean bags or toy animals. Hide them downstairs, preferably far apart, because we want to move. Try hiding a toy halfway up the stairs ( if your child can safely and independently go up and down them ) or somewhere on top of a cupboard where they can reach it with a stepladder. Let them move, climb, and challenge them.
Once you've hidden them, it's time to find the toys. Collect all the toys in a central location. Found everything? Hide all the toys again, choosing increasingly difficult and challenging hiding places.
Sensory foot path - with items you have in your home
Create a sensory footpath to stimulate the senses. Use items you have at home. We'll use ours, of course. bean bags , pillows, playing sides and Stapelsteins. We create a path from the materials. A sensory footpath is that simple. Ask each material what it feels like. Soft or hard? Warm or cold? This way, you teach children to become aware of how materials feel.
Balance course - for climbing and scrambling
Challenge your child(ren) to an obstacle course! At our house, they can climb on the furniture during an obstacle course. These are pre-arranged pieces, like our sturdy coffee table and the armrests on the sofa. We build an obstacle course using our balance board, stacking stones, and pillows. At the beginning of the obstacle course is a basket of beanbags . Each lap, they take one bag with them on the obstacle course. They can do it in their hands, on their backs, or balanced on their heads. Make it challenging.
The cooperation game with beanbags
Toddlers and preschoolers can also complete tasks together. If you have one child, you can also do it together. We always try the following tasks:
- Clamp a beanbag between your hands and make a circle together.
- Clamp a beanbag between your bellies and move forward, backward, side to side (or even put on the song).
- Clamp a beanbag between your foreheads and take a walk around the living room.
- Clamp a beanbag between your backs and try to sit and stand together. It's quite challenging, but fun is guaranteed!
Throwing games with beanbags
Have fun with throwing games! Choose a target together, like a basket or a Stapelstein. Take turns throwing a beanbag into the target. This can be done from a short distance at first, and then increase the distance as your child's throwing skills improve.
Or throw from a height. For example, from the couch into a basket. Or build a stacking tower together from paper cups and knock them over with beanbags. There are endless throwing games to come up with. I recently wrote a blog post with 10 beanbag throwing games for inspiration.
The beanbag rain game
It's raining beanbags! Place a hoop, or another shape you can stand in, on the floor. Sit in it and let it rain beanbags. "Throw" them around you in the living room. The child has to collect all the beanbags as quickly as possible and throw them back into the hoop (without getting caught in the hoop themselves). Then, switch roles and let your child rain down the beanbags while you collect them.
Indoor gym class - with exercise assignments and bean bags
I arrange the bean bags in a large circle around the coffee table. The children walk around the coffee table in circles, and with each bean bag they encounter, they're given a task. For example:
- Jump on the bean bag.
- Jump over the bean bag.
- Walk around the bean bag.
- Stand on the bean bag.
- Run to the next beanbag.
- Pick up the bean bag, hold it above your head and put it back down.
And switch roles. You walk from beanbag to beanbag and let your child come up with the tasks. They'll love it!
Post-it game - active & educational
I shared this game on my Instagram And everyone was enthusiastic. So simple, yet so much fun to play together. Choose something your child is currently interested in or that you want to encourage. I chose to practice colors. Our toddler practiced the colors in Dutch. Our preschooler practiced in English. I placed colored round stickers on the Post-its and distributed them downstairs. Once everything was hung up, they could search and bring me the Post-its they found. When they gave them to me, they would name the color they found.
You can also do this with shapes, numbers, and letters. Just make sure it's not too difficult. It should be fun, and frequent repetition will help it stick in your memory.
After use, stick the post-its back together and save them for another rainy day.
The animal game
Place some objects around the room. As with many games, we'll use sensory bean bags again. Choose an animal together to imitate and have your child move toward a bag. For example:
- Jump like a kangaroo to the green beanbag.
- Roaring like a lion, he approaches the ribbed beanbag.
- Walk with mouse steps to the purple bean bag.
- Run like a cheetah to the softest beanbag.
- Hop like a deer to the beanbag with the flowers.
- Move like a caterpillar to the green beanbag.
- Fly like a bird to the waffle bean bag.
- Scratch the soft bean bag like a cat.
Active play encourages independent play
By actively playing together, you fulfill two needs: the need to play together and connect. And the need to move. In my experience, when these needs are met, children naturally start playing independently. So, do you have a child who struggles to play? Start the day with some active indoor play and see if independent play becomes easier afterward.
I hope you've got some ideas for those rainy days when you're stuck inside with kids who want to get moving. Have fun together!
