Indoor Games For Kids To Play This Monsoon Season!

During the monsoon season, the best way to keep children engaged is to get them to play indoor games. When the rain starts to pour down, it’s time to put on that thinking cap and get creative with indoor activities for kids. Most of the time, these activities include fun games for kids to play.

Keeping that in mind, we thought we’d curate a list of indoor games for kids, that you can play with your kids to see the monsoon through. But, first..

Why Play Indoor Games?

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Children need to have a balance when it comes to mental and physical activity. To improve their overall development, a child must be involved in a variety of activities such as reading children’s books, having playdates with other children, playing outdoors, eating right, learning in school etc. All these things enhance the overall growth of a child. However, it’s not always easy to juggle these activities, especially when things like the weather upset the routine.

That’s where indoor games come into play. These games are a great mix of mental stimulation and physical activity. So, whether it’s too hot, too cold or too rainy outside, the ‘indoor games for kids’ list we’ve curated will surely come in handy.

Let’s take a look!

Indoor Games List For Kids

1. Treasure Hunt

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What You Will Need:

1. “Treasure” –  such as a new book, soft toy or your kid’s favourite snack.
2. Pieces of Paper to write the clues
3. Pen to write down the clues
4. Imagination!
5. Single or multiple players

How To Play:

This game can be played indoors as well as outdoors. First, you need to hide the treasure in a secure place. Then you must make up clues using different objects or locations in your house to lead your child to the treasure. We suggest writing the clues starting from the last one working your way to the first one – to ensure that the clues reach the treasure. Write these clues on pieces of paper and hide the series of clues around the house, for your child to find and figure out. You can start the game off by giving them a verbal clue or handing them the first clue you’ve written.

2. Musical Chairs

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What You Will Need:

1. Chair (One less than the total number of players)
2. Music and Speakers
3. A Prize, optional.
4. Minimum 4 players, larger groups preferable

How To Play:

Musical Chairs is a classic game usually played at birthday parties. It can be played by adults and older kids too. This fun game for kids doesn’t require a lot of prep time and can be played to get your kids moving. Align the chairs back to back or in a circle and ask the players to stand around them. Then, start the music; all players must move in one direction until the music stops. When the music stops, each player must run to the nearest chair and sit on it. The player without a chair is eliminated. After each round, one chair is removed from the circle, until there are only two players and one chair left. The last player to be seated is the winner! You may award the winner with a prize to add more excitement to the game.

3. Go Fish

What You Will Need:

1. One Deck of Cards
2. Table to play on
3. Minimum 2 players

How to Play:

Card games are another great way to mentally engage with your kids, as these games usually involve strategy and decision making. Go Fish is one of the first and easiest card games a child can play. The object of the game is to get as many “books” as you can. A book, in this case, is a set of ‘four-of-a-kind’ cards, such as four aces or four queens.

Shuffle the pack of cards and then deal seven cards each for up to three players and five each in case of more players. The remaining cards are placed in the middle, as the ‘stock’ cards. The player to the left of the dealer begins by asking another player for cards of a certain rank. For example – “Do you have Jacks?” or “Do you have fours?”

If the player has those cards, they must hand them over to the player who is “fishing.” If that player doesn’t have any of the cards requested, they must say “Go Fish” – and the “fishing” player must pick from the stockpile. This continues with each player getting a turn, till all books are completed. The player with the most books wins the game.

Confused? Watch the video (above) to see how to play step by step.

4. Hide and Seek

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What You Will Need:

1. Minimum 2 players

How To Play:

We know what you’re thinking; this is an outdoor game. Well, it’s not; this classic game is just as much fun when played indoors. As the name suggests, one player must be the seeker while the others must hide. Since you’re playing indoors, set boundaries; name the rooms that are safe to be included in the game. Once that is decided, select a seeker, this player must count to 10 or 50 depending on how long you need to find hiding spots. While the seeker is counting, the other players must find a place to hide. The last player to be found is the winner and usually becomes the seeker for the next round.

5. Balancing Beam

What You Will Need:

1. Coloured tape
2. Floor space, preferably flat
3. Single or multiple players

How To Play:

If you want to improve your kid’s motor skills, then this indoor activity for kids is perfect. With the different coloured tapes, tape the floor with lines that mimic a flat obstacle course. The objective of the game is to reach the finish line, walking only on the coloured tape.  The catch? Each of the coloured tapes has a different rule. For example: walk on the red tape with your left-hand index finger on your nose. On the Yellow tape, your child must hop on their right leg. The child that walks to the finish line doing the right action and without falling off the tape, wins the game.

Use the video (above) as a rough guide to play the game.

6. Hot Potato

Image Courtesy Playworks

What You Will Need:

1. Potato or ball or any kids-safe object
2. Music
3. Speakers or phone
4. Minimum 3 players, although more is better

How to Play:

Hot Potato is an entertaining game that is ideal for playing indoors since it doesn’t require much space or equipment. Ask all the players to sit in a circle and give the “hot potato” to one of them. When the music starts to play, the players have to pass on the “hot potato” till the music stops. The person holding the potato when the music stops is eliminated. The last one left is the winner.

7. Simon Says

What You Will Need:

1. Space to play
2. Minimum 2 players, although more is better

How To Play:

Simon Says is a great way to make physical activity fun. Select one player to be ‘Simon’ – this is the player that gets to set the rules or challenges. Each time ‘Simon’ starts a command/sentence with “Simon Says…” the other players have to do it. When a player acts out a command without the phrase “Simon Says…” in the sentence or fails to act out a “Simon says” command, they are eliminated.  The last player left wins the game. We suggest the role of Simon to be played by a parent so that they can sneak in some exercise!

8. Pinching Paisa

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What You Will Need:

1. Coins (five for each player)
2. Cups
3. Single or multiple players

How To Play:

This game is fun for all, especially for young kids who need an engaging way to improve their hand-eye coordination. Start off by giving each player five coins. Then, place the cups on a table, the floor or any other surface. Each player takes turns to toss their coins into the cup. Children take ‘x’ steps away from the cup, ‘x’ being their age, adults can move five step or further away. A point is earned each time a coin falls into a cup. The player with the most points wins.

8. Indoor Bowling

What You Will Need:

1. Ten empty water bottles (filling with water is optional)
2. A tennis ball or plastic bowling ball
3. Space to play (hallway or corridor)
4. Masking Tape
5. Minimum 2 players

How To Play:

Kids love a game of bowling, so why not play it at home and do some upcycling as well! First, using the masking tape, create a bowling lane – keep in mind the age and capabilities of your child when determining the length of the bowling alley. Then, place ten empty water bottles in a standard triangular bowling pin formation, at the end of the lane. Finally, use the ball to knock down the water bottles. Make your own scoring system, or use the standard scoring system to play the game.

9. Hang-Man

What You Will Need:

1. Chalkboard or paper and pens
2. Minimum two players

How To Play:

Hang-man is another classic game that has been played for centuries. It’s a guessing game that helps your child learn the alphabet, spellings and grow their vocabulary. On the chalkboard, or piece of paper draw out dashes with spaces for each of the letters in the word or phrase you want the player to guess. The player then asks if there is a certain letter in the word/phrase. If the letter is in the word, simply fill in the blank with that letter. If however, the letter isn’t in the word/phrase, then you must start to draw the hang-man stick figure. For each wrong answer add a new part to the figure, starting from the head, neck, limbs and ending with the feet. If the opponent guesses the word before the figure is complete, they get a point else you get one.

10. Charades

Image courtesy tfp samaritans

What You Will Need:

1. Pieces of Paper
2. Pen
3. Bowl
4. Minimum 4 people, more is better

How To Play:

No game night is complete without a game of charades. This indoor game for kids is ideal for monsoon when they are cooped up inside and have a lot of pent up energy. It’s an ‘acting without speaking’ guessing game that can be played by children and adults.

Write down the names of children’s books, movies and songs on pieces of paper. Fold and put these pieces of paper in a bowl. Divide the players into two teams. The object of the game is to act out the clues for your teammates to guess within a 60-second time frame. Each correct guess gets the point. The team with the most points wins.

11. Sock Toss

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What You Will Need:

1. Socks – 2 or more pairs
2. Laundry basket or bucket
3. Single or multiple players

How To Play:

If your kid loves basket ball and is mising playing outdoors, then try out the next best thing – the Sock Toss. Similar to getting the ball in the hoop, here you have to get the sock in the basket. The catch? Every time you dunk a sock into the basket, you have to take a step back. Roll the socks up into a ball or tie them up, this makes it easier to throw into a basket. Players take it in turns to throw the socks into the basket. The player who gets the most throws in and is the furthest from the basket wins.

12. Indoor Obstacle Course

What You Will Need:

1. Chairs
2. Blankets
3. Hula Hoops (optional)
4. Exercise ball (optional)
5. Anything else you can use as an obstacle
6. Single or multiple players
7. Space to play

How To Play:

An indoor obstacle course requires a little bit of imagination but is extremely fun and can be done using everyday household items. The object of the game is to get to the finish line going through a series of obstacles. Create an indoor obstacle course with specific rules about each obstacle. For example: your child has to crawl under the dining chairs or they have to use the hula hoop before going to the next obstacle. They have to wrap the blanket/sheet as a skirt or toga to get to the next obstacle. Use your imagination to come up with fun rules for each obstacle. Tip: child-proof the room before playing this game to prevent injuries.

13. Follow the Leader

What You Will Need:

1. Space to play
2. List of activities
3. Minimum 2 players, best with a group

How To Play:

Here is a sneaky way of getting kids to do some exercise! The game is called ‘Follow the Leader’, and as the name suggests, the players have to do exactly what the leader does – dancing, jumping jacks, making funny faces – if the leader does it, the players have to do it too. To play, one player has to shut their eyes, while the group picks a leader to follow.  The player who shut their eyes has three chances to identify the leader.  The leader does a series of actions and the group has to follow. If the selected player guesses the leader correctly, that person will have to  guess in the next round.

Follow the video above for a better idea of how to play the game. Tip: A parent can start as the designated leader and then take it in turns to pass the baton on to the kids so that everyone gets to be the leader at least once.

14. Storytelling

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What You Will Need:

1. Few basic ideas/ prompts for the story
2. Single or multiple players

How To Play:

Want to improve your kid’s thinking skills? Then this storytelling game is just the thing you need. It’s also a super game to play during the monsoons as it can be played indoors, with you and your child snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. The rules are simple, pick a theme or idea that will be the starting point of the story. Older kids can begin the story and you can prompt them with twists that they have to incorporate. If you have younger kids, you can start off the story and then ask them to continue midway.

This is a great game to help improve their creative thinking skills and to encourage them to read more storybooks. Tip: Don’t correct your child’s storytelling process.  Let your child’s imagination flow. When children think out loud and tell a story from their imagination, plot lines and logic may get blurry.

15. Game of Whispers

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What You Will Need:

1. Sentences, phrases or quotes
2. Minimum 4 players, more the better

How To Play:

Tired of the kids making too much noise in the house? Then why not try playing ‘Game of Whispers.’ Before beginning, write down on a piece of paper a few phrases that you can refer back to. Divide players into two groups seated together in a line or circle. The object of the game is to pass on the message, verbatim, through whispers till it reaches the last person. If the last person recites the message in the original form the team gets the point. Designate a “Whisper Master” or appoint yourself and whisper the original sentence to the first player. That player must then convey the message through whispers to the player next to them, this goes on until you reach the last player.  The team with the most points wins.

16. Read A Book

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What You Will Need:

1. Books or subscription to an online library (such as GetLitt!)

How To Play:

Alright, so this isn’t really a game. However, the best indoor activity for a child is reading. There are plenty of reasons why reading is great for kids, but we won’t get into that in this blog. We will, however, give you a way to make reading fun, and that is by introducing you to GetLitt! Here, the experience is gamified to make reading exciting for kids. We have over 200+ books to choose from, so head to www.getlitt.co today to check it out.

If you’d like to take it a step further, dedicate an hour a day to reading – make this a game and ask your kids to give you a recap of the book they’re reading after the hour is up. This simple activity will help foster a healthy reading environment and get your children hooked onto books.

Best Indoor Games For Kids – Play Them Today!

Well, there you have it!

That was our list of indoor games for kids to play. We hope you try out these games and have a ton of fun playing them with your kids. If you do, take videos or pictures and tag us when you post it on social media. We love hearing from you – in fact, if you’ve got an indoor game for kids, then let us know in the comment section!

Till next time,

Happy playing and happy reading!

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