• PARENTING
    • POSITIVE PARENTING
    • MOM LIFE
    • CHILD SAFETY
    • HEALTHY KIDS
    • ACTIVITIES & BIRTHDAY
    • SCHOOL
    • BABY & MOM FREEBIES
  • SLEEP & ROUTINES
  • BIG EMOTIONS
  • HOLIDAYS
    • GIFT GUIDES
    • CHRISTMAS
    • EASTER
    • HALLOWEEN
    • NEW YEARS EVE
    • VALENTINE’S DAY
↑
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Parenting Tools
  • Learning Tools for Kids

The Pragmatic Parent

Positive Parenting for Connection and Thriving Family, Emotional Tools for Developing Kid’s Emotional Intelligence, Daily Routine Charts & Create a Schedule with Kids, Fun Family Activities, Calm Parenting and Stop Yelling Parenting

  • PARENTING
    • POSITIVE PARENTING
    • MOM LIFE
    • CHILD SAFETY
    • HEALTHY KIDS
    • ACTIVITIES & BIRTHDAY
    • SCHOOL
    • BABY & MOM FREEBIES
  • SLEEP & ROUTINES
  • BIG EMOTIONS
  • HOLIDAYS
    • GIFT GUIDES
    • CHRISTMAS
    • EASTER
    • HALLOWEEN
    • NEW YEARS EVE
    • VALENTINE’S DAY

The Best Inside Activities for Entertaining High Energy Kids

1483 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

When you’re stuck inside with your kids – maybe the weather is bad, they’re sick or worse, you’re sick – and they begin to get stir crazy and are bouncing off the walls, pull out these genius inside activities to entertain kids. Fun, energy-busting, simple and classic games for high-energy kids when you’re indoors.

Aaaaand, with the weather changing and the days getting shorter right now, which means kids are inside more, this 104-Page Activity Set will be a perfect addition to keep the boredom at bay and children from bouncing off the walls. 

20 Best Indoor Activities to Entertain Active Kids When You're Stuck inside or the weather is bad

The Best Inside Activities for Entertaining High Energy Kids

After a long summer feeling water-logged from all the hours spent at the pool, and nearly suffering third-degree burns on the back of my legs each time I sit on the scalding seats in my car…  I welcome the rain and drop in temperature.

To be more precise, I’m practically begging for colder weather.

When the leaves start turning, it’s a welcome change… except for the enormous 2-foot tall leaf piles on my lawn someone needs to bag up, of course.

But then, the change of seasons also triggers alarm bells.

Major alarm bells.

Fall signals the hours of daylight available to send the kids outside to run circles around the backyard like little crazies, have bike races and kick the soccer ball around – all in an attempt to wear themselves out – are suddenly gone.

The colder months and shorter days of sunshine means that I am –  along with three high-energy and extremely active kids – inside more hours than anyone is happy with.

Yes, we still get out of the house for school, trips and activities, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans.

After nine years of staying indoors during bad weather, snow storms and blizzards, rainy weather, sick and pajama days… these are my 20 Best Activities to Entertain Active Kids.

They work like magic on the days when we can’t venture outside and need to burn some pent-up energy.

BONUS:  Download the Printable Indoor Activities List

 

If You Need a Screen-Free Activities your Kids will LOVE…

☑️ 104-Page Activity Set for Kids

 

THE BEST INSIDE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

  • Utilize Garage Space. This is my most favorite way to give the kids space so they can REALLY get active. Move the cars out of the garage and let your kids ride their bikes, roller-skate, dribble basketballs and run around. They can play four square, draw with chalk, tag, play catch and so many more options. The space a garage gives you is a total sanity saver!
  • Hopscotch will have your kids jumping and moving and burning energy. (That’s the point, right?) You can make your own hopscotch with tape on the floor or you can keep this hopscotch mat in your closet to pull out as a cold-weather back-up.
  • Scavenger Hunt. Use this (fill in) Scavenger Hunt Printable to send your kids on a 20-minute hunt around the house collecting unique and fun items for a prize or special treat.
  • Indoor Basketball. We used to have an over-the-door basketball hoop but the kids weren’t coordinated or big enough yet to make it in the hoop which was pretty frustrating for them (it worked great for my husband though.) Instead, we created our own indoor basketball game at floor-level that the LOVE.Here’s how you do it.Use three low laundry bins, boxes or baskets and set them in a line. Assign a value to each container – the closest container is the least amount of points and the container furthest away has the most value. Each kid gets three throws to make it into the basket and then rotate turns.
  • Bring Your Outside Toys Inside. My kids LOVE their outside toys and when I buy them, I always have the thought in the back of my mind – can this be moved indoors?In the colder months where we live, I wash them down and bring them inside for the kids to play with. This climbing gym is a huge hit all year round and our slide has provided years of fun and the kids haven’t outgrown it yet. Another one of the kid’s favorite toys for indoors and out is this roller coaster (if you have the room for it) and a mini trampoline like this one.At one point, we also had an inflatable bouncy house (this one actually) because it was big enough for the kids to play and small enough to inflate in our basement.
  • Create an Obstacle Course in your living room or playroom with pillows, couch cushions, and other equipment. Build the obstacle course so your kids have to climb, roll, jump, hop, crawl and bear crawl through. The more obstacles, the better!
  • There are a million ways to Build A Fort – with couch cushions, under a table covered in sheets and blankets, with a build-a-fort kit (this one is pretty neat), between bunk beds and chairs and random pieces of furniture you have around your home. The imagination and teamwork that goes into fort-building is the best part.
  • Bath time is a favorite part of the day in our house. The kids literally make dibs on who gets to take a bath first, so when we’re stuck inside, I can put the kids in a bath for 30-minutes and they’ll be completely happy and content. When I want to mix it up, we have Glow in the Dark Bath Time or mix up a slime bath (which actually cleans up really easily and is non-toxic.) I break open the glow sticks, toss a few in a couple plastic bottles as well as in the water and turn off the lights for them to go nuts.
  • Red-Light, Green-Light. The game that never gets old and my kids go wild for it every time. Sometimes we play backwards, doing a bear crawl, rolling, on tip toes, hopping like a bunny rabbit or slithering like a snake to make it interesting.
  • Hide-and-Seek, is another great game option. When my kids were little, they would hide in the same spot… every time… over and over, so fair warning that this may be best for kids over the age of four if you want to have a true game of hide-and-seek. (Though it is completely and totally enjoyable to watch your daughter hide under a blanket on the couch every time.)
  • Build-A-Thon with Cardboard Boxes. If you have extra boxes around – although they’re super easy to find locally at appliance stores and among neighbors – having a build-a-thon is a great creative time killer to build with your kids fun things like a house, fort, pirate ship, cabin, boat, and so on. Building is only half the fun, don’t forget to break out the crayons, markers, paint and stickers and decorate too.
  • Have a Dance Party. Crank up the tunes and dance it out! If you want to mix it up, pull the curtains closed, shut the shades, switch off the lights and have a glow stick dance party. I personally love glow stick dance parties because no one can see my terrible dance moves.
  • Twister. Play a game of twister – and if you don’t have the game, make your own with tape on the floor or if you have giant rolls of paper, your kids can color the circles and then play on their creation. Looking for another board game, check these good ones out.
  • Create an Activity Cube. Like a giant dice, roll this cube to see what activity they get to do. Great for themes to mix it up as well. For example, some themes may include Exercise, Animals, Characters, Language, Truth or Dare.For example: A kid’s exercise cube may include 20 jumping jack, running in place for 30 seconds, hob like a bunny 15 times, plank hold for 15 seconds, 10 pushups, and 15 sit-ups. Kids can take turn rolling the activity cube to find out what’s next.
  • Balloon Tennis or Soccer. Blow up a couple balloons and push the furniture to the walls so the kids can kick the balloons around for a fun game of soccer, or use paper-plate paddles for tennis to bounce it back and forth.
  • Balancing Activities. Not only are balancing activities a ton of fun, but they’re stellar for development. Tape a line on the floor and let your kids walk on it, tape a maze or shapes, have them balance on a spot on the floor on one foot, or tip toes. Do you have anything in your house that could work as a balance beam? Try that out too!
  • Simon Says. If your kids are high-energy like mine are, I like to incorporate exercise into what Simon Says. If they’re learning a foreign language, try to do it in that language to make a learning opportunity out of it.
  • Bring The Snow Inside.  Prep your space first by setting out a bunch of towels on the floor, head outside to haul in a bucket (I like to use clear plastic bins) of snow and dig into the kitchen supplies drawer for spatulas and measuring cups for them to play with.Be sure to put mittens on because inevitably they want to dig their hands in. One extra idea is to use food coloring and let the kids mix and swirl the snow around the make artful creations. Throw in tractors, cars, dolls and other toys too.

Best Activities to Entertain Active Kids When You're Stuck Inside

  • Construct a Race Track and Race Cars. Using tape, pool noodles, cardboard, paper… anything, have your kids make a race track and then race their cars on their own constructed track for a little friendly competition.
  • Indoor Camp Out. Set up the tent, bring out the sleeping bags and let the kids have an Indoor Camp Out right in your living room, playroom or even in their own rooms. We have a small two person tent (this exact one) just for this purpose and can easily put it together in about 2 minutes and take it down just as easily.

BONUS:  Download the Printable Indoor Activities List

 

NEW: Giant list of 98 kid-approved indoor activities you can find & print here.  

 

More Games & Activities 

  • 50 Screen-Free Activities for Kids This Summer
  • 21 Best Christmas Games Perfect for Preschoolers
  • 12 Hilarious Minute To Win It Christmas Games for Kids
  • 18 Simple & Fun Quiet Games for Kids to Take Anywhere
  • 10 Fun Games To Teach Kids Self Regulation

FREE PARENTING GUIDE: 8 COMMON PARENTING MISTAKES & HOW TO FIX THEM

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Filed Under: ACTIVITIES

Comments

  1. Lauren C. Moye says

    November 15, 2016 at 7:02 PM

    I sort through a lot of content each week trying to find quality posts that I think my audience would enjoy reading. I have to say that this list is HIGH quality and I will be sharing it with my email subscribers. Thank you for putting in the effort!

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      November 16, 2016 at 11:09 PM

      Lauren, I’m so glad you love all the activities. Being stuck indoors sometimes can get a little hairy – as I’m sure you know too – so we’ve definitely had to get creative to burn off some energy. Hopefully they are handy this Fall/Winter for your family.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

CAN THIS HELP YOUR FAMILY TO THRIVE?

Grab your FREE copy of 8 Not-So-Great Parenting Habits to Break Today (& Simple Fixes for Big Changes) when you join 65,000+ Other Readers who Receive the Weekly Parenting Tip & Printables

**We never spam or distribute your details.

Free Baby Products for Mom and Freebies for Baby. Stock up on awesome baby essentials and new baby products you'll need and use. These baby essentials come in a variety of patterns including baby wrap, baby sling, baby carrier, carseat canopy or carseat cover, hooded towels, nursing pillow, pregnancy pillow and more.

Positive Parenting

How to Prevent Homework Meltdowns

Practical Tips For Ending The…

A shy kid needs a little more help navigating new situations and meeting new people.

How to Best Support a Child…

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Son

Raising an Emotionally…

see more >>

Big Emotions

A shy kid needs a little more help navigating new situations and meeting new people.

How to Best Support a Child…

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Son

Raising an Emotionally…

help for a child with anxiety

The Known (and Unknown) Signs…

see more >>

Sleep & Routines

How To Create A Homeschool…

potty training regression

Potty Training Regression: How…

The Ultimate Guide For Potty Training

Potty Training Tips 101: The…

see more >>

Raising children can feel overwhelming. Let me help!

CHECK OUT MY FREE EMAIL COURSES

Could you use a little extra help?

HERE YOU'LL FIND THE MOST POPULAR PARENTING RESOURCES

72 Printable Family Conversation Cards

$5.00

Kid's Positive Affirmation Cards

$5.00

Calm Mama Kit (4 Most Popular Tools)

$26.99

WHAT'S TRENDING...

8 Survival Tips for the 18 Month Sleep Regression. What is Happening at 18 Months & How to Help Your Toddler Through the 18 Month Sleep Regression.

8 Tips for Surviving the (Hard) 18 Month Sleep Regression

kid-friendly campsites and family camping tips

9 Kid-Friendly Campsites For A Fun Family Vacation

How to peacefully defuse and calm tantrums using empathy and teaching about emotions in the process. Stop tantrums by helping your child learn about emotions, name feelings, give back power and calmly handle emotional behavior.

Peacefully Calm Tantrums Using Empathy

50 Screen-Free Activities to keep kids occupied this Summer. Never hear, "I'm Bored" again with this fun and practical list of 50 Kid's Summer Activities.

50 Screen-Free Activities for Kids This Summer

RECEIVE THE WEEKLY PARENTING TIP

Grab your FREE copy of 8 Not-So-Great Parenting Habits to Break Today (& Simple Fixes to Big Changes) when you join Over 65,000+ Other Parents & Readers who Receive the Weekly Practical Parenting Tip & Occasional Freebie

We never spam or distribute your email.

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • SHOP
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
Copyright ©2023, The Pragmatic Parent. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs