Active indoor games require more planning and accommodations to ensure the safety of the children. Modifications to the materials used and the actions in the games also protect the items inside, especially if you play at home instead of a gymnasium. Playing active games allows kids to get exercise even when you cannot go outdoors.
Box Car Races
A cardboard box large enough for a child to sit inside creates the car for this indoor race, suggested by iParenting. The kids decorate the boxes using markers, construction paper and other craft supplies, making them resemble small cars. Line up the cars at one end of the room, with one child inside and another child behind the box, who will push the car. The kids race the cars across the room. For more entertainment, create an obstacle course for the kids to maneuver with the box cars.
Indoor Hockey
Modifying real sports games turns them into an indoor game option. The iParenting site recommends making indoor hockey sticks from cardboard tubes. Wrapping the tubes in masking or electrical tape makes them more stable so they will last longer. A piece of crumpled aluminum foil or paper works as the hockey puck. Identify gaps between furniture as the goals for the hockey game.
An indoor miniature golf course is possible using a similar method to create golf clubs and balls. Paper cups turned on their sides work well as the golf holes. Various household items create the mini-golf course obstacles.
Animal Walk
Animal walk races work well for a group of children indoors. Divide the kids into two teams to create a relay-style animal race. Call out a specific type of animal, asking the kids to walk like that animal as they race across the room. Examples include a penguin walk, crab walk or slithering snake. Each child moves like the animal down the length of the room and back to the starting line. She tags the next player on her team who completes her turn at the race. For more variety, create several animal picture cards. Have each child pick a card before she races that will tell her what animal to imitate during the relay.
Baseball
Baseball is another sport that fits an indoor situation with some modifications. Kaboose recommends rolling several sheets of newspaper into a homemade baseball bat. More newspaper crumpled and covered with aluminum foil creates the indoor baseball. Use paper taped to the floor to create the bases. The kids take turns batting and retrieving the balls. If space is limited, have the kids stand and walk around on their knees to slow them down.
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