3 Fun Indoor Games For Elementary Aged Kids

Keeping Kids Indoors and Having Fun!

Having a group of elementary school-aged kids over for a party sounds like every parent’s worst nightmare. Especially if you want to keep them all indoors for the duration of the party: these kids have energy levels that even Olympic athletes couldn’t hope to match. Luckily there are lots of cool games you can play that require minimal effort on your part, but maximum fun for them!

1. Simon Says

This one is quite a hands on game…if you’re the narrator. But there are apps you can play on your smartphone that will operate the game for you. All you have to do is run the app and let the kids play the game themselves.

View ‘iSays’ in the app store (iOS).

Upside: – hands off, but will keep kids occupied.
Downside: – some kids will inevitably cheat, leading to accusations that parents will likely need to break up. The game also only lasts about 20-25 minutes before the kids start finding it repetitive.

2. Treasure Hunt

Kids love going on treasure hunts, especially if there’s a sweet reward at the end. Set up a list of things that the kids need to find and hide them around your home. Set clear limits (so the kids don’t start looking through your bedroom!) for the hunt, and watch them scurry around looking for treasure. Quite the treat if it goes smoothly.

Upside: – Initial time spent hiding items and creating ‘treasure maps’ for the kids, but after that this could last for an hour or more.
Downside: – Need to set lots of parameters: punishments for fighting with other treasure hunters, going out of bounds, and there’s also the possibility that these precocious kids might find something unexpected in your home…

3. Popsicle Stick Buildings

This game will stimulate your kids’ imaginations and creativity. It will also occupy them for hours and hours on end. Collect a massive amount of popsicle sticks (your own kids will be more than happy to help you build up a large stock), and then when the party comes, break the kids into groups and get them to build something. Give them examples, like buildings, or cars, and then let them go to town. It’s something that will occupy them for hours and hours. You may have to tell the kids to stop when their parents comes to pick them up!

Upside: – Creativity stimulating activity that’ll occupy your kids’ imaginations for hours and hours. You may inspire some future architects at your party.
Downside: – Lots of popsicle sticks needed. You might need to plan months in advance…or tell the kids to bring over lots of popsicle sticks themselves.