Are you looking for fun indoor activities for kids and young children in child care or at home? We know that caregivers are always looking for new activities that will spark children’s imagination. Try out some of the below art activities and physical activities for kids, and let us know how they go!
Once you have tried these out, try out our Care Course Making Learning Fun to learn more about the benefits of creating terrific learning environments for young children.
Box Art Activity for Kids
Do you have leftover cardboard boxes? Our first indoor activity for kids will help you use up those old cardboard boxes you have lying around. Cardboard boxes of all sizes can be a source of endless fun for young children. Children can stack boxes up in any way they desire! One idea for creating box art is for everyone to make “box people.” Let the children decide how they will create their “box people.” After they have created the shapes of people out of the boxes, help the children tape the boxes together so they do not fall apart. The children can then paint features and clothes on their box people using their imagination. Bigger boxes can represent houses, or they can serve as multiple-sided easels. Small groups of children can work together and paint different sides of the same box.
Tissue Paper Extravaganza Activity for Kids
Our second indoor activity for kids is a blast. Provide tissue paper of different colors to the children in your care. Invite the children to tear the paper up or cut it in small pieces to use for their artwork. Many children will enjoy an adult’s permission to tear up paper (and make a small mess)! Provide training and safety scissors for children who prefer to practice their cutting skills. The children can then squeeze school glue on a piece of cardboard (assist as needed) and sprinkle their tissue paper cutouts on the glued surface. After the glue has dried, their creations can be posted around the room as individual displays or connected together in a whole-group display.
Instant Indoor Gym Activity for Kids
A roll of masking tape is all you need to get the children moving indoors! Tape a long line on the carpet and invite the children to practice their balancing skills by walking on the line. Tape a circle for the children to jump in and out of. Place a basket or open box in the middle of the circle for them to try and throw a ball in. Use the tape to create numbers or letters with the tape and attach them to the carpet in sequence for the children to step in and hop from one to the next.
Traffic Light Game for Kids
This group game helps kids learn about traffic lights. First, cut out three big circles of paper: one red, one green, and one yellow. Choose one child to be the traffic light. This child can decide which color to hold up, and the rest of the group has to move according to the color. Move fast on green, move slowly on yellow, and stop on red. Let the children take turns being the traffic light and let them decide how to move. This one can be an indoor activity for kids or an outdoor activity for kids!
Looking for more activities for children? Read our Fun Activities for Toddlers blog and our What are some fun activities to do with children in child care? blog.
Want EVEN MORE indoor or outdoor activities for kids? Looking for activities for toddlers and preschoolers? Take our course, Making Learning Fun. This course presents a wealth of tested and successful techniques for providing terrific learning environments for young children. From cooking projects to clay, music and art activities to obstacle courses, dramatic play to inter-generational programming, you will find enticing ideas for both indoor and outdoor excitement. This child care course discusses how children learn, explains adults’ role in children’s learning process, and explores ways to use projects for fun learn experiences.
Want to share some of your own children’s games and activities? Post your own ideas for indoor activities for kids in the comment section below!
Please let us know how we can be of additional assistance! Call us: 1–800-685‑7610, Monday through Friday, 9–5 ET, or email us days, evenings and weekends: info@CareCourses.com. We’re here to help!