Playing – indoors and outdoors – is good for children and it’s fun. But, as we are all having to spend much more time in our homes, it can be more difficult than usual to play outside. Don’t worry, there are lots of fun filled ways of playing in and around the home to keep children happy and entertained.

Top 35 ideas for playing at home 

  1. Act out a story from a book, like Fun in the Dungeon
  2. Blindfold (hoodies on back to front) pillow fights
  3. Candle decorating
  4. Cat’s cradle
  5. Catch the fairy (use a torch and shine it in a dark room)
  6. Clapping games
  7. Cork fights … like food fights but less messy
  8. Drawing pictures and colouring in
  9. Dressing up
  10. ‘Egg’ and spoon races (no real eggs needed – a ping pong style ball works fine)
  11. Eye spy
  12. Fashion show
  13. Hide and seek
  14. Hopscotch – made with tape
  15. Junk modelling with smaller household items
  16. Kitchen disco
  17. Making cars, castles or spaceships with cardboard boxes
  18. Making dens
  19. Making paper planes
  20. Making small worlds with dinosaurs, toy cars, toy animals
  21. Musical chairs
  22. Obstacle course – using sofa cushions, chairs,
  23. Ping pong or volleyball with a balloon
  24. Playing school, café, offices, shops, hairdressers
  25. Putting on a performance
  26. Rock/paper/scissors
  27. Saucepan drums
  28. ‘Simon says’
  29. Skipping or French skipping (elastics)
  30. Sock puppets
  31. Stair toboganning in cardboard boxes and pillows
  32. Steppingstones with cushions
  33. Tea party/indoor picnic
  34. The floor is lava
  35. Treasure hunt. 

How many can your family complete? 

To count how many your family complete download and print our checklist