Looking for cool activities to play with your children? Look no further. Check out our list of fun kids games you can do at home.
Being stuck at home can be tough for kids, who often crave social interaction and structured activities. From obstacle courses and scavenger hunts to DIY board games and pretend play, these games are not only enjoyable, but they can also help children develop important skills like problem-solving, creativity, and cooperation.
Here are 22 fun and creative games that you can play with your child at home, using simple household items or objects that you can easily find around the house. These games are perfect for keeping your child entertained and engaged during the lockdown, and can help promote learning, creativity, and physical activity.
21 Fun Kids Games to Play With Your Child
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What’s in the Bag?
In this game, parents can put a variety of items (such as toys, household items, or food) in a bag and have their child guess what’s inside by feeling it with their hands. This game can help improve their sensory skills and creativity.
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Treasure Hunt
You can hide small toys or treats around the house and create a map or clues for your child to follow to find the treasure. This game can help improve their problem-solving skills and sense of adventure.
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Musical Chairs
This classic game can be adapted for kids by using cushions or pillows instead of chairs, and playing fun, upbeat music. This game can help improve your child’s coordination and ability to follow rules.
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Obstacle Course
You can create a fun obstacle course using items found around the house (such as pillows, blankets, chairs, and cushions) and have your child navigate through it. This game can help improve their physical skills and creativity.
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Simon Says
In this game, the parent acts as the “Simon” and gives instructions for their child to follow, such as “Simon says touch your nose” or “Simon says hop on one foot”. This game can help improve their listening skills and ability to follow rules.
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Red Light, Green Light
In this popular game that kids love, the parent acts as the traffic light and says “Red light” to stop and “Green light” to go. The child has to stop and start moving when the parent says the corresponding colour. This game can help improve your child’s listening skills and coordination.
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Story Time
Parents can take turns telling a story with their children and having them add to it. This game can help improve your kid’s creativity and storytelling skills.
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Build a Fort
In this game, you and your child can work together to build a fort using blankets, pillows, and chairs. Once the fort is built, you can play inside or have a picnic. This game can help improve their creativity and problem-solving skills.
Image Source: iStock
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Charades
Who doesn’t know how to play charades? If your child hasn’t played this yet, it’s your chance to introduce them to something cool.
In this popular game, parents and their child can take turns acting out different words or phrases without speaking, and the other person has to guess what it is. This game can help improve their acting skills and communication.
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Follow the Leader
In this classic game, you act as the leader and start initiating different actions (such as hopping on one foot, skipping, or crawling) and your child has to follow or mimic you. This game can help improve your child’s coordination and ability to follow rules. The game continues until the leader changes.
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I Spy
In this game, the parent picks an object in the room and says “I spy with my little eye, something that is [colour]”. The child has to guess what the object is based on the colour clue. This game can help improve their observation skills and problem-solving
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Simon Says Yoga
This game is a fun way to help children improve their flexibility and coordination. The rules are the same as Simon Says, but instead of giving commands like “touch your nose”, the player who is “Simon” gives yoga poses, such as “tree pose” or “downward facing dog.” It’s a fun game that encourages your child to keep moving and stay active.
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Mother May I?
This game helps children improve their listening and following instructions skills. One player is the “mother” and the other players line up in front of them. The mother gives commands to the players, such as “Take two giant steps forward” or “Crawl on your hands and knees.
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The Alphabet Game
If you’re practising your child’s letter recognition and spelling skills, this is a fun game to play. One player says a word starting with the letter “A”, such as “apple”. The next player has to say a word starting with the letter “B”, such as “banana”. The game continues through the alphabet until someone cannot think of a word starting with the next letter.
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Hot Potato
This game is great for helping children improve their hand-eye coordination and reaction time. Players sit in a circle and pass a small object (such as a stuffed animal or a ball) around the circle as fast as they can. The player who is holding the object when the music stops (or when the timer goes off) is out.
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Bean bag toss
This classic game is perfect for kids of all ages. You can use a small basket, a cardboard box, or a laundry basket as your target, and have your child toss bean bags or small balls into the basket to score points. You can also make your own bean bags using old socks or fabric scraps filled with rice or beans. Easy-peasy.
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Dress-up
No need for elaborate games with complicated instructions. Encourage your child’s imagination and creativity by setting up a dress-up corner in your home, with a variety of costumes, hats, and accessories. Your child can put on a different outfit and character every day, and act out different stories and scenarios.
Image Source:: IStock
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Memory game
This simple game can help improve your child’s memory and concentration skills. You can use a deck of cards or a set of small objects, and place them face down on a table. Your child can take turns flipping over two cards or objects at a time, trying to find a match. If they find a match, they can keep the pair and take another turn. The player with the most pairs at the end wins.
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Indoor hopscotch
You can create your own hopscotch grid using masking tape or painters tape on the floor, or on a large piece of paper or cardboard.
Your child can throw a small bean bag or stone onto the grid, and hop or jump through the squares, according to the rules of traditional hopscotch. You can also create your own variations of the game, such as adding numbers or letters to the squares or incorporating different obstacles or challenges.
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Shadow puppets
This fun and creative game can help develop your child’s storytelling and imagination skills. You can use a flashlight or a lamp to project a bright light onto a wall or screen, and create shadow puppets using your hands or simple objects, such as paper cutouts, popsicle sticks, or rubber bands. Your child can move the puppets and create their own stories and scenarios.
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Balloon keep-up
This game is perfect for promoting physical activity and coordination. You can use a small, lightweight balloon, and have your child keep it in the air using their hands, feet, or other body parts. You can also add challenges, such as changing the direction of the balloon or using different body parts to keep it up.
Who needs gadgets when you have all these awesome ideas to do with your tots? With these fun kids games, you’ll be the cool mum or dad at every party, play date or just bonding time with your children.