If You Can’t Go to the Park, Play at Home!

The weather isn’t on your side and you have to stay at home! Maybe the little one is a bit poorly. If it is because of the weather, a cold, or any other reason, sometimes it happens. Our children can’t go outside as they would like to, and they need to stay at home.

Just because they can’t go to the park, it doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. This is where games to play at home must come in. Whether it be constructing your own games, using your own rules, or finding board games and other entertainment, finding games to play indoors can also be very fun for children. In most cases, it all comes down to a bit of imagination.

The best part about staying indoors is that it can be an excellent opportunity to spend time together as a family. Have fun, laugh together, create bonds… these are all essential to our family, even if it’s only from time to time. A rainy day can become an ideal opportunity. Also, you will find that you will end up having as much fun as your children from the games that you come up with.

Another benefit of indoor games for children is that they present a great chance to introduce academic content. In the street or the park, they jump, run, hop… which is great, of course, but at home, you can take advantage of finding a game that is fun, educational and will contribute to their development. Having fun and learning at the same time. Sounds good right? It’s time to get started!

 

These Are The Best Games To Play At Home With Children

Stop!

An all-time classic, fun for both children and adults. Not only will you have a great time, but you will also have to use your memory and use quick thinking as in this game, the fastest wins…

It is very simple to play. Each player will need paper and a pen or pencil. Draw a few columns and in each one, put a category into each column, an animal, a city, a color… whatever you like. Then, pick a letter at random and start the clock! The first player to fill each category with a word that begins with that letter wins the round and must shout STOP!

 

Miming Games

Usually, you should try to mime movie titles (generally easier for children) but you can also mime animals or just about anything. Divide up into two groups and try to get your team to guess what you are describing using only your body movements. The other team can try and guess what they are watching as well, there are guaranteed laughs! It’s also a great way to exercise the imagination and creativity of children.

 

Taboo

Similar to miming games but with a difference, in this game you can talk! But be careful! During each round, a player must describe a topic to everyone else, without using any of the forbidden words (taboo words) that have previously been defined. For example, you must try to describe an airplane without saying airport, air, fly… a real head-scratcher whilst having fun with the family.

 

Guess Who?

An all-time classic that is great fun and must be familiar surely. Write on some post-its the names of various famous people than children will recognize easily (a good idea is to use characters from their favorite stories, children’s movies etc) and then stick them onto your forehead so that the rest of the group can see ours but they can’t see theirs. From there, you must all ask yes or no questions until somebody guesses correctly the character on their post-it.

 

Word chains

This game is perfect for children to test their memories and creativity. The game is quite simple, you must say a word, then the next person must say a word that begins with the last letter of the word before. For example, cat, train, night, turtle, etc. until somebody can’t find a word or repeats a word that already been used. The aim of the game is to be quick, do you think you can win?

 

Word Memory

Now it starts getting harder. The first person must say a word, then the next person must repeat that word and say a new word, the third person must say both words and another new word, and so on. You can choose to play by using words that begin with the same letter, or related to the same topic, whatever you prefer. The player who forgets a word in the chain loses.

 

What do you think of these games for children? Fun right? As we said before, they all have educational content that makes them even better. Not only will you have a good time during cold wet afternoons, but you will also be providing a learning opportunity for your children.

Now it’s your turn, which is your favorite game to play at home with your children?

You might also like: Games for 3-year-olds

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