Lively Indoor Games

Equip : Balloons on strings

Everyone ties a balloon to their ankle on a short string. All attempt to stamp on other balloons while keeping their balloon safe. Once your balloon is burst you are out and cannot burst others.

Equip : Tea towels

Form lines of 3 or 4 people holding on to each others waist. The back person has a tea towel tucked into their waistband at the back. Snakes must stay intact and steal other tails while guarding theirs. Once your tail is gone you are out. If you break up you must reform before playing on.

Equip :

• Chairs 
• Newspaper rolls

Sit in a circle with a chair in the middle. A leader starts with the newspaper roll and walks around the middle of the circle. They suddenly tap a child on the knee, put the roll on the chair and attempt to get into the child’s seat before that child can get up, grab the roll and tap them with it. If they avoid being hit the child is in the middle, if not they try again with someone else.

Equip : balls

One person stands with their back to the rest of their team, who are standing side by side a distance behind. The bowler rolls the ball between their legs at the ‘skittles’ feet. If hit the skittle turns around. The aim is to turn all the skittles around first. However if hit again, they turn back again. Skittles cannot move their feet and must keep their feet together.

Equip : none

Each team has to travel a distance holding on to each other, with a specified no. of limbs touching the floor. E g. 6 feet, 5 feet and 2 hands,  3 feet and 3 elbows and a nose  etc….

Equip : Mat

Stand in a circle holding hands around the mat. Everyone pulls or pushes the others to try to get them to touch the mat. The circle must not break. You are out if you break hands or touch the mat.

Equip : Pegs

Each person has 6 pegs. They must run around and put them onto others’ clothes while avoiding being pegged. See who has the least pegs on them.

Equip : Shop signs

Have each corner as a shop e.g. greengrocer, baker, butcher etc..

Call out items and they must run to the shop that sells it.

Equip: Hoola Hoop

Stand in a circle and hold hands. A hoop is placed over one pair of hands with the arms threaded through. The hoop must be passed around the circle without letting go of hands i.e. everyone must step through. 2 groups race each other.

Equip: Ball(s)

Make a circle around one team. See how long it takes to get them all out by hitting them below knee with ball. The ball can be passed around circle and you can have 2 balls.

Equip :

• Bands
• Balls

Stand in a circle and put 2 alternate colour bands on people. Have 2 balls on opposite sides of the circle. The one ball is only thrown around people of one colour, missing out the other inbetween and vice versa. The aim is to catch up and overtake the other team’s ball.

Equip : none

Stand in pairs in a circle with one in front of the other. 2 people are outside the circle and one chases the other around it. They can change direction but not cross it. When the person being chased wants to stop, they jump in front of a pair and the back person is now being chased. Thus a new pair is left in the circle. If the catcher catches them they swap over.

Equip : none

Line the players up in rows, standing one behind the other. This can be hard work! All stretch out their arms to touch fingertips with their neighbours.2 are left out and one is the ‘cat’ who chases the ‘mouse’ up and down the rows. When the leader shouts change, the rows turn through 90 degrees and form rows in the other direction for them to chase up. They cannot go under the arms of the players, but only up and down rows.

Equip: Rope

Have a rope about 30cm above the floor. All the team have to climb over without touching the fence. You can get help from those behind you but once you are over you cannot help anyone. When all are over raise the fence!!

Equip : 10 small items e. g. cotton reels

Divide into teams in corners of the room, with an empty chair in front of each team. Number the team members. Place 5 items in the centre and call a number. That member of each team runs to take 1 item and put it on their chair. When all the items in the centre are gone, they can take them from other team’s chairs. The aim is to have 4 items on your chair at once. Only 1 item can be carried at a time and others cannot guard their chair. Call each number, one by one, to have a turn.

Equip : None

Label areas of the room ‘port’  ‘starboard’  ‘for’  ‘aft’. Children must run to the area called. Last one is out. Additional orders can be called

scrub the deck – on knees, scrubbing

captain’s coming – stand and salute

climb the rigging – climbing action

sharks – stand on one leg

man overboard – lift another person up

Last one to do it is out.

Make up sets of 3 cards with parent / child / pet dog and the surname on. It is quite fun if they sound similar e.g. parent batt, child batt, dog batt/ parent hatt, child hatt, dog hatt

You need the same number of cards as people playing. Put out the number of chairs for number of families minus one.

Place the cards face down in the middle. On the command go, all rush and grab a card and shout out their name. Families have to find each other and sit on a chair together quickly. Last family is out. Then remove a chair.

Equip: Ball

Stand in a circle with one in the centre. The centre person throws the ball towards someone and runs towards a different person calling their name. The person whose name is called must run into the middle and catch the ball that the 2nd person has returned to the centre.

Equip: None

Everyone moves around the room in the style of bean called.

e.g.     runner beans – run

jumping beans – jump

chilli beans – shiver

jelly beans – wobble

string beans – hold hands

dwarf beans – crouch

          has beans – lay down dead

When baked beans is called everyone must run and touch the wall or run to an area marked out as the can. If the caller tags them they swop over.

Equip:

• Rope
• Several items (could be anything!)

Teams line up at either end of the hall. A line marks halfway and several items are scattered in one half. When go is called the beachcombers must try to collect all their items  and get back to their wall without being tagged by the waves (other team).See how many items they can get before the whole team is out and then swap.