This is a guest post by Cristin Howard.
On some days, it’s just too cold to go outside. Sure, it can be fun once in a while to bundle up and play in the snow or enjoy a family bonfire on a cool evening. But, on other days, it’s nice to stay inside where it’s warm.
If you have a preschooler at home, you’re going to want to find a way to keep them entertained. After all, there is nothing worse than a bored preschooler starting to go stir crazy. Luckily, you’re in the right place. We’ve got some fun ideas below.
1. Play Some Music
We’ve often talked about the benefits of music for a developing mind and body. Listening to and enjoying music is great for your preschooler because it can help them learn.
It can build confidence, inspire creativity, and is a great form of expression. It’s also crucial for improving their brain power and understanding discipline.
Learning to play a musical instrument enhances these benefits. An understanding of what’s so often called the universal language can help your child communicate in ways that words can’t.
It’s so valuable to know how to read music and play an instrument, and you can get your child involved early with a piano, which is one of the easiest instruments to learn.
With this ability, your child will grow to appreciate many forms of art, which can expand their mind, help them to learn acceptance and inclusion, and give them an outlet for stress relief that will benefit them greatly both now and later.
2. Create a Scavenger Hunt.
There are so many fun things you can do with an indoor scavenger hunt. For preschoolers who can’t read yet, it’s important to make effective use of pictures to help them understand the game.
Some of that is so that they’ll feel accomplished completing it on their own, but it also gives you a break while they search the house for fun objects.
This is a fantastic way to keep your child moving when they can’t go outside and run around. It’s also a great way to incorporate learning into their routine without them even realizing it.
You can choose a theme like colors, shapes, letters, or numbers to give them a jump start on kindergarten.
There’s no reason why you can’t make learning fun with an activity like this one. Kids love a good mystery, and yours will soon be off to find all of the things you’ve hidden around the house. Change the skill level based on age or how long you want it to take.
3. Make an Indoor Game.
From bowling to basketball, you can play games indoors as long as you grab the right equipment and make sure your child understands the rules. While you can’t throw a real baseball inside, you could certainly use a plastic set. You can also improvise with a spatula from the kitchen and a paperclip from the office.
Bowling is easy to set up, too. Use empty toilet paper rolls as pins and pick any safe ball you want to knock them over. If you don’t have a ball, use an orange and then have a healthy snack after you’re done!
Include your child in making up the game or choosing the equipment they use. It’s a fun way to get the wheels spinning on how they can adapt something to indoor use to make it safe while still having fun.
4. Play a Jumping Game.
From pretending the floor is hot lava to getting an indoor trampoline, jumping games are great ways to get the wiggles out. If you need a good afternoon activity to wear your preschooler out, give them permission to jump around the house for a bit.
Lay out carpet squares or rugs around the living room and have them jump from one to the next without touching the floor. Make this one educational too by asking your little one to call out the colors on the rug as they jump.
You can also use masking tape to create numbers or letters on each rug, having them call out what’s on the rug as they jump. It’s a great way to practise what they’ve been learning, and oftentimes, physical activity can stimulate mental learning.
5. Make a Racetrack.
Whether you have enough room to make a racetrack in the basement for your child’s bicycle or you only have a small amount of space to make a racetrack for the plastic cars, use tape and get creative on the floor.
You can build all kinds of things with masking tape, and it’s easy to peel up afterwards. The beauty of this activity is that you can change it up whenever you want, keeping it interesting. You can also involve your child in creating it, which can help them demonstrate creativity, critical thinking, and fine motor skills to lay the tape.
You don’t have to limit yourself to a racetrack, either. You can explore making a town, a grocery store, a toy store, a bookstore, a bank, a park, a school, or anything else that might engage them in exploring something new and practising whatever it is they’ve been learning.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few interesting ideas, but there are plenty of others. Explore your child’s interests to find something that they’ll enjoy for hours on end, keeping them entertained and giving you a bit of a break.
If you feel like getting more involved, you can participate in any of these games with them for some physical exercise and fun bonding. The sky’s the limit when it comes to using regular household items to get the wheels turning and the body moving.
Thanks for sharing these great indoor play ideas, Cristin!
About the Author:
Cristin Howard runs Smart Parent Advice, a site that provides parenting advice for moms and dads. Cristin writes at Studyclerk about all of the different ups and downs of parenting, provides solutions to common challenges, and reviews products that parents need to purchase.
Are you a preschool teacher or working in Early Childhood Education? Would you like to receive regular emails with useful tips and play-based activity ideas to try with your children? Sign up for the newsletter!