Children have a lot of energy and one of the ways to burn up that energy constructively is to engage in physical activity with them. Instead of letting them use that energy in negative ways such as whining about being bored or spending too much time on the screen, introduce them to indoor and outdoor games that promote movement and creativity, and which can also be enjoyed by both parents and children alike.
Research has shown that playing together offers tremendous benefits to both the parents and the child. It boosts the child’s development in areas like cognitive, physical and emotional growth while parents experience enhanced bonding, reduced stress and increased joy.
Here are 10 indoor and outdoor games that offer parents and children fun, engagement and learning opportunities.
1: Hopscotch
Traditionally an outdoor game, Hopscotch can also be played indoors. You can make 1ft by 1ft squares on the floor by using masking tape or taped down cardboard and numbering those squares from 1 to 8 or to any number you want. If you are playing outside, you can draw the squares on the floor with chalk. Usually, the squares with the numbers 4 and 5 and 7 and 8 are placed side by side. The child has to hop on one leg on the single squares and land on two feet on the double squares. To play, each child takes a turn to throw a small stone on any of the squares and then hops on to the centre of the squares starting from number 1, making sure to miss the one with the stone, then turn around, hop back and retrieve the stone.
On completion, the stone is passed to the next child who repeats the process. The goal of Hopscotch is to hop through the inside of the squares on one foot. If you lose your balance or touch any of the square’s sides, you lose a turn. Also, when you toss the stone and it bounces off or touches the sides of the square, you also lose a turn. This game promotes gross motor skills including balance, coordination, agility, counting, spatial awareness and rule-following. It also fosters social skills through turn-taking and cooperation when played in groups.
2: Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game for an older child who already has a moderately large vocabulary and knows how to spell. Suitable for players aged 8 and above, it’s the perfect game for a fun yet educational time with your kids. If your children are younger, you can try Scrabble Junior which is designed for kids from age 5. The game is designed for two or more players who score points by placing letter tiles on a game board to form words like a crossword puzzle. The tiles must form words that read left to right in rows or downward in columns.
Scrabble is suitable for a family game night or a gathering with friends. While having fun, it will help kids learn new words and improve their spelling and vocabulary. It will also help improve cognitive ability and concentration. You can easily buy a Scrabble board game from a child’s shop or from an online store.
3: Balloon Volleyball
Balloon Volleyball is an active game that can be played indoors as well as outdoors. Suitable for kids of all ages and played like volleyball, all that is needed is a balloon that the child must keep hitting softly to make it remain in the air for as long as possible. Players take turns to hit the balloon. If one of them is unable to keep the balloon in the air and it falls to the ground, the player gets eliminated.
This game can support child development as it improves motor skills. The child has to make a lot of body movements while running around the balloon. It also improves hand-eye coordination as they have to watch the balloon come down and throw it back in the air. Balloon Volleyball increases physical activity and is one of the best games for the younger child.
4: Charades
Charades is a word-guessing game that is sure to bring on the laughter. Players take turns to enact a movie, word, or object using actions but without speaking while the other players try guess what is being acted out. Whoever guesses correctly then begins his or her turn to enact the actions. While playing Charades with younger children, you can ask them to guess some action verbs like singing, drinking, eating, studying, brushing and so on.
For older children, you can select a theme for the game such as animals, professions, TV shows, songs, sports or objects. Have everyone write down a noun in that category on a slip of paper. For example, for professions they can write doctor or fireman. Mix the slips of paper in a hat or a bowl and have one child choose a slip of paper from the mix. That’s when they will need to act it out without the use of words or sounds.
Charades is a fun activity that encourages creativity, teamwork and communication skills while it boosts your child’s thinking ability. To make children think on their feet faster and increase their thinking prowess, you can put a timer on to set a limited time for guessing.
5: Musical Chairs
Another fun and active game is the game of Musical Chairs. For this game, you will need several chairs and a music player of any kind to play the music. Arrange one less chair than the number of players in a circle. One person plays the music while the children walk around the chairs. As soon as the music stops, the children have to rush and sit on the nearest chair. The player who does not find a chair to sit on is eliminated. When the game begins again, another chair is removed. Continue until only one player remains who becomes the winner. To ramp up the fun, all the family members should join in to play Musical Chairs.
Remember to make your kids play musical chairs in an open space as the game involves running. If you are arranging chairs in the living room, ensure that the floor is not slippery and remove all sharp objects from the room.
6: Scavenger Hunt
Another game that will keep kids occupied for a long time is Scavenger Hunt. This game can be played indoors or outdoors. It is one of the most exciting games for kids as they have to go around the house or the garden to find different objects. The one who finds the maximum number of items mentioned on the list wins the game. A Scavenger Hunt can also be a perfect learning game for kids.
First, parents prepare a list of items the kids will need to find in a designated area. If played indoors, you can ask the children to find a ball, a blue object, socks, something to read, or smell, or a round or triangle-shaped object. If played outside, children can find a rock, a dried leaf, something rectangle or square, a red flower or even an activity such as taking a picture of a bird. The first person to complete the list or finds the most items wins.
Scavenger Hunts help children develop their observational, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. They also learn to identify various objects, shapes, and colours while encouraging physical activity and learning through play.
7: Hide-and-Seek
This is one of the most popular games for children. While playing Hide-and-Seek outside is best played outside, children can also play the game inside the house. They can find plenty of places to hide inside the house. You will probably need all the family members to play Hide-and-Seek with your children. One player has to face the wall, close his or her eyes and count to 100. During this time, others will find a place to hide. The seeker has to find all the hidden players. The next seeker is the player who is found first. Before playing hide and seek, you should lock your wardrobes or other confined places that can be risky for children.
Playing hide-and-seek can help children develop a variety of skills. It fosters imagination, problem-solving, and cooperation while also supporting emotional regulation and social interactions.
8: Indoor Obstacle Course
The Indoor Obstacle Course is a great indoor game to increase your child's physical activity. The child has to clear all the hurdles to reach the endpoint. You can make various obstacles inside the house like crawling under a table, jumping over a ball, crossing a tape maze, throwing balls in the laundry bag, and so on.
An Indoor Obstacle Course develops gross motor skills and boosts balance and coordination. It also strengthens problem-solving skills while promoting following instructions.
9: Passing the Parcel
Passing the Parcel is a game that requires four to five players. It is best when all the family members join in. All the players have to sit in a circle while one person is needed to play the song. You can use a cushion or a soft toy for passing. As soon as the music starts playing, everyone has to pass the parcel to the next person. The music is stopped abruptly, and the player with the parcel must perform an activity like dancing or singing. It is a fun game for kids that helps sociological development.
10: Floor is Lava
The Floor is Lava[1] game comes from the popular game show on Netflix’s 2020 series. It’s a game where players have to make their way through a challenging obstacle course without falling into the “lava” covering the floor. Since the debut of the show, parents have been coming up with variations of the game to play with their children at home.
If you’re playing with a younger child such as a toddler, place pillows, cushions and blankets on the floor according to how far they can jump and instruct your child that they have to pretend that the floor is hot lava. Your child cannot step on the floor but will have to jump on the pillows, cushions and blankets to move forward.
When playing with an older child such as a preschooler, you can incorporate learning into the game by introducing number or letter recognition into the game. Instead of using pillows and cushions to avoid the “lava”, use a marker to draw letters or numbers onto large pieces of paper. Spread them randomly on the floor spaced about 1 to 2ft apart, then call out a letter or number to challenge your child to find it and jump to it. It’s a great way to reinforce these early learning concepts while having lots of fun at the same time.
For more ideas on how to have fun and engage with your children, read the article on 10 Fun Ways to Boost Creativity in Children[2].
Morinaga Chil-kid
While having fun with your child, don’t forget that nutrition plays a central role in bringing up healthy, happy, strong, active and attentive children. To ensure that their nutritional needs are met so that children have the energy to play and learn, they must be provided with the right nutrients. This is where growing up milk can play an important role in providing that nutrition.
Morinaga Chil-kid is a Japanese growing up milk that is enriched with more than 45 essential nutrients vital for children’s growth journey. Containing ARA+DHA, Inositol, Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), 5 Nucleotides, Omega 3&6 Long Chain Polyunsaturates (LCPs), and 21 vitamins and minerals, the protein-packed milk is sufficient to satisfy the nutritional needs of fast-growing children when complemented with meals in a daily diet.
Knowing children’s erratic eating behaviour, the milk, which fulfils children’s daily Recommended Nutrition Intake (RNI), bridges nutritional gaps when meals fall short of their nutrient content. Made specifically for Asian children aged one to seven years old, the milk dissolves easily in lukewarm water and features a subtle vanilla taste. It is also formulated completely free of sucrose.
Morinaga Chil-kid is a fully imported milk which is wholly produced and packed in its state-of-the-art plant in the Netherlands. The milk goes through rigorous European Union (EU) quality control and a double-inspection process in Japan before it is exported to Malaysia.
[1]Watch Floor is Lava | Netflix Official site. (n.d.). https://www.netflix.com/my-en/title/81006858
[2]10 Fun Ways to Boost Creativity in Children | Tips and Guides | Morinaga Malaysia. (n.d.). Morinaga Malaysia. https://morinagamilk.com.my/detail-tip-guide.php?article=T2503170455130236