Simple ways to play at home
There are plenty of simple, easy ways for your child to play and have fun at home. Children can make creative use of any available space – even the corner of a room – if they have the freedom to play and a few toys or other bits and pieces to help their imagination.
Often, it’s the simplest things we do that can turn into the most fun!
Here are some ideas from the Hamilton family for simple ways to play and encourage your child’s imagination around the home.
Looking for inspiration to support your child’s play at home? Give these a go:
- “Egg” and spoon races (no real eggs needed – a ping pong style ball works fine).
- Act out a story from a book
- Blindfold (hoodies on back to front) pillow fights
- Candle decorating
- Cat’s cradle
- Catch the fairy (use a torch and shine it in a dark room)
- Clapping games
- Cork fights … like food fights but less messy
- Drawing pictures and colouring in
- Dressing up
- Eye spy
- Fashion show
- Hide and seek
- Hopscotch – made with tape
- Junk modelling with smaller household items
- Kitchen disco
- Making cars, castles or spaceships with cardboard boxes
- Making dens
- Making paper planes
- Making small worlds with dinosaurs, toy cars, toy animals
- Musical chairs
- Obstacle course – using sofa cushions, chairs
- Ping pong or volleyball with an inflatable ball
- Playing school, café, offices, shops, hairdressers
- Putting on a performance
- Rock/paper/scissors
- Saucepan drums
- Simon says
- Skipping or French skipping (elastics)
- Sock puppets
- Stair tobogganing in cardboard boxes and pillows
- Steppingstones with cushions
- Tea party/indoor picnic
- The floor is lava
- Treasure hunt
How many can your family complete?
Our 35 indoor play ideas list can be printed and shared.
