Fun Indoors and Outdoor Games for Kids to Burn Off Energy

I Spy with a Twist

This is an easy way to mix up an old classic game of I Spy with my Little Eye, and helps with movement and listening. Plus the bonus of learning colors. My littles (2 & 4) love to play this. You can do this with 1 or more players.

1. Call out a color, I spy something blue…
2. The kids have to run and touch something in that color as fast as they can. Or in our indoor style we call out the object name.
3. Then call the next one.

You can play this indoors or outside. It works especially well for younger children because it feels like a game, but it also builds quick thinking and attention. My grand loves to use her binoculars to play the game when we are inside. It makes her feel like she’s exploring. You can change up the colors by prompting them to find.

• Find something soft
• Touch something round
• Run to something taller than you

Balloon Keep-Up

Blow up a balloon and challenge kids to keep it from touching the floor. They can tap it with their hands, elbows, or even their heads. This is one of the easiest ways to keep kids moving indoors without too much chaos. It works especially well for one player, but two or more makes it even more fun.

Red Light, Green Light

One person calls out “green light” to move and “red light” to stop. Add “yellow light” for slow motion if you want to make it more fun. This game helps kids practice control while still getting lots of movement. It works with one child and an adult or with a whole group.

Indoor Snowball Fight

I made this activity for my grand’s birthday party. I purchased these indoor snowballs for tossing. These are great indoors because they are soft and bounce off most everything.

Using a trifold board. I painted a snowman on the center piece of the trifold. I then cut a large circle about the size of a paper plate.

Set up the board, have 1 or 2 kids hide behind it, and have parents or older kids on the outside, then switch up. Try throwing snowballs through the hole, and have the kids behind the board toss them back randomly to start the snowball fight. Kids can use the board to hide behind.

Simon Says

Simon says is an old favorite. Simon Says is a simple game that gets kids moving while helping them practice listening and self-control. One player is chosen to be Simon and gives instructions for everyone else to follow.

If Simon says, “Simon says jump,” the players should jump. But if Simon simply says, “Jump,” without saying “Simon says” first, the players should stay still. Anyone who follows a command without hearing “Simon says” is out, or can just miss that round if you want to keep the game easy for younger children.

The game continues with new commands like clapping hands, touching toes, spinning around, or hopping on one foot. The last player left wins, or you can play just for fun without eliminating anyone. Simon Says is a great indoor or outdoor game for one or more players and is perfect for helping little ones burn off energy.

Outdoors

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is a fun game where littles can toss a marker (stone, pinecone, anything you can find thats easy to toss) and hop through numbered squares without stepping on the lines. I have always thought this was fun when you draw out the hop scotch squares using sidewalk chalk marking different colors. You can have the littles help draw the squares.

How to Play Hopscotch

In the image above you can get an idea of how the hopscotch game is drawn out.

1. Draw a hopscotch board on the ground with chalk. The usual layout has numbered boxes in a line, with some single boxes and some side-by-side pairs.
2. Find a small marker, like a stone, beanbag, pinecone, or bottle cap.
3. The first player tosses the marker onto square 1. It should land inside the square without touching the lines. If it touches the line or goes out, do a re-toss.
4. Hop through the course.
   • Hop on one foot in single squares
   • Use two feet in the side-by-side squares
   • Skip the square with the marker in it
5. At the end, turn around and hop back. On the way back, stop before the marker square, balance, pick up the marker, and then hop out.
6. On the next turn, toss the marker to square 2, then square 3, and keep going.

Here’s a child-friendly way to say it, “Throw your marker, hop over that square, and make it all the way back without stepping on the lines.”

Leap Frog

Leapfrog is a simple game where kids take turns bending over while another child jumps over them. Here’s how to play (2 or more players):

1. One child bends forward, usually with hands on knees or touching the ground.
2. The next child places their hands on the bent child’s back.
3. They jump with legs spread, swinging their body over the child.
4. After landing, that child bends down too.
5. The next player jumps over them.
6. Keep taking turns down the line.

A kid friendly way to explain the game, “Bend down, put your hands on your knees, and let your friend gently jump over your back like a frog.”

Safety Tips:

• Play on grass or a soft surface.
• Make sure the child bending down stays steady.
• Keep jumps low and controlled.
• Have enough space between players.
• For very young kids, you can make it easier by having them do a small hop over a crouching adult or over pillows instead.