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Indoor Sporty Games for Kids

When it's raining outside or the weather is too cold for outdoor activities, use a little creativity to help sports-minded children find indoor entertainment at home. Some athletic games such as bowling, croquet and volleyball easily can be adapted to play at home so that children and their friends can amuse themselves indoors when the weather does not cooperate.

Soda Bowling
- While a trip to the local bowling alley facility can be fun on occasion, children can enjoy their own homemade version of the game at home with siblings or friends.
  
  Using empty two-liter soda bottles to use as pins, any hallway can be transformed into a makeshift bowling alley. A small amount of water added to each bottle for some stability will help keep the pins in place; make sure the lids are screwed on tight. A beach ball or other lightweight ball will work as a bowling ball since the pins are lightweight and will tip over easily. The kids can compete by totaling up the number of pins they knock over.
Croquet
- Croquet typically is a game meant for sunny weather on a green lawn, but kids can play a condensed version of it indoors anytime. Using the same balls and mallets used for the outdoor game, the only modification needed is to replace the hoops usually planted in the ground with other targets. One simple alteration is to make squared archways out of cardboard that the kids can knock the balls through.
  
  The object of the game is to be the first player to navigate a ball through the maze of hoops en route to the finish line. If at any time one player strikes a second player's ball with his own, the second player can place his ball beside the first player's and use the mallet to knock the first player's ball off course while holding his own ball in place with his foot.
Balloon Volleyball
- Volleyball can be played on virtually any service, and even in the house. The game is usually played in teams and is similar to pingpong or tennis in that the ball is volleyed over a raised net in an attempt to prevent a return shot from the other team.
  
  To play this game indoors on a small scale, a piece of wire or tape can serve as the volleyball net across two chairs or from wall to wall in a hallway. Instead of an actual volleyball, the kids can use a balloon to hit back and forth. This will prevent damage from wildly hit balls and will make the game easy. Kids will enjoy this in-home version of the game because they can hit the ball as hard as they wish without worrying about causing damage.

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