Structured Indoor Games for Elementary Children

Circle Game

• Have the children sit in a circle and select one player to go first. That player will think of a type of fruit to himself, such as a banana, but does not tell anyone. He must say "When I go to the grocery store, I am going to buy something that starts with a B." The player beside him will say "I am going to the store to get bread or a food item that starts with the letter B." If he guesses correctly, he gets to select the next letter. If he guesses incorrectly, each player in the circle must keep trying to guess the correct food item. For a variation, use toys by having the child say "I am going to the toy store to find a toy starts with the letter T," which could be a train or a tricycle.

Communication Game

• Divide the children into two teams. Have each team stand on one side of the room. Explain to the children that you will call out a category and they must line up in ascending to descending order. For example, if you say "birthdays," the children must line up by the day of the birthday (from January to December). The first team to line up in the correct order wins the game. Other categories you can use are hair length and shoe size.

Guessing Games

• Take a picture of 20 random items very close up. For example, take a picture of a piece of a key, the heel of a shoe or the stem on an apple. Make it hard to tell what the item is. Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Pass the pictures around one at a time and have the children write down what they think the item is. The child who guesses the most items correctly wins the game. For another guessing game, place items in boxes. Blindfold each child and have him feel the item. See who can guess the most items correctly.

Active Game

• Keep the children busy with an indoor relay race. Move all tables and chairs to the outside of the classroom. Mark a starting line and run-to line 20 feet apart. Divide the players into two teams and have them line up at the starting line. When you say "Go," the first player in each team line must crab walk (on all fours with bottom facing the ground) to the run-to line and bear crawl (bottom facing up on all fours) back to the starting line. Each player must do the same thing. The first team to finish the relay face wins the game. Other variations include hopping or skipping.