Fun Games to Play With Kids Inside

War

• Card games are a great way to spend indoor playtime. War is a game that is best played with two opponents. Players begin with a standard 52 card deck. After shuffling the cards, the deck is divided evenly between the two players so they each have the same number of cards. Players position themselves so they are facing each other. Each deck remains face down and when players are ready, they each turn over their first card. The player who turns over the higher card keeps them both. If the players each turn over the same number of face card, it’s “War.” Behind their card, each player places the next three cards in their deck face down. Players then turn over the next card. The player with the highest card wins all of the cards. Play continues until all cards have been turned over.

Back Words

• Indoor games can be just as fun as any outdoor game kids can play. To play Back Words, children are divided into groups of five. Each group chooses a scribe who holds a pencil and paper for their team. The game leader calls out a word. Each scribe writes the word vertically on the left side of the paper and then backward vertically on the right side. Teams work together to spell new words with the beginning and ending letter the scribe has written. For example, if the word is “big,” scribes write “b-i-g” and “g-i-b” across from each other. The first word that teams would have to spell would begin with a “b” and end with a “g.” The first team to complete their words wins the round.

Chopsticks Pass Along

• Chopsticks Pass Along is a game that can be played indoors at any time of the year. As explained on the Family Fun website, each player needs their own set of chopsticks. Players sit in a circle with their chopsticks in hand. When play begins, one player holds an object in their chopsticks and attempts to pass it along to the next person without the object dropping. Possible objects would include a peanut, a die, a sugar cube or an acorn. Any player that drops the objects out of their chopsticks is out of the game. Play continues until one player remains.