Indoor Game Ideas for Rainy Days

Make your rainy days brighter by playing some of these fun and easy indoor games. Most can be made from cardboard items around the house. You may need some balls and balloons. If you don’t have an item that we have used, find something similar that can be used in its place. These games are great for energetic kids who need to keep moving even during rainy days. 

Balloon Hockey 

Make hockey sticks out of cardboard tubes with rectangle cardboard pieces for the head of the stick. Use one or more  balloons for children to hit. Washing baskets or cardboard boxes can be the goals for each player.

Couch Ball Ramp

Cut open a large cardboard box to make it flat. Rest it on the back of the couch and place cushions underneath to build a slope. Use extra small chairs or objects to make the ramp longer. Add a basket or box to the end of the ramp to catch the balls. Roll your balls down the ramp and see if you can get them into the box or basket.

Paper Plate Ring Toss

Glue cardboard tubes onto a sturdy piece of cardboard to make two stakes. Cut large holes in a few paper plates to make rings. Give each player a set of rings and a stake for their game. Players must through their rings and land them on their stake.

Paper Plate Tic Tac Toe

Use painters tape or washi tape to draw a grid 3 x 3 on the floor. Use four plates with an X on the bottom and four plates without. Each player either gets plain plates or X plates. Play a game of tic tac toe, taking turns to place your plate on the grid. The winner is the first to get 3 in a row.

Indoor Hopscotch

Use painters tape or washi tape to make a hopscotch grid on the floor. You can play it as it is or use a toy or bean bag to throw on the grid and jump over for more of challenge.

Tissue Paper Wind Race

Each player has a piece of tissue paper to try and get over the finish line first. Mark the finish line with painters tape, washi tape or any other marker. Players use a paper plate to flap and make the tissue paper fly to the finish line. The winner is the first to get over the finish line.

Keep the Balloon Up

This is a simple game with a twist. Use a paper plate to keep the balloon up instead of your hand or head. This can be played alone, with a friend or in a group.

Cup Ball Drop

Roll balls along a bridge (cardboard between two stools) and through a box with a hole in it. The ball will roll out of the hole and land in a box of paper cups. Try to keep rolling more balls to fill as many cups as you can!

Paper Plane Flying Targets

Who doesn’t like flying paper planes?! Make it more of a challenge with these easy targets to fly through. Push the flaps of a cardboard box into the box to make a hole. Try and fly your paper plane through the hole. If that is too easy, add a second cardboard box and try to fly your paper plane through both boxes!

Cardboard Mini Golf

Make your own mini golf putting hole using a long piece of cardboard attached to a small box with a hole in it. Use a cardboard tube with a piece of cardboard stuck to it to make a golf club. Putt a ball from one end of the cardboard piece and aim to get it into the box with the hole. Try to get a hole in one.

Watch our video to see these fun games in action. Click the image to open the video in Youtube.