20 Unbeatable Indoor Games For 4-12 Year Olds

Bored of using video games and smartphone apps to engage your child during this inevitable school break? How about some interesting and out-of-the-box indoor games for kids to play with instead?

From traditional Indian games to brain-tickling puzzles we have it all! 

And the best part? 

We’ve got some templates required so you just need to download, print and start playing or you can make your own templates as well 🙂

Let’s get started!

Super Fun Indoor Games For 4-8 Year Olds

1. BINGO

Materials Required

• Bingo Card Templates
• Pen/pencil

How To Play

– Give your little one a bingo card. Help them identify all the elements on the card. Print out a template for yourself.

– Call-out an element and ask them to strike that element on their card, you will strike out the same on your card. Next, your child calls out an element you both will strike it out.

– Continue calling out different elements and let them continue to strike those elements on their cards.

– The player to strike off the elements in 5 rows or columns — vertically, horizontally or diagonally to complete the game.

– The player who completes the game first calls out ‘BINGO’ is the winner.

– Repeat this fun indoor game for kids with the other templates.

2. SUDOKU

Materials Required

• Sudoku templates
• Pencil
• Eraser

Prepare

– Take a print out of the sudoku puzzle templates. There are 4×4 grid and 6×6 grid templates, each with 2 levels of difficulty.

How To Play

– Give one sudoku template print out to your child and encourage them to fill the missing spaces in the grid with numbers.

– In level 1A, they fill the numbers in such a way that the numbers are not repeated in a row vertically or horizontally.

– In level 1B, they fill the numbers such that there is no repetition vertically, horizontally and within each quadrant.

– In level 2A, they fill 6 numbers with no repetition vertically and horizontally.

– In level 2B, they fill the 6 numbers such that there is no repetition vertically, horizontally and within each quadrant.

– Refer to the answer templates for the solutions.

3. Pictionary

Materials Required

• White board/paper
• Pencil/ markers
• Bowl

How To Play

– Write different clues and elements on small chits of paper. 

– Fold and place them in a bowl.

– You and your little one take turns at picking up a chit. 

– Draw the element on the whiteboard or paper. If the other player identifies the element correctly, they score a point.

– Repeat by alternating turns.

– The player who scores more points wins the game!

4. Think Outside The Box

Materials Required

• Paper
• Pencil

How To Play

– Call out different items and have your child identify a use for the item. The uses may be different uses from the obvious one. 

– Your little one may jot down ideas of different uses of the materials.

– Give them points based on their answers, 1 point if it is a generic use; 2 points if it is unique; 3 points if it is truly out of the box idea. You will take a call on the points!

– For example, you can pick up a hair clip and say: this can be used to hold paper together, it can be used to scratch your head, it can be used to poke, etc. 

– The objective of the game is to get children to think outside of the box. 

Here is a list of materials you can use to complete the activity. 

• Paper
• Cloth
• Mirror
• Cotton
• Stone
• Rope
• Chair
• Plastic bottles
• Spoon
• Shoes
• Comb
  

5. Dot Art

Materials Required

• Activity Sheet – Printable
• Cotton Buds
• Paints

Create

– Demonstrate how to dip the tip of the cotton bud in the paint and print on the activity sheet. 

– Encourage your child to place dots all along the lines on the activity sheet. 

– Use white to follow the lines in the ocean. Use yellow to follow the lines in the starfish. Use orange and red to fill the body of the starfish. 

6. Magazine Collage

Materials Required

• Recycled Newspaper
• Recycled Magazine
• Artwork Template Printable
• Adhesive

Create

– Give your child the newspapers/magazines and the artwork template. 

– Discuss the artwork and discuss the different colours which can be used for each element. 

– Apply glue on the artwork.

– Help your child tear the bits of paper and assemble it on the artwork. 

7. Stick Puzzle Riddles

Materials Required

Matchstick/ ice cream stick 

How To Play

Read out the different puzzle questions and have your little one solve the puzzle! 

8. Building Structures

Materials Required

• Clay
• Sticks (ice cream sticks, toothpicks, cotton buds)

Create

– Help your child create structures using the clay and sticks. 

– Roll and place a ball of clay on either end of the sticks and continue to add clay and sticks to hold your structure. 

– You can create an arch, bridge, building, etc. 

9. Checkers

Materials Required

• Checkers Printable Template
• 24 Pawns (2 sets of 12)

How To Play

– Each player places their pawn on every other dark square of the template. 

– Player 1 moves on of their pawns. You can move it diagonally in two ways:

1. Move it diagonally forward to the next dark square.
2. If the other player’s pawn is in the next square and there is an empty square by it. You ‘jump’ over the other player’s pawn and remove their piece. You can repeat the jumps if they are lined in a forward direction.

– The player to collect the most number of pawns wins the game 

10. Naerkodu / Ner Kodu / Line King Game

Materials Required

• Nerkodu Base Printable
• 6 Pawns (2 sets of 3)

How To Play

– Each player takes a turn at placing their pawn at each intersection. 

– Once all six pawns are on the board, each player takes a turn at sliding their pawn to the next intersection on the board. 

– Your pawn has to follow the line of the board and move to the closest position.

– The player to move their pawns to create a line with three in a row diagonally, vertically or horizontally wins the game.

Incredible Indoor Games For 8-12 Year Olds

1. Bingo

Materials Required

• Paper
• Pencil
• Ruler

How To Play

– Give your little one a sheet of paper and a pencil. 

– Help them create a 5×5 grid on the paper. If required, draw the lines for them. 

– Call out a number, start from 1, and ask them to randomly write it in a box on the grid. Call out numbers 1-25. Repeat the same to create another bingo grid.

– You should have a bingo grid with numbers 1-25 placed randomly in the grid. 

– You and your child can take turns at calling out a number and striking out the number on the grid. 

– The player to strike out five complete lines which may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal wins the game. 

– The player to finish first must then shout out ‘bingo!’

2. Aadupuliattam/Aadu Puli Aattam

This traditional Indian puzzle game is also known as Lambs and Tigers Game, Game of Goats and Tigers — Aadupuliyattam in Tamil, Puli Judam/Puli Joodham or Meka Puli Aata in Telugu and Aadu Huli Aata in Kannada.

Materials Required:

• Aadupuliyattam board
• 15 white stones (Goats)
• 3 orange stones (Tigers)

How To Play

• Both the players take turns in placing their coins on the board
• The tiger can place the stone on the desired point at the start of the game
• The goats can be moved only after all the 15 goats are placed on the board
• Players can move only one adjacent point along the lines of the board
• A point cannot accommodate more than one goat (or) tiger
• A goat can be captured from the board if a tiger jumps over the goat onto an empty point
• A tiger can jump over a goat only along the lines of the board
• A tiger cannot jump over more than one goat at any given point
• The goats can restrict the movement of the tiger by surrounding them on all points.
• If all the tigers are surrounded by the goats, the goats win the round.

3. Pictionary

Materials Required

• White board/paper
• Pencil/ markers
• Bowl

How To Play

– Write different clues and elements on small chits of paper. 

– Fold and place them in a bowl.

– You and your little one take turns at picking up a chit. 

– Draw the element on the white board or paper. If the other player identifies the element correctly, they score a point.

– Repeat by alternating turns.

– The player who scores more points wins the game!

4. Think Outside Of The Box

Materials Required

• Paper
• Pencil

Play (level 1)

– Call out different items and have your child identify a use for the item. The uses may be different uses from the obvious one. 

– Your little one may jot down ideas of different uses of the materials.

– Give them points based on their answers, 1 point if it is a generic use; 2 points if it is unique; 3 points if it is truly out of the box idea. You will take a call on the points!

– For example, you can pick up a hair clip and say: this can be used to hold paper together, it can be used to scratch your head, it can be used to poke, etc. 

– The objective of the game is to get children to think outside of the box. 

Here is a list of materials you can use to complete this fun indoor game. 

• Paper
• Cloth
• Mirror
• Cotton
• Stone
• Wire
• Chair
• Plastic bottles
• Spoon
• Shoes
• Comb

Play (level 2)

– You can call out an action or a movement. Your child will have to identify different ways of completing said action. 

– For example: ‘pouring water.’ We can use a bucket to pour water, a coconut shell, a large shell, a large folded leaf, etc. 

5. SUDOKU

Materials Required

• Sudoku Printable Template
• Pencil
• Eraser

How To Play

– Help your child complete one template and encourage them to complete the rest. 

– They fill in numbers in such a way there is no repetition vertically, horizontally and within each quadrant.

6. Stick Puzzle Riddles

Materials Required

Matchstick/ ice cream stick 

How To Play

Read out the different puzzle questions and have your little one solve the puzzle! 

7. Join The Dots

Materials Required

• Paper
• Pencil

How To Play

– Give your child a paper and pencil. 

– Help them create dots on the paper. Create a row and column of dots with even gaps, instruct them to complete filling the page with dots. 

– Once the dots are filled, each player takes a turn at drawing a line between two adjacent dots. 

– The line can be drawn anywhere but it must be horizontal or vertical. 

– The goal is to complete a box, once the player draws the final line to close the box, they write their initials in it. 

– The player to complete more boxes wins. Isn’t this a fun indoor game for your child?

8. Watermelon Chess

Materials Required

• Watermelon Chess Baseboard Printable
• 12 Pawns (2 sets of 6)

How To Play

– Place each of your pawns at each intersection on the half that’s facing you. 

– Move each pawn across the line from point to point. 

– The goal is to surround the opponent’s pawn and capture them. 

– The player with the higher number of the opponent’s pawn wins the game. 

9. Naerkodu / Ner Kodu / Line King Game

Materials Required

• Nerkodu Base Printable
• 6 Pawns (2 sets of 3)

How To Play

– Each player takes a turn at placing their pawn at each intersection. 

– Once all six pawns are on the board, each player takes a turn at sliding their pawn to the next intersection on the board. 

– Your pawn has to follow the line of the board and move to the closest position.

– The player to move their pawns to create a line with three in a row diagonally, vertically or horizontally wins the game. 

10. Mandala

Materials Required

• Mandala Colouring Page Printable
• Coloured Pencils

Create

– Encourage your child to colour each section of the mandala a different colour. 

– For added zen, as your children colour the mandala, play Tibetan music in the background!

Conclusion:

Hope these indoor games help in keeping your child actively engaged! These activities largely help in the development of essential skills such as coordination, analytical thinking, communication and social skills, logical reasoning and motor skills!

We hope you found the above ideas useful! Another quick idea for you to have fun with your child indoors would be to set up a tent inside the house using a blanket draped over some sofas and chairs, or even an actual camping tent, and have a fun time reading and playing in the tent while devouring some healthy snacks.

You could also make some picnic sandwiches, pack up some cut fruits and juices, and put out a blanket on your terrace or your balcony and have a cute picnic with your child from the comfort of your home! 

Setting up a fun treasure hunt using your child’s toys and drawing out a map for it is another great indoor game idea. 

Please also ensure that even while indoors, your child gets to engage in physical activities to stay fit and healthy!