Inside Rainy Day Games for School

By Krystal Miller
indoor games, kids, school, rainy days
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When it is raining outside, you can plan some entertaining games for elementary and middle school-age kids inside. With some careful planning, inexpensive supplies and a few ideas, you have all you need to plan indoor games for your class on a rainy day. Entice the children to play along and try their best by awarding some prizes, such as stickers and pencils, to all game winners.

Balloon Games

Create a balloon relay race by dividing the players into two teams. Mark a starting line and run-to line 20 feet apart. Tell each team to line up at the starting line. Give the first player in each team line an inflated balloon. When you say "Go," they must hit the balloon in the air to the run-to line and back to the next player in line. The next player in line must do the same thing. The first team to finish the relay race wins the game. For a variation, have the players place the inflated balloon on the ground and push it with their nose.

Memory Games

Place several random items on a tray. Use items, such as a key, a banana, a hat, a penny, a flower and a rock. Show the kids the tray and then take it out of the room. Give each child a sheet of paper and have him write down as many items as he can remember from the tray. The child who remembers the most correct items wins the game. For a variation, when you take the tray out of the room, remove one item. Bring the tray back in and the first child to guess what is missing from the tray wins the game.

Basketball Games

Use a wastebasket and crumpled up paper for a game of indoor basketball. Place the wastebasket on the floor and mark a line 10 feet from the basket. Crumple or wad up several pieces of paper in a ball (wrap with masking tape to keep it shaped like a ball). The children must stand at the line and try to toss the paper balls into the wastebasket. The player who makes the most shots out of 10 wins the game. For another idea, divide the players into teams and the team who makes the most baskets wins the game.

Circle Games

Have all the children sit in a circle and select one player to be "it." The "it" player must start laughing aloud. After a few seconds, she must wipe the laugh from her face and toss it to another player in the circle. He must start laughing aloud for a few seconds and toss the laugh to someone else. Any players caught laughing when it is not their turn is out of the game. The last player standing wins the game. For a variation, have the person laughing making funny faces while she laughs to try to get the other players to laugh.