5 Fun Indoor Activities that Keep the Kids Busy
If like me, you are used to hearing your little ones say, "we're bored" or "there's nothing to do when they are indoors, let them try these five activities to keep them busy.
* CHATTERBOX CRAFT
This is a craft that can turn out into something positive for your kids. This craft is made from a perfect square paper that is folded in equal triangles with the four vertices of the paper meeting at the centre of the page. The paper must have been folded diagonally to get the centre point and then the process is repeated again on the plain opposite and smooth side of the paper, leaving four triangles divided into right-angle triangles. The vertices of these triangles are joined together to give a 3D lozenge shape. The four outer triangles are painted in four different colours and the inner smaller triangles are numbered 1-8. Secret messages or activities are written behind the small triangles and the player choice of colour and number determines what message will be read. When you choose a colour, the initiator of the game spells out the colour while opening the centre of the chatterbox back and forth. After which the player chooses a number from the opening. The message underneath the number is then read.
This game can be made an educative one by adding educational activities behind the triangles.
Age range: 6+ or anyone who can read and write well
* CHATTERBOX CRAFT
This is a craft that can turn out into something positive for your kids. This craft is made from a perfect square paper that is folded in equal triangles with the four vertices of the paper meeting at the centre of the page. The paper must have been folded diagonally to get the centre point and then the process is repeated again on the plain opposite and smooth side of the paper, leaving four triangles divided into right-angle triangles. The vertices of these triangles are joined together to give a 3D lozenge shape. The four outer triangles are painted in four different colours and the inner smaller triangles are numbered 1-8. Secret messages or activities are written behind the small triangles and the player choice of colour and number determines what message will be read. When you choose a colour, the initiator of the game spells out the colour while opening the centre of the chatterbox back and forth. After which the player chooses a number from the opening. The message underneath the number is then read.
This game can be made an educative one by adding educational activities behind the triangles.
Age range: 6+ or anyone who can read and write well
*POLICE AND THIEF
Childhood was fun when we used to play this game with our siblings, friends and neighbours. Even an adult can join in the game. You just have to cut small pieces of papers with the labels of King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Police and Thief. This game can be played by 3 - 10 people. All you need to create are characters in the game. Apart from the above mentioned labels which are for six people, you could add more labels of people with high status in the society like chiefs, landlord, e.t.c. Each label has a score, depending on the status of the character. There is usually scores attached to each label based on the hierarchy of the labels. For instance, a king can carry 100 marks and that's what will be recorded for any one who pick the label of the king. Players do not reveal their identity except the police who is then asked to catch the thief. The person with the label of the police needs to guess who picked the label of the thief and if they guess right, the thief gets his usual zero score, if not, the thief takes the score for the police. The highest scorer wins the game. This game helps a child to be a good detective.
Childhood was fun when we used to play this game with our siblings, friends and neighbours. Even an adult can join in the game. You just have to cut small pieces of papers with the labels of King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Police and Thief. This game can be played by 3 - 10 people. All you need to create are characters in the game. Apart from the above mentioned labels which are for six people, you could add more labels of people with high status in the society like chiefs, landlord, e.t.c. Each label has a score, depending on the status of the character. There is usually scores attached to each label based on the hierarchy of the labels. For instance, a king can carry 100 marks and that's what will be recorded for any one who pick the label of the king. Players do not reveal their identity except the police who is then asked to catch the thief. The person with the label of the police needs to guess who picked the label of the thief and if they guess right, the thief gets his usual zero score, if not, the thief takes the score for the police. The highest scorer wins the game. This game helps a child to be a good detective.
*I CALL ON...
This is what we usually call this game as Nigerian kids back then in primary school. This game can have 2-6 players. The advantages of this game is that it sharpens the brain. Players in this game take turns to call the letters of the alphabet which has been pre-arranged on each player's paper. Four to five vertical lines are drawn on each paper, in front of the alphabets showing labels of names, animals, food, places and things.
If a player calls A, for instance, every player is expected to write the name of a person, animal, place, food, place and thing that starts with letter A. The caller asks everyone else to stop when they are done with their own listing. If any answer is repeated by any of the players, the players with the same answers get five marks while the rest get 10 marks. If an answer written doesn't exist, the player is scored a zero.
This is what we usually call this game as Nigerian kids back then in primary school. This game can have 2-6 players. The advantages of this game is that it sharpens the brain. Players in this game take turns to call the letters of the alphabet which has been pre-arranged on each player's paper. Four to five vertical lines are drawn on each paper, in front of the alphabets showing labels of names, animals, food, places and things.
If a player calls A, for instance, every player is expected to write the name of a person, animal, place, food, place and thing that starts with letter A. The caller asks everyone else to stop when they are done with their own listing. If any answer is repeated by any of the players, the players with the same answers get five marks while the rest get 10 marks. If an answer written doesn't exist, the player is scored a zero.
*HIDE AND SEEK (Boju Boju in Yoruba)
This game is never tiring. It helps kids to exercise their bodies while running around to look for hiding spots. When playing Hide and Seek, the safety of the kids should be put into consideration. I really my second son once got injured from a nail while trying to hide in a odd place. The environment for hiding should be safe for the kids. In this simple game, one player cover his/her face to count numbers or sing a local song while the playmates hide themselves. The first person to be found becomes the next person to count the numbers.
This game is never tiring. It helps kids to exercise their bodies while running around to look for hiding spots. When playing Hide and Seek, the safety of the kids should be put into consideration. I really my second son once got injured from a nail while trying to hide in a odd place. The environment for hiding should be safe for the kids. In this simple game, one player cover his/her face to count numbers or sing a local song while the playmates hide themselves. The first person to be found becomes the next person to count the numbers.
DANCING ROUND CHAIRS
This simple indoor game came keeps your kids really busy. Simply play some songs from your Bluetooth speaker and have the kids dance round the chairs with one less chair in comparison to the number of kids playing the game so that you can one player standing when the music stops. A chair is withdrawn as each loser in the game moves out until there is a winner.
These games are simple to try and very suitable as indoor games. Can you think of other games you played as African kids? Let me know in the comment session.
This simple indoor game came keeps your kids really busy. Simply play some songs from your Bluetooth speaker and have the kids dance round the chairs with one less chair in comparison to the number of kids playing the game so that you can one player standing when the music stops. A chair is withdrawn as each loser in the game moves out until there is a winner.
These games are simple to try and very suitable as indoor games. Can you think of other games you played as African kids? Let me know in the comment session.