Rainy-day activities that get kids moving

The best rainy-day activities get kids moving, not just occupied: a freeze dance, a cushion obstacle course, balloon keepy-uppy, or a game they play on their feet. Here are ten that need little or no kit, and work in a flat as well as a house.

1. Freeze dance

Put on a song and dance. When the music stops, everyone freezes. Anyone who wobbles does a silly pose for the next round. Make it harder by calling out a shape for the freeze: a star, a tree, a flamingo.

2. Balloon keepy-uppy

Blow up a balloon and keep it off the floor for as long as you can. Count the taps. Then change the rules: elbows only, knees only, or two players taking turns.

3. Cushion stepping stones

Lay sofa cushions and pillows across the room and cross without touching the floor. Move one cushion each round so the gaps grow. Keep it on a soft floor, away from furniture with sharp corners.

4. Animal walks

Bear crawl to the door, crab walk back, frog jump down the hallway, then slither like a snake. Let the kids invent the next animal and how it moves.

5. A living-room obstacle course

Under the table, over a line of cushions, round a chair and back. Time each run, then let them redesign the course. A stopwatch on a phone is all the kit you need.

6. Simon says, with big moves

Stick to moves that use the whole body: jump, spin, touch your toes, reach for the ceiling, march on the spot. Hand the Simon job to a kid after a few rounds.

7. Sock basketball

Roll socks into balls and shoot them into a laundry basket. Take a step back after every basket. Two teams, two baskets, and the tidying-up is part of the game.

8. Tape hopscotch

Mark a hopscotch grid on the floor with masking tape. Add numbers to hop to, or letters to spell a word by hopping on them.

9. A treasure hunt

Hide a small prize and write clues that send them up and down the stairs, under the table and behind the curtains. For younger kids, draw the clues instead.

10. A game they play by moving

On days when they want a screen, make it one they play on their feet. Hopadoo is a set of free browser games kids play by moving in front of the camera on a laptop, tablet or phone: they jump the hurdles in a jungle race, step into the lane with the right answer in Sum Run, and jump to pop letters into words in Word Pop. One kid or two, short rounds, and nothing to install.

Play Hopadoo free

If you live in a flat

Pick the quiet ones: freeze dance with soft feet, balloon keepy-uppy, animal walks on a rug, or Hopadoo's No jumping mode, where kids raise their hands to reach the stars instead of jumping.

Questions

More ideas: An indoor activity they play on their feet · All guides