When the weather is freezing, or rainy, or scorching and your kids are stuck inside they can get antsy with all that pent up energy. Indoor ball games like these are a great way of helping them burn off a little energy indoors!
Now I know what you're thinking.... "Ball games for kids to play indoors? No Way!" As a matter of fact, I'm pretty lenient about letting the boys engage in active activities indoors even though our apartment is tiny. I set a few ground rules (my #1 rule is no fighting) and make sure they're not aiming at my expensive china.
Just joking. I don't have any expensive china.
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Indoor Ball Toss / Launch / Throw Games
Don't be afraid of indoor games in which kids toss a ball around. A few common sense precautions (and hiding great aunt Irma's Ming vase) will put you at ease.
Our favorite ball to use indoors is the ping pong ball. It's light weight so it is less likely to cause damage, yet it still has a high bounce factor. Gather up a bucket full of ping pong balls and your kids will be busy for hours!
1. Set up a carnival style game using a large cardboard box. You can cut openings in a large box, label them with point values and start a competition!
2. Simple ball-cup toss. Set up a group of paper cups or plastic containers. If you like, wrap a long piece of duct tape around them to prevent them from falling over. Toss balls into the cups.
3. Use a homemade catapult for target practice. You can make a simple catapult with a plastic spoon or by gluing a bottle cap to a piece of cardboard and balancing it on a paper roll. We originally used pom poms as ammunition, but the boys have switched over to–you guessed it–ping pong balls.
4. Set up a group of large boxes for a ball toss. Time to put those shipping boxes to use! Vary the size and height of the boxes for extra fun. Use balled up socks for extra safety.
5. Indoor paddle play. Make paddles out of paper plates and paint sticks or rulers. Use balloons or ping pong balls. You can set up a net by draping a sheet over a couple of chairs. Alternatively, kids can attempt to see how long they can keep their balloon or ball in the air.
6. Set up a paper snowball launcher like this one. (via All for the Boys)
7. This sticky tape spider web game works perfectly with newspaper balls. (via hands on : as we grow)
8. This cup crash game doubles as a learning activity. Your kids will know their sight words in no time. (via Coffee Cups and Crayons)
Supply list for ball toss games:
- Painter's tape (We use this all.the.time.)
- Paper cups (I love to have tons of these on hand)
- Paper plates
- Paint sticks
- Cardboard boxes
- Ping pong balls (orange ones are easy to find!)
Table Top Indoor Ball Games
Table top ball games can be played sitting or standing.
9. Ping pong ball battle. My kids invented this indoor ball game on their own. Tape two cups on opposite ends of the table. Each player gets a ball and a straw. (Yours truly was of the opinion that a sturdy pencil would work better, but I was out-voted so what do I know?) The object is to get your own ball into your cup while preventing the other player from doing the same. Two words: hilarious chaos.
10. Tape a cup or cups to the end of the table with the open end facing the long end of the table. Roll a ball from the far end of the table into a cup. If desired, assign point values to each cup (if using more than one).
11. Set up an table top obstacle course on a table using wooden blocks. Navigate a ping pong ball through the obstacle course by blowing on it through a straw.
12. Paper football. My oldest son likes to toss around his plush football but my husband taught the boys how to play table top paper football and now they can't get enough of it. (Instructions via Wikihow)
13. Shoot the Moon. This table top ball game will calm kids down and force them to focus, use their brains and fine motor skills. We made a Shoot the Moon (aka "Gravity Game") from a kit, but this YouTube video has instructions to make it from cardboard, which would be a great activity for bored tweens!
Supply list for table top ball games:
- Ping pong balls
- Paper cups
- Straws or pencils
- Paper
- Toy blocks
Indoor Ball Games on the Floor
When kids play down on the floor they are engaging their gross motor skills and seeing the world from a different perspective!
14. Aim at a box. For a super easy ball game on the floor, turn a box upside down, cut little windows along the bottom of one edge and roll balls or marbles through the openings. Assign point values to each opening to practice math skills!
15. Set up a tape shape on the floor with some painter's tape for some directed bouncing. This is so easy, but you would be surprised at how entertaining it is. My kids and I call this The Amazing Rectangle.
16. Mama Smiles has instructions for how to play marbles, French style.
17. Play pool with golf balls and pencils; it can also be played on the table (via All for the Boys)
18. Floor maze. Similar to the table top obstacle course, set up a large maze on the floor using boxes, chairs or other items. Kids lie down and use their heads to move the ball through the maze. Challenging!
19. Counting croquet teaches math to the little ones. Set up tubes and paper arches along a course and use a toy hockey stick or child sized broom to hit the balls through the course. (via Toddler Approved)
20. Indoor bowling. Set up a tower up paper cups, yogurt containers, a variety of plastic containers headed for the recycling. TIP: the cups or containers don't have to match or be in an exact formation for kids to have fun. Experiment!
Supply list for floor ball games:
- Ping pong balls
- Painter's tape (Did I mention we use this all.the.time.???)
- Marbles
- Containers from the recycle bin
- Cardboard boxes
- Golf balls
- Pencils
- Child sized broom
I hope this list of indoor ball games encourages you to let your kids burn off some energy indoors with a little rowdy ball play. It's okay, it really is! However, if you remain unconvinced, there are plenty of low key ideas on our giant list of indoor activities.
More awesome indoor games:
- Indoor family games (no board required!!)
- 35 fun indoor games for kids (both active and quiet play ideas)
- Indoor activities for tweens
- Indoor active game: Land, Sea and Air
- 10 Indoor Active Art Projects for Kids
writersideup says
It's impossible not to love this blog 😀
Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says
What a great resource! Thanks for sharing!
maryanne @ mama smiles says
I'm definitely trying several of these with my kids - but need to order us a few ping pong balls first 🙂
Natalie says
Very cool - love your ping pong table battle!
getmovingfitness2013 says
Thank you for including us! What a great collection of ideas to keep everyone busy!
Thomas says
ill try it today looks fun thanks
paul mccann says
did you try it?
was it fun?
Emma says
These will certainly come in handy that next rainy day - thanks for putting this together!
Johny says
Love the ping pong battle game - We played something similar when we were young, but we used to blow the ping pong with the straws. Often, the ping pong would dent, so we would roll up newspaper into a ball with tape.
Nakisha William says
Great ideas for entertainment. Who doesn't love your blog? I love so much your blog always
Andrew Smith says
my kids love marble ball. a down sized version of carpet ball. made a table out of sanded pallet wood.