17 Great Indoor Games and Activities

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Really.... have you people never used rice in a sensory table or uncooked pasta on picture frames??? If poverty is that big of a deal to you, donate, like I do. It doesn't mean kids can't use things like certain foods to explore and invent things with. People can really find things wrong with everything if they look for it... Aren't water tables and swimming pools wastes of water then too????

Another thing to do indoors is to have them help clean!!! Making it like "grown up" time helps their little minds. You might be aprehensive to have them handle dangerous chemicals, but there are safe products that everyone in your household can handle! Looking at essentialconsumption.advancingwithus.com will give you the start to bringing safe cleaning products into your home!!

Why is it that so many people can't spell marshMALLOWS?!? UGH!

Wow. As a single father with a 9 year old, when we go camping its amazing to see families pull up in thier Escalade with a fully loaded camper or a 50' RV, make sure the TV's and every light is on, cook 2-3 marshmellows and throw the entire bag out and 1-2 large garbage bags full of unopened hotdogs, plates, food, etc - not THAT is wasteful. The activity below I'd rather see kids doing together, then playing DS's or texting eachother all afternoon.

I have been following your advice for the last two years, and you always provide useful insights and answers to any concerns i have about my toddler's development. i am rather amazed to see so many negative comments about the marshmellow activity. Really? Eating one or two organic marshmellows is not going to make your child obese. Particulary, if your child has a healthy, well balanced diet and lifestyle.

I think the marshmallow and pretzel idea was cute! Kudos! What's the harm if your child eats a few marshmallows?! Relax. They are only little for so long, let them enjoy it! In MY generation, no parent was wondering if their child was going to be "obese" or gain weight from a couple marshmallows. I am 25. What is sad, is that by worrying about EVERY THING your child puts in his/her mouth, your child won't be obese...they'll have an eating disorder INSTEAD! Now, you tell me which is worse?

The activity did not say anything about eating the marshmallows, but simply creating. There are many things that contribute to children's obesity such as fast foods or sitting in front of the television or computer for long periods of time instead of physical activity. I don't believe eating a marshmallow or 2 during an activity is going to gain them the calories they can't lose. As far as wasting food?? When you have children, you should expect to do a little wasting.

So far two out of the three suggestions have contained sugary items. When are we going to get away from filling our children with sugar? There are too many obese and unhealthy kids out there, and mine are not going to join the statistics. I would like practical, fun suggestions that don't include ruining their health. Thanks!

I hesitate to add my two cents on the marshmallow activity but here it goes...I have used the idea twice at my daughter's birthday party. They were in second grade at the time. We used small marshmallows and dry spaghetti. The objective was to make a structure that could stand by itself. The kids had a 20-25 minute time limit. No we did not eat any of the materials but did have to mop the floor since that was the work surface.

For those afraid of waste: I have seen more playdough go into the trash than food. I'm sure the chemicals used in it are worse for our environment than marshmallows and pretzels which may actually be eaten by animals. Weigh that when you are trying to decide which is the worse evil...

Really troll? You're going to say that starving kids should eat marshmallows? No one should eat marshmallows. Starving kids are suffering enough. Let's not insult them by giving them nutrient deficient chemically processed food! Use the marshmallows as toys I say!!

The Card idea sounds great and shows so much more thought then just buying a card!

the pretzels sticks were a good side for lunch dipped in peanut butter

My boys had fun with the marshmallows. With clean hands and sitting at the table we made rice crispy treats with the new "toys" for an after dinner treat when they finished building.

Wow is all I can say!!! Some ppl need to get a grip and mind your business and your manners. Being rude to someone over play time suggestions, really?? What are YOU teaching your children?

I am researching ideas for things to do with my daughter who is 20 months. And I happen on this back and forth. I really think offering ideas is a lot better than knocking down others for whatever reason you may feel is necessary. This whole back and forth is what the problem is with this world. It's just disappointing to see this.

I love the idea of holiday hunt and as for the tinker toys there is no harm with eating or not eating the marshmellows or pretzels and if you think there is then dont do the project.

This idea is great! My child and I also play pirates. We pretend my bed is our ship and use empty paper-towel rolls as parascopes.

It does seem like a cute, fun project for toddlers, but honestly, a toddler doesn't need 9 marshmallows out on the floor all covered in pretzels and have the bags of marshmallows and pretzels there with him/her. Give the child 2-3 marshmallows and a small handful of pretzels. It's all that is needed so they CAN eat it and it WON'T go to waste!

Most of these play suggesstions are for older talking toddlers. my 2yr old will shake glitter everywhere and squirt glue in my hair. The sugar cookie idea includes both someone to watch the child while you gather up ingredients,and a now sugar-infused toddler trapped inside. Are there any single mom-with-limited-supplies during an ice storm ideas?

If you are okay with wasting food and money, you may want to think about this- Over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. Those marshmallows and pretzels might not seem like much, but to those in absolute poverty, they are more than an entire days worth of subsistence. http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats Don't, "calm down" think about the little things we do, and make change happen.

I agree with wasielewski121. If you're children are going to eat all of the food, then this would be a fun, creative project. If the food is going to end up in the trash, then it is a blatant waste.

if you live in a climate that offers snow - a good idea is to go outside with several ziplocs. After fresh snow has just fallen, load several bags with snow and place them in your freezer. When the temperature changes, pull out the snow. Place in large bowls. Offer spoons, cups etc. Make small snowmen...even a snowball fight in your bathing suits!!! My children remember doing this with me and they are all adults!!

wasielewski121- you need to CALM DOWN! lol It isn't wasting food when they eat their finished project. And if they don't eat it, then it is really no big deal....they probably "waste" more food then that when they are eating a meal! I can't believe that you would even say anything about wasting food. It is a few marshmellows and pretzels! The kids won't learn how to waste food! They will take in and learn how to be creative and use their imaginations! I think it was a great idea!

People are ridiculous. Don't like the idea, don't do it plain and simple. How is it wasting food? It is still edible at the end, and a couple marshmallows are not going to kill your kid!! Please people, live a little & let your children do so too. It's not that serious.

wow there marshmallows, relax people. Kids eat everything, if your child doesn't like marshmallows then use something different, if they do then let them use marshmallows, there fun and yes sticky but what are you no fun. People starve in 3rd world countries, not over a few marshmallows ,lol

The tinkertoy idea challenges your child to be creative...not waste food. If your opinion holds true, then aren't we saying that it's okay to chop down trees for wooden toys or fill our landfills with plastic toys? Let the kids have fun...and let them eat it afterwards. Moderation is key. And learning how to be creative and have fun is part of being a kid.

From a Nana to some of the Moms - relax a bit about the marshmellows. It's sounds like a fun activity and a few marshmellows never hurt anybody. They are little children for such a short period of time. The starving children around the world aren't going to eat the leftovers on your children's plates either.

We're not showing kids how to waste food. Get over it. They'll eat it. Adults waste food everyday!

our fun time is movie night and cards and board games. kids are getting to into computer games,ds,ds-xl and other electronic things. this is no subtitute for the human touch.or the fact that they can use their brain and feel the emotion that goes along with it,you also get to spend family time.family time and real human emotion is what some of our kids or lacking ,compassion,forgiveness,warmth,and ethics and true family preservation.teach them whats wrong and what's right.

I think the marshmallow tinkertoy idea sounds fun, can't wait to try it with my family....it would also be a good game to bring on a camping trip...roasted marshmallows and smores after you are all done playing :)

The tinkertoys game can just as easily be played using playdough - less sticky than marshmallows - and as the children will probably eat the marshallows anyway, non-toxic playdough doesn't contain buckets of sugar. Plastic flat-ended chopsticks make great skewers and are re-usable :)

agree with wasielewski121, unless the object is to eat the creations after. Talk about starving children too -- you'd be amazed what kids absorb when you don't think they are paying any attention!

In resonse to wasielweski121's comment: "...are going to SHOW children how to waste food?" I actually did this project with the children at my church. The children created formations and ate it right up when finished! There was no waste at all. And the project became a contest with teams of three to see who could make the most creative formation. They had a ball!

my comments above were in response to the Marshmellow Tinker Toys!

come on now . . . food as toys! think of the starving children in the world and here in America we are going to SHOW children how to waste food? no no no a very very inappropriate suggestion.

My kids love finding hidden objects...at easter hiding easter eggs can last for hours. We do hearts at v-day, fake coins for st. patty's day, etc... They like hinding them for me as well!