9 Indoor Activities For Hyper Kids

Understood has compiled a great list of 9 indoor activities for the days when going outside just isn't an option.  These activities are guaranteed to help your hyper little one burn off some steam and keep their sanity indoors.

Check out these ideas to keep your kids from bouncing off the walls:

1. Scavenger Hunt:  Come up with a list of hard-to-find or hidden things in your house and give it to your child. Searching for the items can help keep her body and brain moving.
2. Bubble Wrap: Bubble wrap can inspire all kinds of activities!
3. Balloon Volleyball:  This game couldn’t be easier. Blow up a balloon and use a piece of tape to mark the center line or “net” on the ground. Balloon volleyball is a great game for two or more kids, but it can work for just one. If there’s nobody else around, have your child play both sides. She can run back and forth over the line to hit the balloon before it lands on the ground.
4. Hallway Hopscotch:  All you need for this active game is some free floor space, a penny to throw in the squares, and painter’s tape.
5. Word-Building Charades:  Your child has probably noticed that some letters reach above the middle space on her lined paper, some stay inside it and some dip below it. In this game, you translate the way letters look into body positions.  To start playing, write down a list of words. Then take turns choosing one and acting it out to see if the other person can guess what it is.
6. Water Bottle Bowling: With five to 10 empty plastic water bottles and a soccer ball (or another ball about the same size), you can create a home bowling alley in your hallway.
7. Twister:  This classic game is a great way to keep your child moving.
8. Indoor Snowball Fight:  When it’s too cold outside to have a real snowball fight, have one inside instead. And don’t worry about having to clean up melted snow or broken lamps—you can use Nerf balls, balled-up (clean) socks or even crumpled-up paper for your snowballs.
9. Dance Party:  Don’t forget the power of music to help your child burn off some extra energy.

I love the idea of having a scavenger hunt in the house. Since my son is still very young, I'll take pictures of the items with my smartphone and let him look for them using the images. An indoor hunt for plastic eggs (similar to an Easter egg hunt) would probably be a big hit too!

I think playing Twister with the kids is a great idea too!  We can work on colors and directions like left and right while we play.  If you don't have the board game, check out your local Goodwill or a thrift shop and you can probably score one cheaply.

The indoor snowball fight with socks sounds like great fun for the whole family!  We live in a region that doesn't get much snow so it might be great fun to do this one night as a family to help celebrate the holiday season.  I can't wait!

Need more ideas?  Check out the variations on these great activities for different age groups at Understood.