Despite all your winter clothing, hats, mittens, and boots, some days are just too cold to be outdoors. Spending another cold day indoors may leave your preschooler feeling restless. Interacting with different indoor preschool games will help chase away the boredoms.

Fun Indoor Games for Your Preschooler

Fun preschool games are a great way to spend a cold wintry afternoon indoors. Along with keeping your child entertained, your preschooler will enhance large and fine motor skills.

Indoor Bowling

Set up empty plastic bottles or cups in a triangle formation resembling bowling pins in an alley. Use masking tape to place a line on the floor that your preschooler must stand behind to bowl. Using a small foam or rubber ball and roll towards the pins to see how many you can knock over with one roll.

Indoor Obstacle Course

Setting up an indoor obstacle course has endless possibilities for your preschooler to enjoy.

• Using masking tape, create a balance beam on the floor.
• Tape off different squares for jumping from one to the next.
• Use a foam ball and basket for a hoop.
• Set up chairs with a small blanket to crawl under.
• Do jumping jacks, hopping, or run in place.

For added fun, you can set a timer to see if your preschooler can beat the record.

Freeze

Preschoolers love to dance and move around. Using a cd player or the radio, encourage your preschooler to dance to the music. Either shut the music off or say freeze. Your preschooler needs to stop moving and stand like a statue. The funnier the freeze position, the better the laughs.

Balloons

Brightly colored balloons are always a fun addition to a boring day. Consider these easy balloon games for your preschooler.

• Don’t Touch the Floor: Using your hands to bat the balloon, do not allow it to touch the floor. You can use timers to see how long the balloon stays in the air.
• Balloon Race: Set up a finish line with masking tape. Using large wooden or metal spoons, race with the smaller balloons. If the balloon falls off the spoon and touches the floor, your preschooler must begin again.
• Balloon Volleyball: Set up a net by attaching a towel or small blanket to two chairs. Simply use a balloon to volley back and forth over the net.
• Balloon Basketball: Using a laundry basket, encourage your preschooler to toss the balloon to score.

Board Games

Preschool board games or card games will always be classic entertainment. Allow your preschooler to pick their favorite game to play.

Animal Game

Mimicking animals encourage your preschooler’s natural curiosity to learn. Copying an animal can easily be part of an indoor game.

• How does a bunny hop?
• How does a horse gallop?
• How does a turtle crawl?
• How does a crab walk?

Spending time indoors on a cold day does not need to be boring. With a little creativity, you and your preschooler can have a memorable day. Montessori education embraces using nature to teach children; however, when it’s too cold to go outside, using hands-on play indoors is the next best alternative. Contact the Montessori School of Newark today to see a Montessori preschool class firsthand.

This article originally appeared on Montessori School of Newark’s blog at http://montessorifremont.tumblr.com/post/169408102218/cold-day-fun-indoor-preschool-games.