Indoor Kids Games That Aid Social-Emotional Development in Kids
In order for kids to understand their feelings and regulate their behavior, they need to be able to express themselves effectively. See how these indoor kids games can enable your child to develop emotionally and socially.
The Greetings Game: Indoor Kids Games
This game is perfect for siblings who need to practice their manners. To start, demonstrate some greetings with a volunteer and have the kids repeat after you. For example, you could say “Hi, my name is ____” and “Nice to meet you” and “See you later.” Then, ask the kids to take turns greeting each other. Practicing greetings in a familiar setting increases social comfort and teaches kids to be kind and welcoming to others.
Attentive Listening: Fun Games to Play Indoors
Instruct your child on how to be an attentive listener with this simple activity. First, demonstrate active listening with a volunteer. Make sure to ask thoughtful questions and avoid interrupting. Then, have the kids take turns being listener and speaker. You can suggest topics for them to talk about like their favorite food, animal or color. To find out if the kids have been fully listening to each other, you can even conduct a multiple choice test at the end of the activity!
Random Acts of Kindness: Indoor Games for Kids at Home
This spin on “I Spy” will enhance your child’s social-emotional development. All you have to do is ask your kids to look for and share any act of kindness they see around them. Did they spot someone helping an elderly person cross the street? Did they see someone share food with a friend? After they’ve observed these random acts of kindness, they can make a “kindness journal” of their own and jot down the times when they’ve helped others.
Anger Management: Indoor Active Games
Teach your child about healthy ways to cope with anger. It’s only natural for your little one to feel agitated or irritated from time to time. A great way for them to process these emotions is with “trigger stickers.” Make a list of common anger triggers and have your child place stickers in the boxes that apply to them. The list could include experiences like being told ‘no,’ being teased, losing a game, and so on. This activity helps kids acknowledge what makes them angry and then think of ways to calm themselves down. If you’re not sure what to suggest for self-soothing, the deep breathing technique often works wonders!
Responsibility and Accountability: Indoor Kids Games
You can encourage your kids to be more responsible and accountable with skill-building indoor games for kids, such as Osmo’s Pizza Co. In this game, players are expected to keep customers happy by identifying and reacting to their non-verbal cues. Learning responsibility and accountability enables kids to form stronger and more meaningful connections with others.
Music and Art as Emotion Regulators: Fun Games to Play Indoors
If your little one sometimes experiences bouts of anxiety, fear, or anger, listening to music can be an effective distraction. You can reinforce music as a calming mechanism by playing music during stressful moments. If your kids like creating their own music, try Osmo’s Coding Jam, which lets them write cool musical beats with blocks of code!
Additionally, you can empower your kids to express themselves with fun drawing games for kids an indoor games for kids at home. Osmo’s iPad drawing games like Masterpiece, Monster, and Super Studio give your child space to let their imagination run wild!
Make sure to check out the rest of our blog for other indoor kids games and fun games to play indoors with Osmo’s educational learning games for kids blend screen time and hands-on fun.
