Trying to catch your breath? I’ve been there! But there’s SO many games to play sitting down that you both can enjoy.
Playing with your kids can be tiring!
Some days, you just don’t feel like running around playing hide and seek or playing stuck in the mud. While you might not be able to get a free moment for yourself, you could still try and relax while playing some games that don’t require running around.
To help you on rainy days, when you don’t have the energy, or when you are sitting down waiting somewhere, such as a doctor’s office, here are 13 games to play sitting down.
Games To Play Sitting Down That Kids Love
Broken Telephone
Broken telephone is a game that is best played sitting down. Get yourself and the kids sitting down on the floor in a circle. Choose one person to begin (each child can have a turn starting each round).
This person whispers a phrase to the person sitting next to them, trying to be as secretive and quiet as possible. All the kids need to stay quiet so that the person can hear them.
This child then whispers the message to the child next to them, and so on until it reaches the last person. This person then says the phrase out loud, and you all get to laugh at how broken up and silly the phrase is once it reaches the last person!
Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-tac-toe is a classic game that never gets old. All you need is some paper and pencils to get started. Sit down with your child and draw the grid for the game. Take turns placing your x’s or o’s until a winner emerges.
Even if your little one is too small to understand what is going on, they will enjoy drawing their x’s and o’s. Its great practice for them to learn how to hold a pencil properly and draw different shapes.
The Quiet Teddy
All you need for this game is a small stuffed animal. Sit in a circle on the floor with the kids, and give the stuffed animal to the child who is being the quietest.
This child tosses the teddy gently into the air, to someone close by in the circle. If someone drops the teddy, throws it out of the circle, or talks, they are out of the game. The kids need to keep as quiet as possible, throw straight and catch the teddy when tossed at them to be able to stay in the game!
The Quiet Teddy is the silent version of hot potato but better for little kids since the teddy is soft, it won’t break anything if they miss.
This is a great, silent game that parents love (I wonder why?!)
Snap
Snap is another classic game that is suitable for almost every age. You can use a simple deck of cards, UNO cards, or a special snap card pack.
Deal the cards out evenly, so each player has the same amount. Once ready, each place one card down at the same time until there are two matching cards. They can be the same color, number, or suit – whatever is easiest and suited to your child.
When there is a matching pair of cards, players need to shout out “snap!”, whoever says snap first is the winner and wins all of the cards on the pile. Keep playing until someone runs out of cards – the last player with cards is the winner of the whole game.
Name Game
This name is suited for children who can read and write, and not so suitable for younger children.
Give each child a piece of paper, and then come up with a random first name. The name can be long or short – depending on the age of your child. Write the name on each piece of paper, one letter under the other.
Start the timer – each child or player has 5 minutes to write down as many names as they can think of which start with each letter of the chosen name. At the end of the 5 minutes, the person with the most names on their list wins!
Board Games
Board games are perfect for sitting down, and there are so many different types of board games to choose from. There are board games for toddlers, kids, and teenagers – so you will definitely be able to find one to suit your child.
Not only do board games let you play while sitting down, but they are such fun, and get kids away from screens. There are many board games which are educational as well!
Our Favorite Board Games
Age: Box says 8 and up, but I’d argue 4 and up.
This is one of the best games to play with young kids! They absolutely love it. The game was made by a six year old and is truly addicting.
Even though the box says it’s for children 8 and up, we have various kids between 4 and 6 who love this game during parties. They play for hours and never want to go home.
2. Ticket To Ride: First Journey and Ticket To Ride
Age: There’s two versions. First Journey is for ages 6 to 15. Regular Ticket To Ride is for 8 and up.
I’m a bit biased because I personally love this game. I don’t mind playing it on repeat (like Monopoly where I can barely get through the first half.)
So, when I found out there was the version for little kids, I bought it at once!
It’s become one of my kids favorite games to play. The premise is to build railroads between cities. It seems simple enough but I like how it gets my kids thinking ahead and strategizing.
Age: Manufacturer recommends 8 and up but I strongly believe children 5 and up can play.
The design of this game is extremely cute and very easy to play.
Keeping score can be a little hard for younger kids if they’re playing on their own. However, it’s a game that a 5 year old and a 12 year old can easily play together and both enjoy.
I also love the amount of strategy involved in this game. I can honestly say my daughter (5 years old) has outsmarted me a couple of times (and no, I swear I didn’t ‘let her win’ haha).
If you’re looking for an incredibly fun game that promotes strategic thinking, this is it!
Educational Apps
If you need some time to get stuff done, but want your little one sitting down and keeping busy, you could download an educational app onto your phone or tablet. Make sure the app is suited to their age, and that it is fully parental controlled.
Educational apps provide so much more benefit to kids than normal tablet or phone games, and it will keep your little one busy and learning while sitting down. You could also sit with your child as they play through the app, to help them if they get stuck.
Fun Brain Jr is one of my favorite educational apps you can grab on iOS. One of their apps is for children as young as 2, which teaches them basic number and letter recognition plus helps them fine tune their motor skills.
Fish School is another awesome one that teaches letters, numbers, shapes, and more! it’s available on iOS and android.
For older kids (10 and up), Science360 is an amazing resource with the latest science videos and information available. The only drawback is it’s only available on tablets/iPads. For long road trips, I make sure I have this app downloaded and my iPad completely charged. Even my youngest, who doesn’t understand the videos, loves watching them.
Story Time
Story time is always such fun, but why not take story time to the next level and turn it into a fun game for the kids!
Sit in a circle with your kids on the floor, one next to the other. On small pieces of paper, write down story ideas – such as a fairy in the forest, a giant troll under the bridge, etc, and place these into a hat or container.
Each person gets a turn to start – pick a piece of paper out of the hat and start the story. The first player says the first sentence of the story, and the player next to them carries on with another sentence, with each person adding a line to the story as they go.
This can become one of the greatest stories told – or the silliest – but it is a great way to encourage story time, and to get the kid’s imagination going making up stories of their own!
Playdough Diner
Playdough is just such a great resource to have for young kids. It gets them working with their hands, learning new colors, shapes, and textures, and just lets them have fun.
Turn playdough time into a game by playing playdough diner! On small pieces of paper, write down different ingredients that go onto burgers or pizzas – such as cheese, pickles, tomatoes, etc, and write down main meals such as pizza, pasta, or burgers.
Your child can pick one main meal paper out of a hat, for example, a burger. Then they pick out 3 or 4 smaller ingredient papers from another container, such as cheese, tomatoes, and pickles. They then have 3 minutes to make a burger with cheese tomatoes and pickles using their playdough!
Bingo
Who doesn’t love a good game of bingo? There are some great bingo sets available for all ages, and it is a great way to get your kids to practice reading numbers or even small words with word bingo. Give the kids a bingo sheet each, and coins or beans to place as they get a number or word called out.
While you don’t have to play for prizes – as this can become quite competitive for little ones – you could have a small treat for the winner, making sure that each child eventually gets the turn to win.
It also gets the kids to practice their quick reflexes by having to shout out bingo quickly!
Color Time
Coloring never gets old – and it can keep kids busy for ages. To get your kids really excited about coloring, get them their own pencil case, some special crayons, pencil crayons (like twistables) or markers, and their very own coloring book that their siblings don’t get to touch.
Set it all out nicely for them and let them sit down to color in for a while. You could also sit with them and color in your own adult coloring book. It is incredibly therapeutic and you might end up craving your coloring in sessions with your kid!
Checkers
Never underestimate the joy that a simple old game such as checkers can bring. You will be able to find a cheap checkers set at the store, so you don’t even have to spend too much money. Checkers is a fairly simple game to play, so it is suited to younger kids too.
It is a relaxing game to sit down and play in the afternoon, and it gets your child thinking and strategizing while having some good quiet fun.
If your child is a little older, you could also purchase a chessboard and teach them how to play.
Puzzles
Puzzles are ideal to sit down and play. You could even start a puzzle swap with other moms so that instead of having to buy new puzzles each time your kids finishes them a few times, you could swap with them for new ones.
You can set a puzzle up on the table or floor, and either let your little one do it on their own, or sit and attempt a harder one with them.
Puzzles are relaxing and so rewarding, and are the perfect sit down activity to do on a rainy day!
When we’re done with the puzzles, I’ll apply clear glue on the front and back and let it dry. Once dried, my daughter like to hang it up and have is as ‘art’ in their bedroom.
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