Indoor Play Ideas for Older Children
If you find yourself with a gathering of middle school-aged kids when the weather is unpleasant, you may need to help them find something to do. Older kids are sometimes harder to entertain than younger kids, but there are a few ways you can keep them happy and active indoors.
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Indoor Theme Parks and Arcades
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If you and the kids need to get out of the house, find the nearest indoor amusement park or arcade for some indoor fun. Older kids would probably enjoy playing a game of laser tag or going inline skating. A franchise indoor amusement park is "Fun-n-Stuff" -- or you can seek out an indoor water park or roller rink. Many older children love video games, and an arcade will likely keep them entertained for hours.
Fashion Show
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Many older kids still love to play dress-up, so if they're game, you can organize a fashion show and even record it with a digital camcorder. The kids can put together their own outfits or get help from a "stylist" -- you or a teenage sibling. They can also do their own hair and makeup -- or you can appoint two of the children as hairstylist and makeup artist. A hallway can be the "runway."
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Name That Tune
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Older kids usually pay more attention to the music on the radio than younger children, so playing "name that tune" will probably entertain them. Pull up a few songs online, play each for just a few seconds and then hit "stop" or "pause." The first kid to guess the name of the song gets a point. The child with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Dance-Off
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If the kids love to dance, put on some music, move furniture out of the way and encourage them to have a "dance-off." Let them show off their best moves with an opponent and have the other kids judge who the winner is. They can also just have a "dance party." To make sure the dancing doesn't get out of hand and lead to injury, make sure there is an adult to keep an eye on the party.
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