Indoor activities for active young boys

Building a den with cushions etc, if you have the space. My two grandsons race each other in the hall as worms, so they're on their front and not allowed to use their hands. They play 'the floor is lava ' where they move from one couch to another,only standing on cushions. Hide and seek is another possibility. Dancing to Alexa and playing musical statues sometimes works but they are both competitive so it can lead to tantrums! Space it out. They build a den, then sit in it for a snack. They play hide and seek then draw etc Good luck

Get out of the house for some of the day- take a ball or some little cars to the park, go to the library, museum or “carrotty”( charity) shopping, ride on a bus, go to a cafe , indooors - watch Wallace and Gromett, indoor picnic or make a ramp to race little cars down.

There are some excellent sites with simple science experiments to do at home with all ages. Boys love anything that makes a bang and the erupting volcanoes I have made with my GC when they were small were a great success but best done outdoors if the weather is fine! Making paper aeroplanes from paper and card and measuring the distance they fly then sticking on buttons, feathers etc on the wings to see if that alters the flight and balance. You would be surprised how many drops of water you can drip on to a penny with a plastic dropper. The list is endless. A bit of pre-planning is useful to make sure you have all the stuff you need. Enjoy. I would love those days again but the little beggars have gone and grown up!!!

The thought of coordinating four DGC, one a baby, one a very boisterous 6 year old and going to a museum or library with them would fill me with anxiety!

I think they would go to the park or an outdoor activity if the weather is good, let's hope it is.

Will the parents be there? Or do you have them on your own for the day, Musicmrs?

Baking, making smoothies?
A boisterous activity followed by a calm one such as a game or Lego?

I looked after a little girl for a couple of hours the other week. That's when I realised it had been a mistake to get rid of all the toys and games when I was decluttering.
We did still find some Lego.

Ditto to dens! My Gdcs regularly turn the place upside down using every blanket/throw and cushion, plus a few dining chairs (or the dining table) as ‘framework’.

It takes only minutes after they’ve left, to put everything straight again.

I was in The Works yesterday, and they have a Meccano-style racing car, £7 or 3 for £15. Hobbycraft, The Works and The Range have lots of similar. Can you find out what the kids are into? A particular football team, other sport, Lego, science, art, cars, etc

Our local charity shops often have Lego, board games, jigsaws etc

Got to honest and say we are into painting, (on the kitchen floor, on the garden path?), but I appreciate I may be in the minority! Basically I like the idea that staying at gran's house means freedom. I know I don't have 4, but I don't have 2 other adults - can one adult take one boisterous grandchild off somewhere?

I didn't mention painting nor play dough because you focused on 'active'. Anything messy is good but difficult when you have four to entertain. I've also given mine chalks and carte blanche to chalk the terrace in the back garden. Definitely science experiments but, again, that's quite difficult to manage with four. If you can get them to soft play for an hour, that'll tire them out. I've done that with the boys when I have them all day, although I'd rather stick pins in my eyes

We’ve 5 grandsons, no girls in the mix, and I’d agree that if it’s at all possible they need to get outside in the fresh air and just run some energy off. If it’s pouring down and they’re stuck indoors though, ours just shoot upstairs when they’re together and do whatever the heck they do in the spare bedrooms. We’re lucky in that we’ve accumulated a lot of toys, puzzles etc from charity shops over the years, but from the clearing up afterwards it looks as though dens and made up games are usually the order of the day. If we’ve just got a couple of the boys at once, baking’s one of the few calming activities I can rely on. Treasure hunts are good, but over very quickly for the effort involved. Ours are too old for play dough, but that used to be a winner. Good luck - have fun!

Oh, and the Orchard games would be good for their ages - Tummy Ache, Shopping List, etc. And picture bingo. Always to be found in charity shops.

Ours like to put on a show - rehearse, make tickets, video the performances.

Get them involved in cooking or baking. Mine love anything that involves eating the produce afterwards! Home made pizza and decorating their own individual ones are popular as are scones,rocky roads, flapjacks and biscuits.

Goodness that’s a handful!

Put the TV on and open the gin?

Only joking.
Good luck with it though,

vegansrock

Ours like to put on a show - rehearse, make tickets, video the performances.

Ohh, that reminds me of when my 3 Boy's used to do this. I've still got the dressing-up box. It was such fun, also cheap & it stretched their eager brains thinking about how the little plays would evolve, often with hilarious results. 🤠🥳🥸🤡🤖

vegansrock

Ours like to put on a show - rehearse, make tickets, video the performances.

Have you got a Magic Tricks box as well.

That then takes up a lot of time.

With much hilarity as they try and master some tricks, if my lot are anything to go by!

vegansrock

Ours like to put on a show - rehearse, make tickets, video the performances.

I bought easy hand puppet kits which they sewed then put on shows.

Lots of giggling, then the show would begin as the hand puppets appeared from behind the back of the sofa.

Another one was keen on being a waitress, writing out orders then making the food in the "kitchen" then serving it on the little tea set. If we giggled or complained about the food we were ordered out of the café. 😁

and do whatever the heck they do in the spare bedrooms

Gymnastics and acrobatics on the beds!

My son used to like to play horses when he was about four or so.
This consisted him being a horse called Nicey & me being a horse called Lovely. He made-up the names & we lived in a 'stable' behind the sofa but we used to come out for little canters in the garden. This game went on for hours! We even made little cavelletti jumps for our horsey ego's enjoyment! He is now 6ft.1!
I still sometimes have a little trot around the garden, much to the bewilderment of the Dog.😊

Ask the parents what the children do at home when weather isn't good. They could suggest tasks and perhaps even bring sonethings toywise they like to play. If this is a one off visit best to look in charity shops rather than go to expense of buying toys that may be grown out at any future next visit. The 6 year old will probably be in charge of what they want to do!

Definitely look for an indoor playgymn in your area..Most ..even small.ones...are ok up to age 10 and often have a baby play area x

When my 4 children were stuck indoors they used to build an obstacle course in our living room, which only had two couches, a chair and the tv in it, as we had a separate sitting room. They used books, the broom and floor mop to jump over crawl under. This could last all day. They came up with tasks which were put in a bag and the person doing the task had to pick one out a random, it could crawl under the hurdles backwards without touching anything. Lunch became a rainy day picnic under the dining room table complete with the picnic hamper. Gosh just seems like yesterday they did this, the eldest is 36 and the youngest 27

I would definitely get them to run some energy of outdoors ,the park ,a scavenger hunt ,puddle splashing, a walk and picnic ,if nothing available in the area then you could draw a map of your area and ask them to take you to a particular place.. or a bus ride somewhere. If there is any soft play or stay and play activies nearby then that would work .Afterwards a picnic on the floor at home,and den making if they need some quiet time the Stickman film is a nice one to watch, enjoy your day and have a ready meal or a delivered meal in the evening x

If you have to stop and sit for any length of time try sensitive shaving foam on the kitchen table ….(or garden table). It is a glorious sensory activity. A quick wipe with a towel and the mess is cleared and there’s a pleasant smell! Even if a child covers another with the stuff there really isn’t too much mess.

Check out some fun indoor activities for children, like this one www.footprintseducation.in/blog/10-indoor-games-for-children/