Games To Play When Bored At Home

1. MentalUP Brain Teasers

Who said that you can’t have fun and learn at the same time? We recommend downloading the MentalUP app, not only to protect children from harmful content on the internet and to help them use technology in a beneficial way, but also to help them learn and improve their skills in the most fun way possible.

Games to Play When Bored With a Friend. Riddle Challenge. Put your brain cells to use by challenging your friend to a game of riddles. There are numerous YouTube videos as well as internet sources of engaging and fun riddles that can keep you occupied for hours to come.

Fun games are the best way to take a break from your daily life and also it helps you reduce the stress. So, if you need a break, then we’ve featured the best games you should play when you feel bored. But, Play ta your own risk because they are highly addictive! Here we will provide you a list of Best Games to Play When You are Bored.
28 of the best single-player video games to play while staying at home. The battle royale looter-shooter game is easily the most popular game in the world right now — free.
Fun games to play at home can be quick, such as a few games of tic-tac-toe, or take a great amount of time, like a 1000 word puzzle. For rainy or hot summer days, our games provide enjoyment and many, such as the puzzles and word games, are also educational and build thinking skills.

This app consists of many single-player games. Each game is pedagogically-certified and designed to improve children's mental skills. If you’d like to take a quick look at the games to play at home when bored, here are some examples from MentalUP:

Let’s Draw

Development Areas: Reasoning, spatial perception, and counting

Make Ten Game

Development Areas: Planning, visual attention and math skills

Find the Word

Development Areas: Visual recognition, conceptualization, visual attention

Musical Instruments Game

Development Areas: Visual memory, aural memory, and decision-making

Requirements

A mobile device and the MentalUP app

How to Play

Follow the given instructions for every game. When your child performs well in the games, they earn in-game gold and can spend it to develop their avatar.

Benefits

Helps developmental skills and improves the child’s attention span, memory skills, and numerical, verbal, and visual intelligence. It features 100s of brain games besides math games, alphabet games, and many more!

NOTE: 20 minutes per day on MentalUP is sufficient. You can spend the remaining time with other games that are recommended at the end of the page.

2. Maze, Find the Difference, and Similar Paper-Based Games

These kinds of games are perfect alternatives for children and parents who are looking for indoor games. They can be played by oneself so you can use them to help your children combat their boredom when you have errands to run.

Requirements

As there are several books for these types of games, if you don't have one yet, you can print them from the internet. Better yet, print our free Maze and Find the Difference printables and get started with them!

How to Play

For the game “maze”, you have to find your way out of the maze without hitting a dead end. For “find the difference”, as the name suggests, you have to identify the differences between two or more images.

Benefits

These sorts of games support children's visual intelligence development as well as improving mental agility.

We offer many great printable resources on our Pinterest account! You can create many fun and educational activities for your kids at home with them. Yes! They’re all free and waiting for you 😊

3. Racket Sports

A wide variety of games for children to play at home when bored also contains indoor games that are adapted from outdoor sports such as tennis and badminton!

Yes, we know that they are 2-player games, but you can adapt them so your children can play them against the wall or by themselves.

Requirements

All you need to adapt these games into indoor activities are a racket and an empty wall.

How to Play

Your children can play by throwing the ball against the wall, bouncing the ball with a paddle on the floor, or counting how many times they can bounce the ball upwards by holding their paddle horizontally.

Benefits

These activities support the development of motor skills and kinaesthetic intelligence.

4. Radica 20Q

Games that are offered to children nowadays are much more interesting and fun than the older ones 😊. Radica 20Q is one of them, being a computerized game with twenty questions that start as a test in artificial intelligence (AI). The game is based on the oral hall game known as the twenty questions.

Requirements

You’ll need the gaming device Radica 20Q.

How to Play

20Q asks the player to think of something and then tries to guess what they think with twenty yes or no questions. If it cannot guess in 20 questions, it will ask 5 more questions. If the game cannot guess even after 25 questions, the player is declared the winner.

Benefits

This game helps improve problem-solving skills and strategic thinking.

5. Tangram

Tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle that has kept its popularity for hundreds of years now. It’s one of the most fun-proven games that can be played with single-player or multiplayer.

Requirements

You’ll need a piece of thick cardboard (to make the tangram shapes), a ruler, a sharp pencil, a pair of scissors (adult supervision is required), and paint & brush. Like many puzzle games today, you may prefer to playing tangram online as well.

How to Play

All tangram shapes must be used to solve each puzzle, and each tangram shape must touch at least one other shape. The tangram shapes must not overlap. By following these rules, you should put the tangram puzzle pieces together to form a shape.

Benefits

Parents widely prefer tangram puzzles because they improve children’s attention span and strategic thinking abilities while helping them understand instructions, make accurate measurements, understand geometric shapes, and work through logical steps.

🧩️ We created the best DIY Tangram Puzzle guides for parents looking for how to make their own tangram at home and an online playable free tangram game!

❱❱ Tangram Game to Play Online - Create Your Own Printable Tangram

6. Solitaire

Solitaire is a classic game and kids really enjoy it! It is also one of the most common single-player games.

Requirements

If your child wants to play Solitaires as a board game, a deck of cards is all they need. However, as there are many online and mobile versions of the game, you can also play them on mobile apps and websites.

How to Play

Cards must be distributed from a card deck to an arrangement on the desktop. The player tries to reorder the deck by suit and rank and transfers the cards from one place to another under certain restrictions. The aim of the game is to create four card-blocks from each suit ranging from ace to king, being able to get cards from the layout if they appear on the table.

Benefits

Solitaire improves children’s strategic thinking skills.

For more games in a digitally interactive environment, try MentalUP, which features dozens of games that require visual attention. Developed by doctors, game designers and academics, MentalUP is a pedagogically-certified app.

7. Simon Trickster

Although Simon Trickster is not that old, it's actually been around for a while. Let’s jump right to it.

Requirements

You’ll need the Simon Trickster device.

How to Play

There are several versions of Simon Trickster, but the instructions are basically the same: Follow the flashing lights and try to keep the pattern in mind.

Benefits

This game improves memory, attention and focusing skills.

Simon Trickster is a beneficial game, however, you may have difficulties finding the device in your local stores, or simply not want to spare money on just one game.

Therefore, MentalUP created “Singing Monsters” which is very similar to Simon Trickster and is accompanied by 100+ other games that will also improve your children’s mental skills. Plus, you can play it on any mobile device so it’s easy to join our worldwide family!

8. Hula Hoop

Hula hooping has been an outdoor activity for many occasions, but it is just as fun when you play it on your own and in your living room!

It is a good challenge for kids as they can play this amazing game both inside and outside. Of course, they will need a large area to turn the circle.

Requirements

Your child will need a hula hoop and a large area to provide mobility.

How to Play

The game is played by children turning hula hoops on various parts of their body mainly being the waist. How many turns will they be able to spin the Hula hoop without dropping it?

If your child doesn't know how to turn the hula hoop circle, it would make sense to have them watch a few videos beforehand. You can also use videos to learn new tricks.

Benefits

This exercise improves kinaesthetic intelligence and motor skills.

9. Card Matching Game

Here is another option for games to play at home when bored, the Card Matching game!

Requirements

To play this game, you can use a deck of cards, cards specifically for this game or you can make your own with the following easy steps:

First, divide an A4-sized paper or cardboard into eight equal pieces.
Next, draw two of the same symbol, number or patterns on each piece of paper.
We now have four sets (eight pieces) of paper, with two of each image.
Turn the papers upside down and mix them up. It’s time to play!

Our MentalUP games Flying Cards and Memory Cards are the digitally modified versions of the Card Matching and Concentration games! Don’t forget to try them out!

How to Play

Now the game begins! The aim is to find matching pairs with the least amount of flips. You can flip maximum two cards at a time and if you can’t succeed to find a match, you’ll have to turn them back and try again.

The player will repeat this process until all the matching images are paired. As children grow older, the number of cards can be increased to further test their memory skills.

Benefits

This game is very beneficial for improving memory skills.

10. Origami

An ancient and yet creative game that is both fun and relaxing. Let your child explore how many different shapes can become out of a blank piece of paper!

Requirements

You’ll need a blank sheet of paper and a guide for each shape. Feel free to use our printable origami guides.

How to Play

All you have to do is fold the paper according to the instructions.

Benefits

Origami helps boost attention and build proper motor skills while providing relaxation.

Learning with fun is one of the most amazing education methods in child development!

With thousands of games specially designed by academics and experts, MentalUP can help your children develop many different mental skills.

Games to Play With Friends at Home

So, it’s time for your weekly game nights and your children are willing to explore new games to play with friends at home? Try these fun options.

11. Hopscotch

Hopscotch is perhaps one of the oldest games. It not only helps children develop their motor skills, but also provides important daily physical activity children need.

Requirements

You may prefer to play outdoors which will require a piece of chalk for you to draw hopscotch or you can use ready to use hopscotch mats. Either way, you’ll also need a stone or a stone-like object.

How to Play

It’s very simple to play:

If you’re not using a hopscotch mat, draw a hopscotch design on the ground by using chalk.
Throw a stone or a stone-like object to land on square one.
Hop through the squares, skipping the one you have your marker on.
Do not step on the lines, always keep your feet inside the appropriate square.
When you turn back, pick up the marker stone and repeat by throwing your stone to the next square each time.

Benefits

Hopscotching improves motor skills.

12. Balloon Game

Here is a fun game that your children and their friends will enjoy very much.

Requirements

All you need for this game is a balloon.

How to Play

You inflate the balloon and start by throwing it to each other. The aim of the game is to keep the balloon in the air.

It is possible to add various rules to the game.

For example, you can make the game more difficult by saying that it will not touch any objects. Or you can set a rule where one player must throw the balloon to another player with a single throw.

Likewise, you can set a field limit for players and say, “We will stay in this field and hold the balloon in the air without touching anything”.

It can be played by two or more players.

Benefits

This game is important for the development of children's kinaesthetic intelligence, such as balance and motor skills.

13. Solo Game

Solo Game is a very entertaining game that has been popular for years. Even adults can find it addictive. It will be an essential of game nights 😃

Requirements

All you need for this game is a deck of cards. Don't worry, you can find them in most toy shops at a low price.

How to Play

Solo is a simple card game where you must play every card in your hand before any other player does. Every card has a specific amount of points, and at the end of each round, the total number of points is subtracted from the total you started with at the beginning of the round unless you get rid of all your cards and thus win the round.

Benefits

Games to play when bored at home by yourself

The Solo game improves children’s planning and problem-solving skills.

14. Finger Wrestling

Another classic game that your children and their friends can engage in is Finger Wrestling!

Requirements

They’ll need nothing but their hands.

How to Play

Players clamp their fingers together, as in the example image. Thumbs remain in the air and wrestling begins.

It’s quite a simple and fun game! The goal in this game is to put your own thumb on the opponent's thumb.

As an alternative for multiplayer games to play with friends at home, we recommend “Rock, Paper, Scissors”.

Benefits

This game improves fine motor and reflex skills.

The 'Performance Tracker' feature of MentalUP, which allows parents to control the development of their children, is designed just for you, parents.

Find out what skills your child develops by playing 15 minutes of fun MentalUP mind games daily, and provide them with the right support for their academic success.

15. Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-Tac-Toe is one of the most well-known games and perhaps the first pencil and card game a child learns. It is also quite simple to play.

Requirements

All you need is a pencil and paper.

How to Play

Draw a grid of two horizontal lines that intersect two vertical lines. Players select a box in turn and place the letter “O” or the letter “X” to mark their boxes.

The aim of the game is to fill three marks in a row or prevent your opponent from doing it. You can also prefer to play the game on a bigger grid for more competition.

Benefits

This game improves fine motor and reflex skills.

The 'Performance Tracker' feature of MentalUP, which allows parents to control the development of their children, is designed just for you, parents.

Find out what skills your child develops by playing 15 minutes of fun MentalUP mind games daily, and provide them with the right support for their academic success.

16. Indoor bowling

Think small, create great fun! Create your own bowling alley and turn a classic game into an indoor game!

Requirements

There are plastic bowling sets for indoor activities.

If you don’t own any, any ball and a few empty plastic bottles will be more than enough. Make sure that the ball is not too big so it won’t be too easy to topple the bottles.

It will also help the bottles balance better if you put a few small stones in them.

How to Play

The same rules for traditional bowling apply:

Separate the players into two teams.
Let the players in each team take turns to roll the ball in order to overturn the bottles!
The first team to overturn all of the bottles wins!

How to Play

For your little ones, you can predetermine certain rooms or hiding places. But for older children, it will be more fun to make the game more difficult.

For instance, you can enjoy playing in the dark and outside. Give a flashlight to the player trying to find people. The last person found will be the winner and will seek the others in the next round.

Benefits

Improves strategic thinking, reflexes and motor skills.

20. SOS

SOS is another classic game similar to tic-tac-toe.

Requirements

All this game requires is a pencil and paper.

How to Play

This is a game for two people. It is played in a fixed area on a checkered notebook or a grid that you trace. Each player has a single move each time. The player can either put an “S” or an “O ” inside the frame of his choice. The player who completes the word S-O-S first wins points and new moves. The player with the most completed SOS words wins.

Benefits

Playing SOS improves strategic thinking skills.

21. Hot-Cold

Are you ready for a little hunt? Hot-Cold is one of the most adventurous ones among the games to play with friends at home!

Requirements

You’ll need objects to hide and areas to hide them in.

How to Play

This is a game that is more fun to play with a group.

Collect a few items that you think may produce sound. They can be a lot of things you can think of, such as several blocks of wood, paper, spoons, whistles, etc. The important thing is that the sound they make is unique.

Cover your child's eyes and make sounds using these objects. Have your child try recognizing objects by their sound.

Benefits

This activity will support the development of attention, focusing and problem-solving skills.

Do you want to prevent your child from being bored while staying at home, and also turn free time into an educational activity? Discover the fun educational world of MentalUP!

With MentalUP's specially designed educational games, you can support your child's different mental developments ranging from mathematical intelligence to attention- and visual skills as well as focus.

29. Puzzles

A puzzle is actually an activity that can be done alone, with two people and/or in a more crowded arrangement. Here’s how you can also make the puzzle-solving activity a fun and challenging game.

Games To Play When Bored At Home For Kids

Everyone sits on the floor to form a circle.
Turn on the music while players pass the 'hot potato', which is actually a small softball, as quickly as possible in the circle.
When the music stops, the player holding the hot potato comes out.
When only one player remains, you have the winner of the game.

Benefits

Hot Potato improves the attention span, reflexes and focusing skills.

34. Draw & Pass

Here is a family game to combine the creativity of your whole family and form a masterpiece!

Requirements

A big paper and drawing and coloring materials are required.

How to Play

Let the youngest begin! The game proceeds according to the date of birth.
Get colored pencils and a big piece of paper.
The youngest player will draw something. It can be a circle or a line, etc.
Every other player will add something to this drawing. Let's see how it works out in the end!

Benefits

Supports the development of visual intelligence, fine motor skills and creativity.

Time spent at home with MentalUP is more precious than ever!

Support your child's development with brain booster daily workouts. MentalUP automatically prepares a special program for your child with more than a hundred games.

35. Treasure Hunt

Children always love to explore and finding hidden objects is very exciting for them. While some preparation is required to play, the fun it provides is what makes it one of the best games to play with family.

Requirements

You’ll need a reward for who completes the hunt and small pieces of paper to write the hints on.

How to Play

Write clues on small folded pieces of paper.
Plan each tip to take the kids to the next point.
When the children reach the end, they find a reward.

Benefits

Treasure Hunt improves logic, attention and strategic thinking skills.

36. Categories

This classic game can be played with three or more people, and any adult or child who can read will enjoy this game so make sure to make room for it within your family games.

Requirements

You’ll need paper and a pencil for each player.

How to Play

Everyone gets a piece of paper in front of them.
There are headings on the papers that contain categories, such as names, cities, animals, and plants.
One letter is specified, for example, the letter B.
Everyone writes a name starting with the letter B in the relevant categories without showing their papers.
Each correct word is worth 10 points. The score of those who have written the same words is divided between them and they are given 5 points for each word. Fields left blank are zero points.
At the end of the game, the highest score wins.

Benefits

Games To Play When Bored At Home

This game improves attention and memory skills.

37. Domino Run

Are you and your family ready to witness the beauty in movement? Yes? Let’s get started!

Requirements

Domino stones and a flat surface to place them on are required.

How to Play

Arrange the dominoes to trigger each other.
Use your creativity with the shape you form and improve the track and distancing.
After patiently lining the dominoes, touch the trigger together and enjoy watching this amazing movement you've built.

Benefits

Children will need to adjust the distances correctly. For this, they need to learn to think thoroughly, which will help improve their strategic thinking and motor skills.

38. Monopoly

Monopoly is a classic real-estate trading game. This classic game is so popular that both board game and online versions are available, but, the board game version is better for your family game nights.

Requirements

You’ll need the monopoly board game.

How to Play

In the game, players roll two six-sided dice to move around the board, buy and trade property, and develop them with houses and hotels. The game has many house rules.

Benefits

Monopoly helps improve attention and strategic thinking skills.

Games to play when bored at home for kids

39. Heads Up

Heads Up is one of the oldest known party games and it should be on your list of games to play with family.

Requirements

A piece of paper or ready-to-use name cards are needed.

How to Play

Have an unbiased person (they can be the judge of the game) write down names of movies, celebrities, plants, etc. on a piece of paper or use ready-to-use cards.
Set a timer for two minutes and have the first player hold up a card to their forehead without looking at it.
The other players should yell out clues for the first player (the one holding the card on their forehead).
The first player will continue to guess who or what is on their card until correct or until they decide to pass.
Repeat until the two minutes are complete.

Benefits

Heads Up boosts strategic thinking and memory skills.

Games To Play When Bored At Home Pc

40. Music Chair

Music Chair is a frequently chosen game at children’s birthday parties. Why not integrate it into your family game nights?

Requirements

You’ll need chairs and some music.

How to Play

Chairs are lined up so that there is one less than the number of participants (if there are 5 players there must be 4 chairs).
Music starts and children start dancing around the chairs.
After the music stops, all the players must grab a seat.
Whoever is still standing when the music stops is eliminated and takes one of the chairs with them.
Who gets the last chair wins the game.

Benefits

Music Chair improves attention and listening skills.

41. Story Time

It’s Story Time! Here is another family activity that you can enjoy on your game nights!

Requirements

Games To Play When Bored At Home With 2 Player

All you’ll need is your imagination.

How to Play

Start reading a story. It can be a new one or your children’s favorite.
After the first page, ask the person on your right to continue the story with their own narrative.
Keep passing the narrative of the story to the person to your right until each person has had a chance to continue the story at least three times. Each person should take a maximum of 1-2 minutes.

Benefits

This activity will support creativeness along with memory and attention skills.

TO SUM UP, WE HAVE INCLUDED:

Games to play at home when bored
Games to play with friends at home
Games to play with family
Brainteaser games from MentalUP
Free Find the Difference, Maze, and Origami printables from our Pinterest page!

If you like the games we’ve mentioned and would like to recommend them to others, please feel free to share this article on social media. 😃

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Whenever you are forced to stay at home, things can easily spiral out of control. Try games when you are bored at home to lift your spirits and have some joy. Staying at home with children who are bouncing off the walls but whining that they are bored may be nearly painful for parents. So here are some games parents easily play with:

Zoo in the neighbourhood:

Send out an invitation, but mention that the animal to be displayed any animal. Any animal can be displayed in a home, or new, interesting animals might be created. Encourage kids to look for them while you’re out walking. Make a list of everything you discover. Make up names for them. Use them to pique children’s imaginations and inspire them to create their own new animal.

You may interest in “ps4 Lego games”.

Chalk Your Walk:

Another entertaining game to play at home when you are bored. While it is not an inside game, it is authorized for social distancing. Draw positive notes all around the area with sidewalk chalk. So innocent and inspiring. While it may not appear to be a game to play while bored, it is an enjoyable pastime that can help kids develop their imagination as they come up with new things to say.

Playing Phone:

Remember the traditional children’s game Telephone, in which one child whispers something to another, who then passes it on to another, and so on until the line is broken. The last child to get the message announces what he. It’s generally a far cry from the original statement and really amusing.

Gardening with the Family:

Include the youngsters in the springtime activity of planning and planting a garden. Ask them to assist you in determining what to grow and where to grow it, taking into account sunlight, water and other elements. Kids can assist make decisions and start preparing the soil, whether they are young or old, and whether they have a huge or little garden. The physical effort keeps the youngsters occupied and fatigued, allowing them to get a full night’s sleep.

Are you interested in “online garden design”?

Band from the neighbourhood:

During playing hour, or at any time, perhaps some neighbors would like to offer their guitar, violin, flutes, from their balconies. Try sharing the idea with your neighbors on Next door or with your Fb connections. You could even do a sing-along with this.

Conclusion:

I hope ideas comes in handy when you are attempting to come up with activities to play while your kids are bored at home. While not every activity appears to be a game at first glance, practically every activity can be enjoyable, educational, or beneficial to others.