Indoor Play Ideas

Hat Stash & Dress Up
Collect funny hats -- caps, cowboy hats, fireman's hat, etc. You can try cheap toy stores, discount shops (like $2 shops), secondhand shops and charity secondhand shops. Then make sure you have a mirror at child eye-level. Alternatives & Expand This Idea: Collect a few dress up clothes at the same time.

Role Playing - Doctor
Have some pretend fun with a doctor's kit from the toy store, plus a few "real" additions from your home first-aid kit: bandages, gauze, tongue depressors, and a dish towel for a sling. Alternatives & Expand This Idea: Have a good look around both your house & shops - maybe you can play pretend with other roles. Swap kits, dressups etc with other mums, keeping playthings new & interesting!

What's In the Bag Game
Throw various objects into a paper bag, the child then sticks his/her hand in to guess what they're feeling. Play it with your eyes closed too! Try ordinary household objects, from the kitchen, toys, hairbrushes & toothbrushes, key rings, garden materials like leaves and nuts.

Set Up A Shop
Save old cereal boxes, cans and cartons. Use a shoe box for the cash register, and make play money. Get some use out of those plastic bags from Woolworths or Franklins.

Take a Vacation at Home
For example, if you chose Italy as your evening's destination, eat an Italian meal, drink from wine glasses, and most important, imagine what it would be like in Italy. Hold an Hawaiian luau complete with paper-bag leis, a Japanese or Chinese evening, eating your food sitting on the floor. Research a few facts before your night, and your children will learn a little about each country each time. Alternatives & Expand This Idea: Use this idea when entertaining guests, or for a party.