If you ever need a little impromptu entertainment for the kiddos, we've got you covered. Whether you have one child or ten, these ideas are sure to please everyone. Heck, you'll even want to get in on the fun!

1. Tennis

Grab a balloon and two "rackets" from the kitchen (spatulas, wooden spoons, etc.). If your kids are familiar with tennis, you can construct a net in the middle of the room. Try stringing yarn between two pieces of furniture, putting two chairs or other small objects in the center of the court, or running a piece of masking tape along the floor. Otherwise, just have fun smacking the balloon back and forth.

2. Baseball

If you have the space, a slight variation of indoor tennis is fun. Get your balloon-ball and cooking-utensil-rackets. Take turns "pitching" the balloon to each other. See how far you can run before the balloon hits the ground.

3. Bowling

Bowling is a great game because it can be played with just about anything. Your pins don't need to be the exact same size or shape. And you don't have to play with ten pins. Stop stressing about the rules and have fun! Here are some great pin ideas:

  • Building blocks
  • Plastic cups
  • Empty water bottles
  • Toilet paper or paper towel rolls
  • Small cardboard boxes (empty or full!)
  • Action heroes, plastic animals or any other toys that are similar in size

If you don't have a ball handy, roll up a few pairs of socks.

4. Mini Golf

Set up your own indoor mini golf course. Grab tin cans from the recycling bin. Make little flags with the hole number, attach them to a wooden popsicle stick, and add the finished flags to the cans. Depending on the age of your kids, you might want to create small obstacles for each hole too.

If anyone in the house is a golfer, ask if the kids can use real putters. Otherwise, plastic golf clubs and toy hockey sticks work well. You can even make your own with sturdy pieces of cardboard for the handle and toilet paper tubes for the club head.

Use ping pong balls rather than real golf balls (you are inside). Or, you can try rolling up socks to make soft, kid-friendly balls.

5. Cornhole

Grab two large boxes and cut a circular hole out of the center. Set up the boxes (now called cornhole boards) at opposite ends of the "court." Let your kids take turns tossing their bean bags at the boards.

If you don't have bean bags, make some. Add a scoop of dried beans or corn to a sock. Or, just roll a couple socks into a ball and use those as bags.

The official cornhole rules say a game lasts until one team scores 21 points. If you don't want to be super technical, you can make up your own rules. For example, allow trick shots. Can you stand on the sofa and score?

If you want to make this activity last even longer, let the kids customize (with paint, stickers, etc.) their cornhole board before play begins.

6. Cross Country Skiing

No matter what the weather is like outside, kids will love an indoor cross country skiing adventure.

Cut the skis out of strips of cardboard. Attach a "boot" to each ski with packing tape (cut a foot opening in a large plastic soda bottle to make the boots). If you can, grab long sticks from outside to use as the poles. Otherwise, let your skiers work on developing their balance!

7. Clothes Pin Drop

Back in the old days, before birthday parties were elaborately themed events, my mom used this as a party game!

Put a bucket, pan or other large-circumference container on the floor and put a chair in front of it. Let your kids kneel on the chair and lean over the back to drop close pins into the container.

To make the game more challenging for older kids, find something with a narrower opening (like a plastic cup) and have them drop something smaller (like pennies).

8. Object Hide-and-Seek

Think of this as a year-round, indoor Easter egg hunt. Gather a bunch of items to hide. These can be similar items (like craft sticks) or totally random, everyday things. Show your kids the objects they'll be searching for.

Choose the out-of-bounds areas. Will the kids be searching in just the living room or are all the rooms in the house fair game? Then, while the kids count, go hide the items.

Game play alternatives:

  • Hide one object per child and encourage them to find just that one thing.
  • Or, hide a bunch of items and whoever finds the most wins.
  • Set a timer and see if the kids can find all the objects before it rings.
  • Write each child's name on an item (or a piece of paper). Tell the kids they can only find their object. This will help younger kiddos recognize letters.

9. Flashlight Hide and Seek

Here is another variation of the old classic. Turn all the lights off and give the seeker the flashlight. Everyone else goes to hide. Since the seeker has the flashlight, the hiders had better find really good spots!

10. Paper Airplanes

Constructing paper airplanes is another activity that can be as simple or as complex as you want. Check different folding techniques. Make and test each one. Which style flies best?

Let your kids race the planes. Whose goes farthest? You can also set up targets on the floor or furniture to aim at. You could make it a bit educational; first hit the number one target, then aim for number two.

Let the kids decorate their planes and the fun will last even longer!

11. Ball and Cup Game

Grab two plastic bottles from the recycling bin. Cut the bottoms off to make a large opening. Dig around for a ball that will fit inside the bottles (maybe a ping pong ball?). If you can't find a ball, try putting a little sand in a balloon.

Position your kids a few feet apart (young kids will want to be close, old kids will appreciate the challenge of being farther away). Tell your kids to toss the ball to the other player who will try catching it in the "cup."

12. Pillow Case Race

Who has access to gunny sacks these days?! Stick your kids in a pillow case and have old-school fun.

Tell your kids to hop from the start line to the finish. Remove all obstacles first, because there will surely be some tumbles!

13. Play Charades

Work with your kids to make up various charade topics or characters. If the kids are older, you can write the ideas on a piece of paper. Younger kids will need a visual aid. Try finding printable cards online (here are some farm animals and zoo animals you could try).

Usually, the point of charades is to act out the topic without words or sounds. But feel free to bend the rules for younger players.

What other indoor activities have your kids enjoyed? What bails you out when kids are in a bad-weather funk?