Getting energy out indoors: Color Dash

Color Dash is a simple game that  my husband made up for times when the boys are full of energy but we can't go outside. It's simple enough that once my 4-year-olds had played it with grownups a few times, they were able to do it on their own.

All you need are some small colored objects (we used some little 1-inch wooden blocks) and a bucket or other container.

Step 1: Scatter the blocks over a designated area of the floor.

Step 2: Pick a starting line and put the bucket on the floor. The players line up by the bucket.

Step 3: One kid chooses a color (they take turns), i.e. "Red!"


Step 4: The players run toward the blocks, pick up all the red blocks as fast as they can, and run back to put them in the bucket.

Repeat steps 3-4 until all the blocks are back in the bucket.

So simple and there's no winner (though of course you could give each player their own bucket and see who ends up with the most blocks if you want to go that route) but it can keep them occupied for a good 30 minutes and lets them burn off steam.