Pile stuffed animals or soft toys into a laundry basket at one end of the room, and set an empty basket at the other. Carry the toys across one at a time as fast as possible, then race to empty the second basket back to the first.
What you need
- 2 laundry baskets or bins
- stuffed animals or soft toys
How to do it
- 1Set one full basket at one end of the room and an empty one at the other.
- 2"Carry one toy at a time across the room as fast as you can, until the first basket is empty."
- 3Time the whole relay, then race the return trip moving everything back.
- 4Add a sibling or parent as a second racer, each with their own pair of baskets, for a side-by-side race.
Variations
- If carrying one at a time feels too slow: let them carry an armful instead, racing against the clock rather than a rule.
- How it ends: an empty first basket is a clean, visible finish line.
💡 Parent tip
This doubles as genuine tidying — a scattered pile of toys becomes sorted by the time the game ends.
What your child develops
- Gross motor endurance — repeated back-and-forth carrying builds real cardiovascular effort
- Counting — tallying how many toys moved gives simple number practice
- Tidying reframed as play — the same physical motion as putting toys away, but with none of the resistance
Safety notes
- Clear the running path of trip hazards before starting.
More for “Stuck inside”
See allThe World Record Attempts
Five at-home world record challenges. The child attempts each, records the result, and tries to beat it.
Ages 6–1060–90 min
Balloon Belly Pop
Squeeze a lightly inflated balloon between your knees and pop it with a hug — loud, safe, and over in a second.
Ages 2–65–15 minHousehold items
The Temperature Relay
Carry a sponge from a bowl of ice water to a bowl of warm water and back, racing the drip.
Ages 5–1010–25 min