We have a fantastic game to share with you – Laundry Basket Skee Ball! I’m especially excited about this game because it’s simple to set up and it’s something active to play indoors that will (hopefully) not involve breaking anything! And it’s not very loud either.

A couple months ago, I bought Janie a pack of ball pit balls (affiliate link) at Walmart on a whim. It has turned out to be money very well spent! All of the boys (and Janie too) have been enjoying the balls and finding a surprising number of things to do with them.

Laundry Basket Skee Ball - An indoor active game!

Laundry Basket Skee Ball is quite simple. My husband turned a Costco diaper box into a basic ramp that launches the balls into the air. (I think we have made something with almost every Costco diaper box we’ve purchased – last time it was this Hot Wheels car race track!)

Laundry Basket Skee Ball

To make the ramp, Jordan cut off the top and one end from the box. Then he used a couple of cereal boxes to create a curved ramp and taped it in place with duct tape.

To play the game, simply roll the balls up the ramp and launch them into the laundry baskets. It works best if you kneel to roll the balls. We have been using two baskets, with the closer one labeled 50 points and the farther one labeled 100 points.

Laundry Basket Skee Ball

I had created this game with Jonathan (almost 4) in mind, but he’s not quite coordinated enough to roll the balls and not throw them. He probably could figure it out how to make it work, but he hasn’t been interested. However, Owen (6) and Gresham (9) have been loving this game! It’s the perfect thing for Owen to do inside during nap time. He is just dripping with energy, and indoor active games that aren’t crazy are just what I need for him when the weather is bad.

Laundry Basket Skee Ball - An indoor active game!

If you need ball pit balls, here are some on Amazon (affiliate link): 100 Ball Pit Balls. Keep in mind that if you are trying to fill an indoor ball pit or a plastic swimming pool, it’s going to take more than 100. If you’re just playing with them around the house, 100 is plenty to pick up off the floor! 🙂 Thankfully, the toddler thinks it’s fun to clean them up. We store ours in a laundry basket – a taller one that the ones in the photos.

Need more active game ideas?

Laundry Basket Skee Ball - An indoor active game!

6 Comments

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  1. Grace N. Sep 3, 2016

    This is totally off topic, but I l your floor!! Can you tell me about it?

    Reply
    1. Sarah Sep 13, 2016

      Yes! It is engineered wood, and the brand is Armstrong. We have been very happy with the floors! Wood definitely scratches more easily than laminate, but I like how quiet the glued-down wood floor is. We put the wood in the kitchen too, and so far we have not regretted this decision... We have a very open concept house, so we wanted the same flooring all throughout the downstairs. The floors were installed two years ago, and they are holding up well so far. Definitely use felt pads on chairs, etc. with this type of flooring and change them often.

      Reply
  2. Emma Oct 11, 2016

    You have the best ideas! I think I want to come live at your house, lol!

    Reply
  3. Nancy Shaw Dec 7, 2016

    Maybe my son will love it, but he was younger too.

    Reply
  4. Sharon May 24, 2018

    Here you go again giving me great ideas for my classroom! You are AWESOME!

    Reply
  5. Amy Gray Oct 13, 2020

    Hi, we tried to leave a comment before, but I guess it didn’t send properly. My four-year old daughter and I wanted to say thank you for such a great idea, we loved it! We took it one step further and made a bigger downward ramp, using ours as the “ski jump” at the end! My little one also made a mini ball-pool by emptying all the ball-pit balls into the laundry basket and climbing in afterwards! I Think she is missing the local soft-play centre closed due to coronavirus! We had a lovely afternoon with this idea, thank you. I also took some cute photos and videos, but wasn’t sure how to upload them. Thanks again for a great idea, Amy and Abigail xxx

    Reply
  6. June Jul 31, 2021

    Can't wait to try this idea with my grandsons!

    Love all your creative ideas and your dedication to your children...they are blessed to have you as their mom!

    Reply

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