Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Activities
  3. Evergreens

The Floor is Lava! game: Fun for the whole family to play

Get the whole family playing this game

Add as a preferred source on Google
Scrabble tiles spelling, game night
Bibi Siva / Shutterstock

Games that are easy to play and understood by the whole family can often be hard to come by, which is why The Floor is Lava! game is such a fun activity for all ages. So many games marketed as “family-friendly” are anything but, and often require a lot of effort by parents to get everyone engaged. This isn’t the case when it comes to The Floor is Lava!, which is probably why it’s so fun.

If you’ve never played The Floor is Lava! before, the concept is very easy and very fun. You can play it just about anywhere with any number of participants, and is suitable for almost all age groups. Here are some fun ways to play this game that has become so popular that Netflix even created a series based on it.

Family having fun walking outside
Emma Bauso / Pexels

How to play The Floor is Lava!

The best part of this game is that you can play it anywhere; as long as everyone knows the pretty basic rules. Anyone at any time can enter a room and declare “the floor is lava.” At this point, the objective is for everyone in the room to get their feet off the floor within 5 seconds. Anyone who doesn’t get their feet off the floor — which has been determined to be lava — in that time “loses.” Naturally, when played among adults, this game can feature some pretty intense parkour moves, but that doesn’t mean your little ones can’t get involved, too.

Mom and daughter playing musical game
Fizkes / Shutterstock

How to get younger kids involved

Toddlers and younger kids love to play games, but they don’t always have the patience or the understanding to participate in those that are a bit more complicated. Board games can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for younger kids. The Floor is Lava! is so easy that kids of all ages can play, but you probably don’t want your younger kids jumping all over your furniture or climbing anything high to get themselves off the floor.

Recommended Videos

If you want to get your toddlers moving and playing, create a fun and safe area in the house for everyone to play. Parents can make a little obstacle course with pillows or blankets on the floor for younger kids to jump on. As your kids get older, those obstacles can become a bit more difficult, with the pillows and blankets spaced further apart. Older kids will impress you with just how creative they can get as they do everything they can to avoid the lava floor. You can bring out the competitive nature of the game as you watch all participants race to get off the floor first.

A family playing in the backyard together
urbazon / Getty Images

The fun is endless

There’s really no limit on how creative you can get while playing The Floor is Lava! game. Your kids will enjoy shouting the familiar catchphrase at random times and will laugh watching everyone scatter as they try to get their feet off the floor. The fun is endless, and it’s a game that will get everyone moving and thinking. This is the sort of fun that doesn’t cost any money but can get the entire family involved. The next time you’re looking to spice up game night or simply get the family moving, why not play The Floor is Lava! and see just how exciting it can be?

Kelli Catana
Former Author
Boost your toddler’s fine motor skills with these fun, easy activities
These activities can help with your child's development
Toddler learning to count with an abacus

One of the most important parts of a toddler's development is their fine motor skills. These skills allow them to feed themselves, brush their teeth, dress themselves, play with their toys, and learn to write. Studies have shown that fine motor skills development positively influences language development, executive function, and other areas of brain development.

There are many fine motor skills activities for toddlers you can do at home, as well as toys you can get to help them with this development. Since fine motor activities are pretty much anything where toddlers use their hands, there are many options, but we've put together a helpful compilation of ideas for you.
Examples of fine motor skills activities for toddlers

Read more
The best things to do in Las Vegas with teens for a family trip everyone will love
No matter what type of child you have, here are fun activities to do in Vegas with teenagers
The Las Vegas Strip

When you think of a family vacation, Las Vegas may not be the first place that pops into your head. But it's not all gambling, casinos, drinking, five-star dining, and lavish performances. Las Vegas might have The Hangover vibes for adults only, but there are plenty of family-friendly events and extracurriculars to do at all times of the day and evening if you know what to look for.

With its beautifully sunny and warm weather that lasts almost all year long, a trip to Vegas can always be on the books. If you have kids, there are countless things to do in Vegas with teens that parents will approve of. Here are just a few activities that will capture your teen's interest that the entire family will think is cool.
For the teen who wants entertainment

Read more
9 fun STEM activities for kids to keep them engaged and learning
STEM activities for kids to build confidence about the world around them
Children building cardboard STEM project

The movement of adding STEM learning into the classrooms in the U.S. started with wanting to get kids back into the science and math side of learning. Now, it is a whole movement for every child to rediscover their love of any subject outside of gym class or recess.

STEM activities let children figure out how the world and things in their everyday lives work. It doesn't matter what career or field your child might want to go in one day, the skills and knowledge learned from STEM activities can be carried over into any area. Here are some easy, fun, and fascinating STEM activities for kids they can do whenever they feel curious about life.
What is STEM?

Read more