Are you stuck inside and wondering what to do with kids at home so you don’t go crazy? Here are some suggestions on fun things to do at home.
So are the kids home for either summer or because of sickness? And now you are losing your mind because you’re wondering what you are going to do so that you all survive being together 24/7?
First and foremost, you don’t need to be a super parent! Don’t feel like you have to keep your kids engaged or only do educational activities at all hours. Children should actually learn how to be bored and how to entertain themselves for a certain amount of time.
But it might be a good idea for everyone’s sanity to have a few activities planned out for them to do with and without you. I have been thinking myself about what I can have my own children do so I thought I’d share what I came up with!
Boredom Busters at Home
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from Shareasale, Cricut, Awin, CreativeFabrica, and Amazon.com. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links (purple text). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cheap Family Fun
- Break out some magic tricks! Either do magic tricks for your kids or teach them how to do some. Card tricks are the easiest to start with and so much fun!
- Have a dance party! Dance parties were a favorite of ours when my kids were little. You might even be surprised to see older kids dancing beside you. Just turn on some fun music and start dancing! Everyone can take turns being DJ by picking their favorite songs.
- Shaving cream art! There are really a ton of easy things you do with shaving cream and kids including making a sensory bin. Spray it in the bathtub and let them draw in it or whatever they want. Or check out this article on more ways to use shaving cream.
- Make a time capsule. You can find a bunch of different free printable time capsules that your kids can fill out or you can have each person grab one thing that represents what’s important to them and put it in a box to open 10 years from now.
- Make Paper Airplanes – here are some great ideas
- Indoor Obstacle Course or Play Hide and Seek – put out things to jump over and things to go under (broom on top of two chairs) and make a fun competition out of it if you want.
- Treasure Hunt or Scavenger Hunt – design your own or grab our free scavenger hunt printable for summer or gratitude scavenger hunt. A little fresh air will do everyone well over the holidays or summer.
- Recycle art. Put out a cardboard box (or a few if you love Amazon!), paper, scissors, tape, scrap wood, pipe cleaners, buttons, spools, empty TP rolls, string, etc, and see what kinds of new inventions your kids come up with. My youngest builds all sorts of crazy things out of foil, tape, old glue sticks, you name it! He thinks everything is fair game to build with and honestly he thinks up the best things!
Minimal Electronics
If you are stuck inside for an extended length of time, technology and some screen time can be a good thing. Your kids need downtime and letting them watch TV, YouTube, or playing video games can keep everyone happy for some of the day.
Movies can be fun for the whole family! Gather everyone in the living room, make some popcorn, and share some laughter without having to think for a few hours is my idea of a great time!
Play Board Games
Get out those board games! We have a closet full of games and we are starting to go through them. Board games are a great way to keep the kids engaged with each other if they are old enough (so you can get something done!)
Here are a few of our favorite family board games:
- Uno
- Phase 10
- Rocky Mountain Poker
- Widgets and Wagers Family Edition
- Telestrations
- Say Anything Family Edition
- Blokus
- The Game of Life – classic game that my kids still love to play
- Battleship
- Sorry
- Apples to Apples
- Monopoly – you know this one can last forever!
- Beat the Parents
- SKYJO – our favorite new card game (even my older children will play!)
It’s amazing some of the funny things that come out of the littles mouths during playing games! Take turns having each family member pick the game they want to play.
There are also fun family games to play on your smart phone and online. Find apps for Ellen games like Head’s Up and Psych.
Puzzles are also another fun thing to do with your kids at home. A jigsaw puzzle is great for teamwork and can take days to weeks to put together!
What To Do With Kids at Home: Teach Them!
You can also use rainy days, summertime, and sickness to teach your kids much-needed life skills. Sometimes be forced inside is the perfect time to have your kid’s attention for something important!
Break out the checkbook and teach them how to write checks, balance a checkbook, and how to use credit cards appropriately.
Teach your kids how to do the laundry and clean. My kids started doing their own laundry at the age of 10 and it is beneficial for all of us.
Teach your kids to bake or cook. Have them pick a recipe from a book or website and have them cook dinner or bake cookies. Nothing like making a homemade pizza with whatever toppings they want for lunch or dinner. Then have an indoor picnic to make it extra special!
It’s amazing how they get upset when others don’t like what they make, and I always say “Welcome to my life!”, LOL!
Read books together or on their own. You can even have a little book club with just your family. Have everyone read the same book and then have a night of answering questions about the book. Every family member can have a chance to pick their favorite books.
Color or draw together. You can even find a book on how to draw, or grab some of our free coloring sheets, and you can all learn something new. We also have a ton of color by number worksheets available.
Exercise together. Have each child lead a workout for 5-10 minutes each day and everyone else has to do it. They can lead a yoga workout or act like different animals! Up to them, make it fun!
Build lego together. If your house is anything like mine, you have a ton of legos. Pull them out and have everyone build something. Maybe create a city or street scene.
Binge watch TV or series together. We watched the Marvel series from beginning to end over summer and it was so fun. I want to do it again. Harry Potter series or Star Wars or other great series to watch, one movie a day.
Science Experiment. You can find all sorts of basic science experiments here or you can buy some fun science kits off Amazon. We usually buy a few every summer and the kids love doing them!
Learn a musical instrument. Summer is a great time to try something new. You can always find cheap musical instruments on local Facebook pages or you could rent one for a few months to see if your kids will like it. Find a high school student to pay for lessons or I’ve known kids learning how to play instruments off YouTube.
Learn a new language. With access to the internet, language apps, and Rosetta Stone, kids can tackle learning a new language to keep them busy and brains working.
Rainy Day Indoor Activities for Kids
Here are some fun indoor activities for kids that I found around the web. Most of them are craft related and require basic everyday craft supplies. Click continue reading to grab the instructions or free printables.
Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Felt Bookmarks
Grab some basic art supplies like felt and stamps and make bookmarks! Make a ton to use as party favors or gifts.
DIY Decoupage Bookmarks
Use up old party napkins to make bookmarks.
DIY Foil Card
Make a stockpile of cards. Free printables to get you started. You could make Thank you, birthday, sympathy, just because, thinking of you. Then send them to a senior center or to your neighbors!
Making Cards for Soldiers
Get started on sending cards to the military for 4th of July or the holidays. FREE printables that you and your kids can write sweet sentiments in and a list of where to send the cards.
Toilet Paper Tube Puppets
There are so many fun activities when it comes to toilet paper tubes. Use all those leftover toilet paper rolls to make cute puppets!
Lion Puppet Paper Bag Tutorial & Template!
A paper puppet is a fun idea to make with kids and also a creative way to get a young reader to love reading time! Plus you can put on a puppet show!
Penguin Crafts: A Roundup of Cute Penguin Craft Ideas
Penguins are always fun! Make a bunch of different penguin crafts at home.
Easy and Inexpensive DIY Preschool Mother's Day Cards
Little ones can use stamps and markers to make a card.
Single Crochet Stitch Knotted Headband
Learn a new skill like crochet!
Printable Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Send your kids in the backyard and use this fun printable scavenger hunt to make it more exciting!
50+ Virtual Field Trips To Take With Your Kids
Virtual field trips are huge right now! Here is a great list of field trips you can take from home.
How to Create a Kawaii Rainbow from Craft Sticks
Cute craft idea to make everyone smile plus it's lots of fun to make!
Decoupage on Wood Decor: Easy Upcycled Wall Art for Free!
Upcycle any old wall decor into something unique! Learn how easy it is to decoupage on wood.
Make a Homemade Stamp Out of Everyday Craft Supplies!
Use those corks from all the wine you need (LOL!) to make stamps.
How to get started with wood burning and beginner project ideas
Another new skill that is fun is wood burning.
Kindness Rocks Project with Kids!
Rock painting and teaching kids kindness, both fun things for kids to do at home. Then you can rock around and place them around the neighborhood to brighten other's day!
DIY Dinosaur Bones
Make your own dinosaur bones and then have your kids find them during outdoor play!
Yummy Kid's Smoothie
Kids love smoothies and even love to make them more!
Teaching Children and Teens to Sew
Sewing is a much-needed skill for everyone. While you are stuck at home with your kids, teach them to sew.
50+ Quick & Easy Kids Crafts that ANYONE Can Make!
Craft ideas that anyone can make from everyday supplies.
Build it! Creative Challenge
Have your kids take a creative challenge with this building idea.
Super Soft 2-Ingredient Play Dough
Playdough can occupy kids for hours!
I hope you found some ideas on what to do with kids at home. I’d love to know some of your favorite family activities and boredom busters are!
If you’d like to save these rainy day activities for kids ideas for later, simply hover over the top left of the image below and PIN It now!
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a creative day,
