At-Home and Indoor Activities for Kids

It can be hard to keep kids entertained when you’re stuck at home or indoors. With rainy days, snow days, or the current school closures our country is experiencing, there are a lot of parents wondering what to do. If you’re looking for some fun ideas try one of these at-home and indoor activities for kids and create some fun memories together!

ACTIVITIES BY AGE

I’ve scoured the internet for some great at-home activities for kids of all ages. Depending on your child’s skill level you might feel that they would enjoy these games, crafts, and fun science experiments from both age groups.

Toddler Activities

• Bath Tub Paint – The bathtub is the perfect place to have fun with paint and not get everything else in the house mess. Plus it’s easy to clean up when finished.
• Bouncing Playdough– We’ve all experienced playdough, but have you heard of bouncing playdough? Check out this fun recipe to create your own.
• Car Parking Numbers – This is a fun matching game for kids that love cars! Let them explore with numbers while parking cars in their correct spaces.
• Cardboard Box Road – Create your own road for cars from old boxes.
• Cardboard Box Road – This is one of my favorites! Create an easy DIY puzzle for your kids from old cereal boxes.
• Cooking – If you have a toddler you know that they LOVE to help. Check out these easy toddler recipes with tips on how they can help you in the kitchen.
• Diaper Box Game – This game is great for teaching hand eye coordination skills. Plus it’s affordable by recycling diaper boxes.
• Fairy Jar – A mason jar, glow sticks, and glitter equals a fun craft creation your kid will love.
• Fine Motor Play with Screws & Anchors – The thing I love most about this is it’s all items you can easily find in your garage!
• Foam Stamps – Kids love stamps! Create some fun foam stamps for them to play with.
• Jellyfish Craft – This isn’t your normal jellyfish. This creation is glow-in-the-dark!
• Macaroni Necklace – I think at one point or another we’ve all created a macaroni necklace. It’s a great craft for kids!
• Macaroni Necklace – This is a unique twist on painting and so easy to create.
• Pom Pom Drop Activity – In case you’re wondering what to do with all those old paper towel and toilet paper rolls? This one is for you!
• Pom Pom Magnets – My son loves to be in the kitchen while I’m in the kitchen. This is a great way to keep them entertained while you’re cooking dinner.
• Pouring Station – Toddlers LOVE to pour. Set up a fun pouring station for them to play with.
• Sensory Bins – We’ve all heard how good sensory bins are for our kids. Here is a great tutorial on how to set one up.
• Shape Sorting – This is such a great activity using items you have around the house.
• Sticky Spider Web – My son is in a throwing stage and would love this fun game!
• Tape Art – A great way for toddlers to create some fun early art pieces.
• Tissue Box Monsters – A fun craft with monsters! Yes, please!
• Tissue Paper Sticky Window – Create a fun design with your kid out of tissue paper.
• Touch and Feel Color Cards – This is a great sensory tool for your kids to explore different textures.
• Tugging Box – Kids love to pull and tug on things. This DIY tugging box will be a big hit.
• Toy Washing Station – Playing with bubbles is so much fun. Here is an activity for some bubble fun!

School-Aged Kid Activities

• Backyard Obstacle Course – This video tells you how to create a fun backyard obstacle course from the Dollar Store.
• Borax Crystal Ornaments – A fun science experiment for your kids
• Coffee Ground Fossils – Anyone else love fossils? Create these fun fossils from coffee grounds.
• Color Mixing Sensory Bottle – Use this fun experiment to teach your kids about density and colors.
• Cooking & Baking – Check out these friendly kid recipes to do with your kids.
• Crossword Puzzles – A link to tons of crossword puzzle books.
• Disney Movie Crafts – Does your kid love Disney? Take a look at these fun crafts to create.
• Dying Flowers Experiment – Who else loved to dye flowers as a kid?
• Educational Printouts – Need something more challenging? This link has tons of educational printouts. Sort by age and find the perfect fit.
• Egg Carton Crafts – Tons of different craft ideas you can create with egg cartons.
• Felt Bookmarks – If you have a child who loves to read they will love to make a bookmark.
• Exploding Watermelon Experiment – This experiment should definitely be done outdoors.
• Flight School – Paper planes are so fun! Why not make a fun game with them?
• Indoor Scavenger Hunt – Everything you need to create an indoor scavenger hunt.
• Lava Lamp – Your kids will love this science experiment.
• Learning Activities – Free printouts for educational games and learning.
• Magic Milk Science Experiment – A fun way for your kids to learn about chemicals.
• Melting Rainbow Science Experiment – Another fun way to introduce kids to colors and chemicals.
• Mini Lid Banjos – Making musical instruments is half the fun when you can play with them after.
• Online Learning Games – Here are some fun online learning games for your kids.
• Paper Bracelets – This is one of the best paper bracelets I have ever seen.
• Puzzles – Puzzles are always a great way to pass the time. Here is a link to some great options.
• Rain Cloud in a Jar – This fun science experiment explores the world of color and the water and cloud cycle.
• Space Crayons – Have some old crayons lying around? Your kids will love this experiment!
• Yoga – Cosmic Kids Yoga offers great free videos.

Printable Coloring Pages (all ages)

• Crayola
• DLTK Kids
• Hello Kids
• Just Color
• Super Coloring

VIRTUAL TOURS

One of the best things about the internet is our ability to have the world at our finger tips. Have you ever wanted to visit The Louvre or the Great Wall of China? Now you can! Aquariums, zoos, and museums now offer free virtual tours that you can explore from the comfort of your own home.

Animal Cameras

• Georgia Aquarium
• Houston Zoo
• Monterey Aquarium 
• San Diego Zoo
• Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam

Museum Tours

• British Museum
• Guggenheim Museum
• J. Paul Getty Museum
• MASP
• Musee d’Orsay
• National Gallery of Art
• National Museum of Anthropology
• National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
• Pergamon
• Rijksmuseum
• The Louvre
• Uffizi Gallery
• Van Gogh Museum

National Park Tours

• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Yellowstone National Park

Miscellaneous Tours

• Great Wall of China
• Mars from the Curiosity Rover

There are so many creative and fun ideas to help entertain kids when they are stuck at home or indoors. I hope this list serves as a great jumping off point for some inspiration to help pass the time with your littles. If you have any other at-home or indoor activities for kids, leave them in the comments! I am always looking for new ways to help develop my son’s skills and challenge his brain while having fun!

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