I'm sure all moms can relate, we want our kids to engage in activities that are fun, educational, and that will hold their attention for longer than 3 minutes! As a stay-at-home-mom, I am always brainstorming different and new ways to achieve that. Below you will find our Top 20 activities, in no particular order, that we rotate through when we're stuck indoors.
*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through any of these links, at no extra cost to you.*
1.) Playdoh Games
Play-doh may seem like an obvious activity for kids of all ages, but we like to kick it up a notch and make it a little more engaging by making our own playdoh games. A few minutes of prep are required by mommy, but it involves colouring so your toddler can help and you can spend quality time together while you get the games ready.
You'll Need:
-Playdoh
-paper
-coloring markers/crayons
-large zip-top bag (optional)
You don't need to be an artist for this, trust me I'm far from it! But a little creativity doesn't hurt. Here are some examples of a few games we have made.
Your little ones will have fun using playdoh to make the pictures come to life! The zip-top bag is for protecting the pages if you want to use them again and again. The play-doh won't stick as well to the bag but it will keep the pages clean. If you don't care about your pictures getting play-doh stained then skip the bag! The next time your little one asks you to colour with them, take that opportunity to make up a few of these!
Here are a few more ideas we have used in the past:
-put 3 scoops of ice cream in the cone, don't forget sprinkles!
-put bubbles in the fish bowl
-decorate the butterfly
-decorate the cupcake
-plant some veggies/flowers in the garden
-decorate the snowman
2.)Number/Letter Hunt
Depending on their age, you may need to help your kids with this one. If they already know their letters and numbers they can go hunting by themselves. Alternatively, you can make it a scavenger hunt of different items (find something red, something sticky, something round etc.)
You'll Need:
-pen & paper
Make a list of the items or numbers/letters you want your kids to find around the house with a space beside each item so they can check it off. It's quite a simple activity, but you may be surprised at how it can lead to other imaginative play. It is educational too, and what kid doesn't like to hunt for stuff? When weather permits, outdoor scavenger hunts are even more fun!
3.) Card Toss
This one is fun for the whole family, but is also easy enough that your kids can play alone if need be.
You'll Need:
-playing cards
-bowl/basket
We often play this as a family after supper. We gather on the rug and see who can toss the most cards into the bowl, or who can get rid of their cards the fastest. It can also lead to card sorting, which helps with their number recognition. Just organize the cards numerically and have your little one put their cards in the correct piles.
4.) Toy Wash
Pretty self explanatory. Your kids will love giving their toys a "bath", and it's a total win for you too, because their grimy toys are actually getting a good scrub!
You'll Need:
-large bowl or basin
-water
-dish soap
-wash cloth/sponge
-toys
-towels
Just give your kids some warm soapy water, a cloth, and a bowl and let them wash their toys! It usually leads to even more independent play with water so you can get some stuff done, or better yet, go put your feet up! I like to put towels down so my hardwood floors don't get too saturated!
5.) Ice Toys
This one has been a favourite lately in our house, and it keeps Callie entertained for a long time.
You'll Need:
-little toys/figurines
-little freezer safe cups or containers
-water
-food colouring (optional)
-shallow dish or bowl
-towels
All you have to do is put the little figurines into the cups and fill with water and food colouring. Then throw them in the freezer. When they are frozen solid place them in a shallow dish with a little cold water (cup and all). Throw in some spoons, and small empty cups for pouring. Your kids will have fun trying to help their toys escape the ice. Eventually, the ice will pop right out of the cup and then they can really get to work! After a lot of pouring and "rescuing" they will free their little toys and be very pleased with themselves! Don't forget the towels, it can get messy!
*Success tip: This may be obvious, but my first thought was that warm water would be better. But it made the ice melt way too fast and the fun was over too soon. Cold water in the dish makes it a slow process which gives Mommy some time to do her thing. We always have one or two ice toys ready to go in the freezer. When one comes out I put another one in!*
6.) Indoor Obstacle Course
This one should allow your kids to burn off some of that energy, and was inspired by the show Ninja Warrior Junior. My daughter says she will be Canada's Next Ninja Warrior, and it was actually her idea to set up the course. You don't need a huge space, just work with what you have! We used our mini trampoline, couches, a few little chairs, some pillows, a toy box, a large toy cube. Basically, just set up some obstacles for them to climb over/under, jump on/off. This kept Callie busy for a long time and she asks to play "ninja warrior" often.
7.) Preschool Dry Erase Books
These books are really great learning tools, and they are filled with fun activities too. Another nice thing is they can be wiped clean and used again and again! We have 3 different ones: Letters, Numbers, and Time. Callie loves to work on her "school work" and even enjoys wiping the pages clean afterward! Perfect! You can find an assortment of different options below through my affiliate links.
8.) Super Stretchy Game
A great game for working on gross motor skills, as well as flexibility (not that kids need help with that!) It also encourages learning about colours, shapes, and body parts. It is basically the kid version of twister, and you don't need to be able to read to play.
9.) Painting Rocks
Painting rocks is huge for us, especially in the summer time. Our screen porch is our art studio in the warmer months, and we keep our paints and rocks and other supplies out there all season long. Obviously this can be done indoors as well!
There are also a few groups in our area for painting and hiding rocks to spread happiness. The idea is that you paint a rock, place it somewhere it can easily be found (like a local park or walking trail) and then post a picture of it to the Facebook group along with its general whereabouts so it can be found. The finder then has the choice to either keep the rock or re-hide it. My daughter loves painting, hiding and finding rocks. It is very exciting when your rock is found and when you can see how much joy it has brought someone. It is also a great way to get out of the house and get moving! There are also country-wide groups which are pretty cool because you can watch your rocks travel the country, and sometimes they go even further! I have had a rock travel to Mexico! Check out your local groups; there may be a rock painting group you can join! Below are some of the rocks we painted last year. Some of them we hid and some we kept. When Callie paints a rock I like to try turn her scribbles into a picture, so we can hide it and say we painted it together :)
If you want to get started on painting/hiding rocks here are some products I recommend for kids and adults:
10.) DIY Finger Paint
Click here for the recipe we use for our homemade finger paint. It is so vibrant and with just a few simple steps your little ones can help you make it. What kid doesn't like to get their hands goopy? We have also set up our paints and paper on the floor and did FOOT PAINTING when Mommy was feeling brave one day. Callie had a blast, and she asks to do it all the time, but be prepared to wash your floors after! Maybe stick to finger paints if you're feeling less adventurous.
11.) Blanket Fort
A classic activity, and loved by all! You probably already have this one in your bag of tricks, so I won't elaborate too much. The sky is the limit though! We have pretended our blanket forts are caves, castles, tree houses, igloos etc. Blanket forts almost always lead to reading too, which is a great bonus.
12.) Shape/Letter/Number Tracing
This one is also pretty self-explanatory, but there are different ways you can approach it. It can be as simple as writing out the shapes/letters/numbers on a piece of paper and having your little ones trace over your writing. Or you can have them use play-doh to trace. Another fun way to do it is with paint and q-tips or bingo dabbers.
13.) Simon Says
Another classic that your kids are probably already familiar with. I like to use it as a tool to get my daughter burning some energy, and it can also be a good way to get them to do some chores! It usually leads to independent play as well. Here are some Simon Says ideas below. If you start out with enough fun ones, you can pretty much get your kids to do anything once they are really into the game!
Simon says...
-Fly around like a butterfly
-Frog Jump to the bathroom and back
-Pick up your toys!
-Spin around 10 times
-Stomp like an elephant
-Jump like a kangaroo
-Read a story
-Crawl like a crab
-Tip toe to your room and back
-Slither like a snake
-Draw a picture
-Put on a puppet show
-Clean your room!
Don't forget to throw them for a loop once in a while and leave out the Simon Says part!
14.) I Spy
This is one of my daughter's favourite games right now. We have recently kicked it up a notch and played while grocery shopping. If your kids have already mastered spying for colours you can spy for other items. For example, in the grocery store you can say, "I spy something in a small jar," or "I spy something round and spotted (cantelope)". If you haven't already introduced your kids to the I Spy books, those are great too! I used to love them as a kid and they are a great way to get them thinking. There are so many other seek & find books out there for different age groups if they aren't quite ready for the I Spy books. Check out the links below or visit your local library!
15.) (Build Your Own) Spaceship, Car etc.
If you're feeling extra crafty this one can be a great bonding activity. You can make it together, and then your kids will have fun with it for days afterward.
You'll Need:
-laundry basket
-lots of cardboard
-markers, stickers, paints etc.
-masking tape/duct tape
-scissors
-imagination!
Use your imagination to turn an empty laundry basket into a spaceship, a car, a train, or whatever else your kids are into. We chose to make a spaceship! You may be stuck pushing them around the house in the basket for a while, but eventually you can tell them to blast their stuffed animals or dolls, or each other (if you have more than one kid) to the moon while you go get some stuff done :)
16.) Restaurant
I don't know about your kids, but my daughter is always up for some pretend kitchen/restaurant play. You don't need to have a play kitchen for this, just use your imagination! Callie likes to take my order, and I send her to "cook" up a long list of items which keeps her busy. Sometimes she will cook up some play-doh food, but most of the time she just finds little items around the house and pretends. She has come up with some pretty wild concoctions, including but not limited to octopus soup & fuzzy licorice pie!
17.) Crocodile/Lava Jump
Depending on the size of your space this one can really get them moving!
You'll Need:
-pillows & blankets
-empty space
-imagination!
Scatter the pillows and blankets or other items around the floor. Those items are the "safe spots". Pretend the floor is a swamp full of crocodiles (or a pit of hot lava) and they have to jump from pillow to pillow to stay safe. It is even more fun with multiple kids, as one kid can be the crocodile or lava monster who has to try and tag the others. If you step on the swamp or lava, or if you get tagged you become the monster! It is great fun indoors for little ones, but on a nice day it can also be played on the playground with older kids. When I was growing up our school yard had a bridge connecting the play structures. Two alligators would be down on the ground on either side of the bridge and the others would have to run back and forth across the bridge without getting tagged. It is also lots of fun on the swings! Find two swings side by side where the two alligators will swing on their bellies. The other kids have to try run between the swings while the alligators swing in all directions trying to tag them. Brings back great memories!
18.) Moon Sand
This one has mess potential, but it is lots of fun and a great sensory activity for little ones.
You'll Need:
-1 cup baby oil or vegetable oil
-8 cups flour
-food colouring (optional)
-large shallow container
-broom/vacuum on standby!
This stuff has a super soft, crumbly texture, but can be molded and compressed when squeezed together. You can make sand castles at your kitchen table! It smells lovely too if you use baby oil. Bring the beach indoors and give it a try! You can always quarter the recipe if you want to make a few different colours.
19.) Book Tower/ Book Maze
Books can be used in other ways besides the obvious! Your kids can stack them up into tall towers and pretend they are trees in the jungle for their toy animals, or sky scrapers in their city of toy cars. Callie likes to make book mazes on the floor too. She arranges her books along the floor leaving herself a path in between to escape the maze. It almost always leads to the more obvious activity (READING!) So you can't go wrong!
20.) Scissor Practice & Other Easy Crafts
Callie loves to use her little scissors, and has been known to keep herself occupied cutting paper scraps for up to 30 minutes! It is great practice for school, and for developing hand-eye coordination. Once they master cutting, you can have them cut along lines or cut out shapes.
Thankfully she hasn't tried to cut her own hair...yet. My brother gave me a lovely haircut with his safety scissors when I was about two. YIKES! Luckily, the safety scissors nowadays don't seem to be sharp enough to cut hair..but you never know! Throw a glue stick into the mix and they can cut and glue coloured paper making their own little crafts. If you want to get involved, here are a few super simple craft ideas you can do with your little ones that require a little adult assistance:
a.) Tissue Box Monster
You'll Need:
-empty tissue box
-googly eyes
-coloured paper
-scissors
-pipe cleaners & pompoms (optional)
-hot glue gun
Glue some googly eyes onto an empty tissue box and you have yourself a monster! Cut out some paper teeth to glue along the opening, and add some other monster features of your choice to jazz it up a bit. Your little one will have fun "feeding" their monster various little items.
b.) Telescope/Binoculars
You'll Need:
-paper towel tubes
-toilet paper tubes
-yarn or string
-stickers
-markers/crayons
-coloured cellophane (optional)
-hot glue gun
For a simple telescope, have your kid decorate a paper towel tube with markers and stickers. Optionally, you can put coloured cellophane wrap on the end for a colourful view! For binoculars, use the smaller toilet paper tubes and glue them together like binoculars, add a string so they can hang it around their necks and go exploring. Combine this craft with your indoor scavenger/number/letter hunts!
c.) Paper Airplanes
You'll Need:
-paper
-markers/crayons/stickers
Have your little ones decorate the paper before you fold it into an airplane for them. Callie has a blast chasing her paper airplanes all over the house! Our dog Goose gets a kick out of it too!
d.) Paper Puppets
You'll Need:
-old birthday/holiday cards
-Popsicle sticks
-scissors
-hot glue
Help your little ones cut out different pictures or characters from old holiday or birthday cards. Glue a popsicle stick to the bottom and you have an instant puppet!
Here are some of the supplies you may need for these basic crafts:
* The bunny scissors are great and make an excellent addition to an Easter basket! The Easter Bunny brought Callie a pair last Easter!*
Thanks for checking out our list of favourite activities. We hope you have found some inspiration! If you decide to try any of the crafts or activities, please post a picture in the comments or on our Facebook page! We would love to see what you and your littles are up to!
-A