130 Fun Things To Do At Home With Kids

Over the past couple years, more and more families are looking for things to do at home with kids. Day after day, parents battle boredom while trying to keep up with household chores and possibly working from home. Simply put, us parents need fun, learning, activities to keep our young children busy.

I’m a parent and an early childhood educator.  I understand children needing to be entertained.  Whether you are homeschooling, or a parent looking for fun activities, you’ll appreciate these things to do at home with kids ages 4-9.

Board Games to Play with Kids

A fun game can bring the whole family together. I think it’s every parent’s dream to find something to do at home for both the younger kids and older children.

Here is a list of games you can play at a dining room table or on the living room floor with any family member.

• Watch Ya’ Mouth
• Hedbanz
• Jenga
• Don’t Make Me Laugh
• The Upside Down Challenge Game
• Connect 4
• Giant 4 in a Row
• Yahtzee
• Beat That Challenges for Families
• Twister
• Hot potato: If you don’t have the “Hot Potato Game“, use an actual potato or a stuffed animal to toss around while singing.
• Indoor bowling
• Play the silent game:  It’s not a board game, but it’s a good one when you need a moment of silence. 
• Play “The floor is lava”
• Make your own bingo cards.

 

Card Games for the Whole Family

• Taco Vs. Burrito
• Kids Against Maturity
• War
• Go Fish
• Crazy 8’s 

Ideas for Baking and Cooking with Kids

• Bake cookies
• Try a new cake recipe: There are lots of great baking cookbooks for kids.
• Make a menu and create a restaurant
• Make homemade ice cream then have an ice-cream bar. Let the kids pick out their own toppings. 
• Have a tea party with your stuffed animals or pets
• Make pancake art. 
• Make homemade playdoh
• Do a taste testing challenge: blindfold, and give kids different foods to sample. See if they can guess what it is.
• Make homemade pizza
• Decorate donuts: some local donut shops, like Peace, Love, & Little Donuts, offer take out boxes with plain donuts and all the toppings needed.
• Eat the Rainbow challenge: eat something for each color of the rainbow (red peppers, orange carrots, etc)
• Make a cake out of cupcakes. 
• Try a new kids’ meal and snack delivery box.

 

Creative Things To Do At Home With Kids

There’s nothing better than a fun art project on a rainy day!  

• 3 Marker Challenge: You blindly grab 3 markers from the box. Whichever colors you choose, those are the only ones you can use to color a picture.

• Color: While coloring may seem like a basic activity, it’s a great way to build creativity and fine motor skills.
• Paint
• Paint rocks
• Face painting
• Learn how to braid hair
• Make paper airplanes
• Bead Bracelets: Use beads and pipe cleaners to make simple bracelets. You can see our bead bracelets, here.
• Make sock puppets out of old socks
• Try a new Arts and Crafts subscription box. 
• Learn how to sketch
• Print off free coloring pages.
• Build with blocks: if you don’t have blocks, use boxes. We all have amazon boxes sitting around…use them for creativity.
• Dress up like Superheroes: you don’t need superhero costumes- be creative and use things from around the house.
• Make a family tree
• Create a vision board: yes, kids can do this, too!
• Make a sensory binf
• Tie-dye an old shirt
• Upcycle something old
• Use painters tape to create a mosaic on the window, and let the kids color it in with window markers. 
• Make an art gallery: fill up a wall with your kiddos favorite artwork
• Create a photo booth: Hang a fun backdrop on your wall, and find props from around the house.
• Create a youtube video.  My youngest daughter has her own channel and loves sharing her hobbies.  
• Put on a performance

 

 

Fun Activities for Learning at Home

• Read a new book.
• Play school
• Write (or draw) your own stories
• Follow videos for directed drawings
• Create a kindness jar: You and your kiddo come up with ways to be kind, write them on post-it notes, then pull one from the jar everyday.
• Puzzles
• Do a cloze story (fill in the blanks), then build the characters with blocks or legos, making the story come alive 🙂
• Learn new poems or nursery rhymes
• Virtual classroom field trips
• Have a rote counting and skip counting challenge: Count by 1’s, 2,’s, 5’s, and 10’s.
• Do a “Write the Room” activity around the house.
• Take a nature scavenger hunt.
• Do a puppet show.
• Shaving cream sight words, letters, or numbers
• STEM activities
• Build a Poem: Give the kiddos a popular nursery rhyme poster and word cards. Then, they build the poem on their bedroom floor. You can see a video of my daughter doing a Build a Poem, here.
• Name writing activities: the older kids can try to write their name in cursive
• Math talks
• Make a school memory box or a time capsule.
• Learn a new language
• Set up a writing center: Include paper, construction paper, word cards, markers, crayons, stickers, scissors, glue, and old magazines
• Make a detailed, colorful, map of the house.

Science Experiments for Kids 

A simple science experiment is a great way to get bored kids up and thinking. 

• Sink or float challenge in the sink or bathtub
• Make slime
• Have a science day
• Turn off the lights and make shadow puppets

 

Fun Ideas for Outdoors

These ideas are a great way to get your kids outside, taking in the fresh air, and connecting with nature.  During the summer months, when kids are off school, get them off the couch with these fun outdoor activities. 

• Create an obstacle course.  Use household items, such as brooms, boxes, etc.  Or, you can purchase a hanging obstacle course for kids.
• Simon-Says
• Visit national parks
• Clean out the car: make it a game to see who can collect the most.
• Red Light, Green Light
• Duck Duck Goose
• Red Rover
• Hackey sack
• Jump rope
• Plant flowers: here are some writing and drawing activities to go along with your flower planting day.
• Play tag: A classic game of tag or flashlight tag is so much fun for the kiddos.
• Nerf guns
• Go for a walk or run
• Build a bird feeder
• Ride a bike:  Little kids can join a bike ride with their balance bikes 
• Walk the pets 
• Play hide-and-go seek
• Have a dance party

Fun Things To Do At Home

These are a collection of indoor activities and things to do at home with kids.  

• Have a movie day: popcorn, snacks, and your favorite movies all day.
• Rediscover old toys: Tell your kiddo to pick out 5-10 of their favorite toys. Then, put those up and away for 1 day. Take note of how quickly they find interest in their old toys. It’s almost the same level of excitement you see in the toy aisle at Target.
• Make a blanket fort
• Have an indoor picnic
• Yoga: There are plenty of free yoga for kids videos available online. My youngest daughter loves Cosmic Kids Yoga.
• Legos: Use a combination of large and small lego bricks to get creative.
• Listen to music: find new artists
• Fashion show:  Since the kids are staying in their pajamas all day, have them put on school outfits and have a fashion show.
• Clean toys: I know it sounds funny, but kids often love to clean. Give them simple tasks, such as wiping toys and doorknobs.
• Have a singing contest.  Kids love being able to belt out their favorite songs. 
• Look at old pictures and videos
• Face-time family or friends
• Learn new magic tricks
• Clean out closets
• Listen to positive affirmations
• Rearrange the furniture
• Make pillow towers
• Have chill days: I know it sounds silly because you’re looking for things to do at home, but sometimes we all need a day to chill. No schedule, no expectations, stay in your jammies, and go with the flow.
• Make a maze through the house
• Create indoor furniture obstacles: You don’t need a lot of room to create a Ninja Warrior mini-course. We lived in a 950 square foot house, and my daughter can create a course in our tiny living room.
• Pokemon: my youngest is currently obsessed. She uses construction paper to make the character tails, tapes them to her shirt, and runs around the house.
• Tell jokes for kids
• Truth or Dare
• GoNoodle
• Scavenger hunt around the house
• Exercise
• Have a crazy hair day
• Ball pit
• Roller skate in the garage or basement

 

Get your FREE printable list HERE.

 

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Things to Do at Home with Kids