When you’re stuck inside with your kids – maybe the weather is bad and school is cancelled; they’re sick or worse, you’re sick – and your entire house is a bit stir crazy, here’s a few activities to help entertain your brood when you’re indoors.
Here are six activities that are fun, engaging, and don’t involve an electronic device.
Arts and Crafts. We have a three-year old boy, who is full of energy, so when I suggest we sit down and color? It doesn’t always go over as well as I plan. I have found that if we create something to go with the activity that he’s really into that day, then arts and crafts is a little more exciting. We’ve colored cars and cut them out to use on his tracks with his real cars. Made cones to use for soccer drills. Or pirate hats for some costume time. We’ve also had luck with the Kiwi Crates. We had a relative get Luke one for his birthday. They were great and had quite a few activities in them. What’s also nice is you can set them aside for one of the “at home” days and let the kids dig into them.
Another idea is to keep some old boxes, ones large enough for the kids to get inside, and let them color with crayons and markers inside the boxes. These can turn into spaceships, trains, castles, race tracks – anything they can imagine.
Library Books. We live in Monroeville and we love our library. They have an amazing Children’s Section with games, activities, programs, etc. It’s like a treat to visit. But, if you can’t get to the library because you’re quarantined or snowed in, bring the library home. I’ve stopped on my way home before when I know we’ve got a sick household to get some new books for reading. This tends to make “rest time” a little easier because you’re reading something new (and it’s free).
Mid-Day Bath Time. Our little guy loves the water. The soap, not so much, but playing in the water is a win. I’ve generally done this on days when he’s been sick. To get his fever down or get all those germs cleaned off, but it could work for snow days too. We like to keep bubbles and bath crayons on hand, but have also come up with some creative ways to shoot basketball or throw the baseball at the target while in the tub.
Use the Garage as a Play Space. This is a great way to run off some energy, even if you only have one space in your garage to use. Let your kids ride their bike, play hockey, and run around. This is a great space to let them be active and not have a huge mess inside the house when they’re done.
Bring Outside Toys In. (I’m borrowing this one from our neighbors) Buy a bouncy house or trampoline and bring it inside. Both our neighbors have play things like this in their house and the kids go crazy for them. They think it’s the coolest thing to have this stuff inside and it makes for a confined play area – if you’re willing to give up a spare room or part of your living room. Just be ready for the other neighborhood children to be visiting often.
Let’s Go Old School. How about some games like Simon Says; Hide and Seek; Twister; building blocks? Get creative with Simon Says, try commands like do 10 jumping jacks; run in place for 20 seconds – have the kids count these out; If they’re older – try holding a plank for 30 seconds or handstands. These are great for inside play but remember, you can always take it to the garage for more room and less household clutter.
One other tip for stocking up for indoor time – check out Target’s Dollar Section or the Dollar Store. I’ve found fun little things like flash cards or chalkboards or cheap little board games that make for a fun afternoon activity.
If you’re looking for more fun indoor activities check out these two links from Pinterest.
87 Energy-Busting Indoor Games & Activities For Kids (Because Cabin Fever Is No Joke)
