What To Do With Kids Indoors When Stuck At Home

For those times when you are stuck home for extended periods , one of the biggest questions is; what to do with kids indoors. All kids seem to have ants in their pants, and they just can’t keep still. It’s an enormous struggle to contain little balls of energy with limited outdoor experience.

Children have a relatively short attention span. You’ll need to be very creative to keep them interested. Jog their brains and tire their little muscles out with these amazing activities and games.

Best Indoor Activities For Kids

Make a marching band with self-made instruments

Has it been too quiet with the kids glued to their iPads or play station? If you need to come up with games to get the kids moving, a marching band will be your go-to.  

Use things in the house to make the instruments if you don’t have real ones. Pot lids can make awesome cymbals while buckets make wonderful good drums. Empty bottles make pretty good monotone flutes.

The preparation should be just as fun as the marching itself. Dress up in football jerseys or cheerleader costumes. Make some cute costumes to make the band more fun. You can come up with hats from carton boxes and wear colorful socks.

Cut out some ribbons and glue them to a broom handle to make a ribbon dance stick. Your kid will have so much fun on this activity. Be sure to teach them a thing or two about being disciplined and the importance of unity and teamwork.  

Bowling with empty cans

If you consume soda in your house, you will definitely have some empty cans. For families that do not take soda, then you can use empty water bottles.

Just make sure all the bottles or cans are empty so you won’t have to do deal with a lot of mess. You want to have fun and not feel worse after it!

Cook or bake together

Cooking is always fun since there’s the promise of eating when it’s all done. Choose a dish that the kids love or let them choose what they want to make. A recipe that has many steps is ideal. It’ll take more than a few minutes and keep the children occupied. 

Do not be worried about making a mess – they will make a bigger mess than when you’re cooking alone. Dress them up in their mini-aprons to make them feel like little adult chefs.

Let them help in clearing the mess too. It’s a wonderful lesson in responsibility and how they should take care of their space.

One of the things we have enjoy doing with my babies on days we can’t go out is baking a cake or making a pizza. If you don’t know how to make one, follow a recipe online or from YouTube. Talk to them about responsible internet usage while you’re at it.

Have fun with playdough

Oh! This is a favorite for my 5-year-old. He loves being all creative with his playdough. Your child only needs some good playdough and you will get some extra 20 minutes of quite time.

Let them recreate their favorite cartoon characters or anything they want. I have eaten enough playdough burgers and fries!

Create a fashion show

My babies are at the stage where they like to choose what to wear. Often, I will decide for them since mommy knows best.

Indulge them in a fashion show this time when they are indoors. Creating a fashion show complete with a runway is one of the indoor activities for children that will be entertaining for you and the kids.

Let them raid your closet and create creative pieces with your clothes. Use a corridor or a couch as your runway. Be sure to put to some danceable music on and enjoy the catwalk.

This activity can also be used as a chance to de-clutter your closets and arrange them afresh. You may even discover clothes you haven’t worn for months or even years. Those are now due for donating to charity.

Hold a dance party

Dancing can turn any dull day into a fun-filled and memorable day. Dancing is an indoor kids’ fun activity that can also serve as your physical exercise activity.

Choose a dance video that is upbeat and one that will cause you all to break into a sweat. Don’t worry about the toddler with two left feet. The goal is to have fun and get those endorphins rushing in.

Spice it up a little bit by making it a dance competition, and the loser gets to do the dishes. Better still, make it musical chairs and compete for something the family values. It can be something as simple as the last pizza or donut.

When there’s a price, the kids will be more open to getting involved. This is one of the good activities for high energy toddlers that will ensure their energies are put to good use.

As you dance, remind them of the importance of taking responsibility for their happiness in life.

Play some indoor board games

This is one of the best go-to answers for what to do with kids indoors. Your game of choice will depend on the kids’ ages and what resources you have available.

Some games might require you to purchase the kit. If you’re on lockdown and can’t access a store, improvise with various things from the kitchen or the kids play toys.   

Board games are perfect for jogging the kids’ brains. They teach them how to solve problems and make choices in tough situations. Completing a puzzle is one of the best ways to bond as a family.

Some of the most common board games you can play include chess and scrabble. These might be ideal for older kids. If you don’t know how to play any of them, learn together from YouTube.

Check out some other unique games such as Operation, Trouble, and Hi Ho Cherry-O. These games are suitable for kids three years and older.

Play juggling

Make some juggling balls by filling balloons with rice and see who can juggle more balls. This is a great game for high energy toddlers.  Explain to them the importance of being kind and nice to other people as you play.

Build a fort

My little one loves being in a fort out camping. My chairs have some big cushions that I use to make a quick yet decent fort. He gets in there with his little camping play kit. That gives me some extra minutes to get work done!

Paint

I have two huge coloring books for both my older one and the younger one. My husband also loves painting, so once in a while, we all get out our art supplies and get down to painting.

I hate the mess afterwards, so we do it in our backyard. If you hate the mess with water colors, try crayons. They are less messy!

Play hide and seek

Both of my boys love hide and seek. My youngest will actually hide in the most weird places and we can look for him for quite some time. But he always sells himself out my making noise! Lol!

Children love the hide and seek and everyone in the house gets to participate.

Teach them life’s lessons

As you make your best choice on what to do with kids indoors, endeavor to make it a learning experience for the children.Use this time to impact some life’s lessons to help you bring up all-rounded individuals. 

Playing games is a good opportunity to learn your kids’ personalities. Do not be worried if there are disagreements along the way, it’s normal. It’s an opportunity for them to acquire skills in dealing with opposing opinions.  

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