How to Spark Fun: 50 Best Activities for Kids At Home

You can provide hours of entertainment with these fun activities for kids at home. Whether it’s a rainy day or you’re in the middle of a pandemic (like we are as I’m writing this), it’s always nice to be prepared with some ideas that will spark creative and free play. A lot of these activities are educational and, depending on the age of your kids, many can be done independently once you get your kids started. Or check out these virtual games to play on Zoom.

Step 1: Create a post-it note “Wall of Fun” or a “Bowl of Fun” with a list of activities for Kids at Home

Step 2: Let Kids Pick an Activity

You can use the “wall of fun” if you want them to be able to see all their options. Or use a bowl if you want it to be a surprise.

The bowl idea was given to me by a friend who said:

• I went around the house and made a list of things the kids can do independently but don’t play with regularly and added them to this bowl.
• When they aren’t playing well together or they’re bored, they PICK 2 ITEMS from the bowl.
• They get to CHOSE which one they want to do.
• Each kid does their own activity for about 30 minutes and then they SWITCH.
• They like being apart and working on something for a while then coming back together to show off what they’ve been doing and switching.

 

Printable: 50 Activities for Kids at Home

You can use write on sticky notes or use this printable.

50 Activities for Kids at Home Printable

Step 3: Enjoy hours of fun activities for kids at home!

Here are some fun activities for kids at home to add to your “Wall of fun” or “Bowl of fun.”

• Create a scavenger hunt

• Make popsicles

• Watch a nature documentary

• Create your own spy code – try to crack each other’s code

• Learn / Speak pig Latin

• Listen to an audiobook while doing sidewalk chalk

Get an audiobook from your library or Audible (Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audiobooks).

• Play Wallball anywhere you can find–your backyard wall or a nearby school wall

• Watch YouTube Art Lessons for kids

• Create your own graphic novel

• Go for an Eye Spy Animals Walk

• Create an indoor treasure hunt

• Decorate bookmarks

• Card/board games (Uno, Sorry, Old Maid, Go Fish, Rummikub)

• Start some seedlings for a garden (e.g. bean pod)–experiment with different soils

• Play freeze tag

• Create jewelry with beads or macaroni

• Use those various craft/science kids from birthdays

• Color and/or hide Easter Eggs . . . at any time of the year

• Build a train track

• Play backyard games (baseball/cornhole/bocce ball/tetherball)

• Have a dress-up fashion show with categories (silly, sporty, superhero)

• Finger painting

• Play Simon Says

• Build a Hotwheels track

• Make and play with play-doh

• Paint a pet rock

• Play H-O-R-S-E with whatever you can find (a laundry basket and some stuffed animals)

• Try a new cookie recipe

• Play indoor hide and seek

• Play capture the flag

• Write your autobiography

• Play with static electricity (use a ballon)

• Learn some hand-slap games (Miss Mary Mack, Down By the Banks, etc.)

• Play hot potato

• Play hangman or tic-tac-toe

• Make a diet coke and mentos explosion

• Climb a tree

• Go camping in the living room – make some indoor smores

• Build a fort

• Create an obstacle course

• Have thumb wars

• Make a time capsule

• Play charades

• Decorate a box

• Have a relay race

• Learn Morse Code

• Create colorful salt paintings with watercolors and salt

• Have a dance party

• Pop some popcorn and watch a classic movie

• Bake a mug cake

 

BORED Kids Printable

If your kids are constantly saying They’re Bored, try this printable!

I print one of these for my kids every summer and it works so great for getting them to stop telling me they’re “bored.”

Make them go through the list before they can tell you they’re “Bored!” or Pin for later.

I make a few different designs so you can pick your favorite.