18 INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS TO DO WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME

Being stuck at home is tough especially for kids! Sharing a few indoor activities for kids that can help your little ones keep busy for hours and in turn help you keep a calm environment at home.

The past few weeks with the coronavirus spread have been crazy and it feels like all our lives have entered in an unusual era where we are all staying at home with nowhere to go. Staying inside is for the good and we should all try and stick together so that we can get past this time as soon as possible. But I also totally get that trying to keep the little minds occupied and busy from making you go insane, is really tough. 

I have been trying to keep my daughter busy and after a certain point, I felt like I was completely out of ideas. To overcome this feeling, I went ahead and reorganized most of our rooms to create a specific corner for different activities like arts, toys, kitchen, dollhouse corner so that Mishika can keep busy hopping from one side to the other and in turn, I can get some downtime on my end to get my work done.

In this blog post, I am sharing 18 easy indoor activities for kids that you can do at home with your kids whether they are toddlers or preschoolers, that can help keep them engaged and in turn, give you some time to unwind.

Related articles:

15 time management mistakes moms are making and how to avoid them

15 healthy habits to teach your kids for a better life

Top 18 time management and organization tips for busy moms

Tips to keep baby cool in the car this summer

Tips on how to survive long road trips with toddlers and babies

Pin this post to keep it handy all the time!

18 INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Lay mattress on the floor to create a bouncing pad

We love this idea in our home! We emptied one of our guest rooms completely and just lay two mattresses on the ground with pillows all around them. Mishika loves jumping and rolling on the mattress and I have made a fun game out of it – Make your kid count till 10 while they are jumping on the mattress. If they fall, then they have to start from scratch. A great way to get your little one to spend their energy!

We also have this Little Tikes 3′ Trampoline at our home which is the ideal size to keep in your living room or bedroom. It comes in very handy to carry in our backyard when the weather is good.

 

 

Build a fort

Building a fort is always a great idea and kids love it. There are many ways you can build a fort. I use an old bedsheet and these clips to create a fort in our rooms. You can also connect two chairs and put a blanket over it. Once we are settled in our fort we read books with a torch, tell Mishika stories or sing nursery rhymes. It’s a lot of fun!

You can also buy theses cute tent playhouse and create a cozy corner in your kid's room that your little one can play in.

Paint stones

An easy to do activity at home. Simply collect a few stones from your backyard, wash them and let it dry. Then give your little one some paint and brush to paint the stones. Make sure to do this activity on a plastic mat so that you can control the mess from spreading everywhere.

Read loudly

Reading to kids is a great activity and it can help them develop their learning and speaking skills. Now that we have entered into an era where homeschooling is the common norm, taking out time to read to your little one is all the more important. Listing out a few good storybooks for toddlers and young kids below.

Books to read to babies

Books to read to toddlers

Books to read to preschoolers

Drawing 

You have some old papers or envelopes from the mail don’t throw them out. It can come in handy for your little ones to draw and scribble on. You can also get these drawing books from Amazon that can teach your kid to draw.

Make playdough at home

Playdough is a great activity to keep kids engaged for long. Either you can buy them from online stores like Amazon or if you are worried about your little one eating the clay then you can even make playdough at home which will be toxin-free.

Pretend play

Pretend play is an important form of play for the kids and it helps them think out of the box in a creative way. You can either hop in the pretend play with your little ones or help them out by giving them toys that they can play with.

Mishika loves to pretend play, she often makes her toys all lineup together, read a storybook to them or make them dinner for them in our kitchen set.

Create a fun sensory bin

Kids learn a lot from the sensory bins and it is a common form of learning activity at school. You can easily create a sensory bin at home, by taking a small plastic box and mixing lentils, sprouts, flour, some small toys, etc. There are a lot of ideas available on the internet on how to create sensory bins. While creating a sensory bin, make sure to take precautions to not include too many small things in the bin that can be a choking hazard for your little one.

Create a memory book

An activity that you can do with a little older kids. If you have a printer at home, then you can get this memory book and ask your kids to get creative and decorate them. Help them out by ordering a few decorative items like the ones below and glue that can help them be more creative.

Building blocks

A simple activity but it can keep your kid really busy for long. You can either get these Magna tiles or if you have empty plastic boxes or cans lying around,  then give that to your kids so that they can have fun building a tower with them.

Indoor bowling

A fun family activity. Lay down a row of plastic bottles and cans at a distance, and have fun trying to knock them out with a ball. And even better, every time the bottle falls make your little one run to put it back together. A great way to get them to do some activity.

Family board games night

A fun way for the entire family to bond and have some fun. There are a variety of fun board games that you can play together as a family. Sharing a few of them below.

Puzzles

Puzzles can keep kids entertained for a really long time. For toddlers, you can get a puzzle of their favorite cartoon character that they can put together and for older kids, you can get creative by ordering more time engaging puzzles.

Dance to music

Put on some dance numbers and make a big circle with all the family members and copy each other's steps. It is a lot of fun as well as you can get some exercise done while you are at home.

Indoor hopscotch

You can use painters tape on a cardboard floor or any non-carpeted floor to play. Give your kids a small block or a small toy and let them have fun.

Pass-time with bubbles

Bubbles are so much fun and especially a big hit with young kids. Blow some bubbles and let the kids have some fun trying to catch them.

Bake a cake

Take your kid's help by involving them in mixing cake batter or eggs and bake a yummy cake that you can all enjoy as a family.

Skype / google hangout calls with family and friends

Lastly, if you are exhausted and tired and losing your mind, then switch on your phone and place a video call with your family and friends that can help keep your kids entertained while you can get some work done.

I hope that this list of indoor activities for kids was helpful to you. Staying home with kids is fun but also exhausting and tiring. Instead of getting exhausted and tired, it is important to keep your calm and look for indoor activities for kids that can keep them entertained for long and you can get some free time.