Tired of Online Classes and Zoom Calls? Take a Break with These 13 Cool Indoor Activities For Kids
With a deadly pandemic raging globally, we cannot deny home is undoubtedly the best place to be in for now. Adults are working from home, and children are attending school online. But the stay-at-home state for a prolonged time can be detrimental to one’s emotional and mental health.
Gathering from my own experiences, I am here today to make things a little fun and relaxing for you. I found out that indoor activities for kids can be entertaining for both adults and children and can be educational too. Plus, most of them would not add up to your child’s assigned screen time. Participate in these 13 fun indoor activities with your kids and give yourself a much-needed break.
13 Fun Indoor Activities For Kids for Family Time at Home
1. Bring On The Board Games
Playing board games is probably one of the most fun indoor activities for kids. Whether it is something brain-teasing like chess or monopoly or something entertaining like Ludo, you can always find a suitable board game for you and your kids.
Want to put a bit of an educational element in your game night? You can play scrabble sometimes. This will strengthen your kid’s vocabulary and also keep them engaged for a long time.
2. Learn Origami Together
Does your kid have a creative mind? Encourage him by teaching him about origami. Folding papers and creating new figurines can be a delightful thing to do. I learned a few simple origami from YouTube and showed them to my nieces. They loved it!
If origami is a little complicated for them, you can always make paper boats and planes with your kids. When they make their first paper boat, fill up a tub with water and let them float their creations. This can be an excellent pastime for rainy days. Tell them to write their names on their paper boats and let them float those in the puddles.
3. Get Creative With Crayons
Doodling and scribbling with crayons can be a great way to develop fine motor skills for kids. Give them a box of crayons and let their imaginations run wild. You just have to supervise them, so you don’t end up with their masterpieces on the wall.
You can order different coloring books for your kids too. Mandala coloring books have been in trend nowadays. According to recent studies, mandala art can help in boosting the body’s immune system, reduce stress and improve sleep. Coloring them can be beneficial for both you and your kids.
4. Put Up An Indoor Camp
Could not go camping this year? Why not bring the outdoors in? All you need are some bed sheets, pillows, a string of fairy lights and most importantly, lots of snacks. Put up a make-shift tent using those sheets and pillows, and get inside with your little ones.
Let your kids help you in setting up the camp. Read a book together inside the tent or listen to soothing music. Camping together with your kids can be a great bonding activity. So, if you are tired of a monotonous stay-at-home life, indoor camping is what you and your kids need to do.
5. Movie Time
It doesn’t matter how old you are. Sometimes a Disney movie can make a difference to your day. Blend some delicious milkshakes, make a bowl of popcorn and rent a movie to enjoy with your kids.
You can watch historical or wildlife documentaries too. They can be both educational and entertaining. Someday you can order pizza for dinner and have a movie marathon. Nothing makes them happier than staying up past bedtime and singing along with Elsa and Anna.
6. Paint Some Faces
Is there still time for Halloween? Doesn’t matter because can dress up and paint yourself anytime you want. Colors play a significant role in most fun indoor activities for kids. Let your kids decide what they want to be, bring some colors, and let them paint their faces.
How many times have you found your little one spattered with colors because you left them unattended for a few minutes? Kids seem to have some eternal love for colors, and painting themselves gives them immense joy. Give their antics a little boost by letting them color themselves, and you can get amazed by their creativity.
7. Have A Little Fun In The Kitchen
Staying indoors is the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to the kitchen. Ask them to help you prepare dinner. Assign some simple tasks to them, like washing the fruits and vegetables or adding condiments to the food. You can bake together too. Prepare cookies and cupcakes and let them decorate them in their creative ways.
8. Have A Dance Party
Dancing can be a great stress-booster while staying indoors, and nothing can be better than grooving to music with your little one. Compile a playlist with all the cheerful and upbeat songs you know, turn the volume high, and dance like no one is watching.
It can be a great exercise too. So what if they can’t go to the playground? Play some Hip-hop music or Hard rock and have an aerobic session. You can make this a daily habit too!
9. Jam Together
Do your kids love music? Try putting up an unconventional orchestra night with them. You would need nothing but some buckets and some utensils. Let your kids get innovative, and you will be amazed that such beauty can come out of such regular objects.
You can have karaoke nights too. It doesn’t matter how correctly they sing their notes. The important thing is that they build memories doing these fun indoor activities with their family. Afraid of the chaos they would create? Sometimes, that’s what you need to break out of a monotonous life.
10. Read A Book
Reading a book together can be one of the best indoor activities for kids. Cuddle up together on the couch and read them a story aloud. Or you can also reverse the role sometimes. Ask them if they want to read to you from their favorite storybook. Let them act out the story in their own imaginative way. I am sure you would never realize how quickly time passes. And listening to children’s stories can be super refreshing for you too. We also highly recommend the best science books for kids.
Not feeling like reading a book? Sometimes, you can tell them real-life stories too. Tell them about your childhood days, bring out old family albums, and you can see how they light up.
11. Put On A Fashion Show
When you are stuck at home, dressing up can be one of the best indoor activities for kids. Take a break from work and give each other a makeover. Bring out some fancy dresses from the closet, let them put on a little makeup, and have a fashion show of your own.
If you are not willing to risk staining the fancy dresses, run down to the basement and pull out some old clothes. Get some fabric colors, glue, and scissors, and let your kids transform their old clothes into something creative. Or you can learn to tie-dye or block print old t-shirts together. And the next day everyone can wear their artwork.
12. Play With Lego
Who doesn’t love legos? Building toys with lego can be one of the most enjoyable indoor activities for kids. Tell your kids to bring out all the bricks they have and join in their playtime.
You can invent your own game using the lego bricks too. Arrange a color hunt for your kids. You just have to hide the blocks with different colors around the house and leave hints, and your kids can spend a good amount of time searching for them.
13. Set Up A Bowling Alley
Is bowling a favorite pastime for you and your kid? You can have the same fun in your house too. All you need is some masking tape, a ball, and a few empty plastic bottles. Choose a place in your house which you want to turn into bowling tracks, use the masking tape to mark the tracks, and your bowling area is ready. Place the bottle at the end of the track and take turns with your kids to bowl them down. You can have a tournament sometimes when you have the whole family together.
Say No To Cabin Fever!
Without the option to get a bit of fresh air, people can feel claustrophobic. Now, imagine little kids being confined at home when they are bursting with energy. So, what can you do to keep them engaged? That, too, by cutting down on their screen-time!
These above-mentioned indoor activities for kids are entertaining for both parents and their children. So, if you are bored of being stuck indoors, pick one of these fun outdoor activities for kids and bring some amusement to your dreary days. What more? You will love the giggling fits that follow.
Founder and a 36-year old mother of one who has gone through the usual problems of parenting herself and shares her own experiences through this blog. Ruby is a great writer who researches well before putting forth facts in the articles.