22 Indoor Activities for Kids That Will Make You Love Rainy Days At Home
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Children need to be active and busy, running around, and getting involved all the time. If they are confined to home, even for a day, they need fun activities to keep them occupied.
Whether the school is closed, it’s a rainy day or the summer holidays are starting to drag, children need to be entertained.
Here are some of the best indoor activities that engage children and help them focus on something fun, rather than getting bored from being at home too much.
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22 Indoor Activities for Kids
Being stuck indoors doesn’t automatically mean the kids have to be bored. Here are some of the things we love to do inside!
1. Scavenger Hunt
Setting up an amazing indoor scavenger hunt is extremely simple. You can set aside an hour after the kids go to bed and DIY your way to an amazing experience for the kids to wake up to or you can grab a fun printable version that is ready to play in minutes!
Find Me!
Quick Spy
Selfie Scavenger Hunt
Clean Up Scavenger Hunt
2. Learn Magic Tricks
What child doesn’t enjoy simple magic tricks? A disappearing coin, a floating object, a predicted playing card, just to name a few. Not to mention, a magician gets to wear a cape and a sweet black hat! If your child is between the ages of six and 12, this is the perfect time to introduce magic tricks ranging from easy to more complex. Check out this guide for budding magicians! Your kiddos may be able to learn some real show stoppers.
3. Sew
Teach your older children how to sew things like scrunchies, doll clothes, and small repairs on clothing. This is a great skill to have, and they can pass the time with purpose. In time, your kids can move on to larger projects like hemming sheets and making their own clothes.
4. Paint Rocks
Painting rocks can be done inside when the weather is too hot, too cold, or just plain too rainy. Make sure to stockpile your stash of rocks to pain before you get stuck inside for the day.
5. Make Fake Snow
This two-ingredient fake snow recipe makes being stuck indoors so easy! Sensory bins are a great way to keep kids appeased on those rainy days.
6. Make Slime
You would probably be surprised how easy it is to make a batch of slime! This is a perfect hands-on activity for the kids to enjoy.
7. Create Pipe Cleaner Animals and Insects
Pipe cleaners are so versatile that you can literally make anything that your mind can conjure up! Try this pipe cleaner spider on for size.
Related post: List of Pipe Cleaner Crafts, Activities and Games
8. DIY Your Own Tic Tac Toe Game
Tic Tac Toe can be played on paper but it’s more fun to play when you get creative. Use pipe cleaners to create your tic tac toe grid and then to make your x’s and o’x.
Related: Tic Tac Toe DIY Kids Game For Play Or Decoration
9. Learn ABCs Using Magnets
Put your ABC magnets to use by tracing them out onto a sheet of paper. Attach the paper to the fridge and have contests see how quickly the kids can complete the alphabet puzzle!
10. Play Pictionary with Pipe Cleaners
Playing Pictionary growing up was always a favorite, but this new idea of playing Pictionary with pipe cleaners is even better! Mold your pipe cleaners into a quick and easy picture and have your team guess the object!
11. Play Leap Frog
So easy yet so fun, line up the kids and enjoy a game of leap frog! Even the dogs and stuffed animals can get in on the action.
12. Start an Indoor Garden
Indoor gardening is perfect for bringing a little sunshine back into the home after a long winter or rainy season. This is one of the indoor activities for kids that will keep kids smiling for months as they watch their plants grow!
13. Play Educational Money Games
Choose from a long list of money games for kids to beat the rainy day boredom. Have fun playing a game while learning all there is to know about money!
Related Post: List of Educational Toys for Learning
14. Make Up Art and crafts
Kids of all ages can enjoy making crafts using common household items. From junk modeling and paper plate crafts for toddlers to intricate painting and crafts for teens, there is sure to be something for them to try. Search online or on Pinterest for crafts and creations that will interest them. You could even join your child and learn to crochet, knit, paint with oils or draw with charcoal.
Related: 32 Free Heart Template Printables To Cut Out, Trace, Paste, And More
15. Involve Kids in household chores
Household chores are a great activity to complete together. Ask your kids to give you a hand with the chores, but make it interesting for them. Ask younger children to help you prepare their favorite meal, set the table or help clean the house by dusting the furniture.
Older children can learn how to do laundry. That can include folding and putting the clothes away. That will be a great experience for those heading off to college one day!
16. Bake Together
Baking with your preschooler is possibly the most fun household chore for kids! Weighing, cracking eggs, whisking, blending and stirring is hands-on fun. They get to eat something delicious after, too! Baking can also be used to teach other skills such as math and science in a relaxed setting.
Related: Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
17. Start a family project
Think of a project you can all complete together. Make a family photo album or science project. Gardening, growing plants in pots, repainting a bedroom or building something complex like a 3D puzzle would all be great ways to bond together and keep busy.
Older kids will love to help you research the family genealogical tree. Cater to their interests. You could even learn a family dance on YouTube or form a band if you have instruments laying around.
18. Read the same book
Books are a great way of keeping your kids’ minds busy. Try giving them interesting books to read. You could give them a book you loved as a child, but buy an additional copy so you can read it too. After you all complete your reading, make your own little book club to discuss the content. You will love to hear their insights on your favorite reads and in turn they will not see it as homework sent home from school.
Related: Short Moral Stories for Kids
19. Watch movies with them
Movies are without a doubt a great source of entertainment for both adults and kids. Either set a weekly movie night or have an occasional movie marathon. Time to get all those classic films you loved out again! Theme nights with fun snacks and decorations to match the films you watch will make it even more fun. Those decorations can be made the day before as an additional activity.
Related: Disney Movies List That You Can Download For FREE
20. Make their own entertainment
There is a belief that boredom is actually good for kids. Rather than just leaving them to it, set up some fun stations they can head to when they want something to do. A collection of straws, Blu tack or Plasticine and some pebbles can become anything they want it to be. Add a craft or writing area and a selection of materials and loose parts that will keep them busy for hours.
21. Encourage their talents
What does your child love to do? What are they good at? Find ways to encourage, improve or even discover your child’s talent. For example, encourage an aspiring artist by buying coloring books or sketch pad, pencils and crayons. Visit major art galleries online and talk about the paintings. Seek out some online art classes. Learn about the artist, their periods and their style and inspiration.
22. Connect online
Try playing online games with your kids, either video games or word games like Scrabble. You could also let them play games with their friends online. However, keep a close eye on the kind of games and activities they choose. Tweens and teens could even set up an online book club, watch the same film together or have an online dance-off!
What Will You Do Together Inside?
Whatever you choose to do together when you are stuck at home bored, try to find inspiring and fun activities. At the end of the day, kids just want to interact with you and enjoy hands-on fun. Indoor activities for kids can be just as special as those that can be accomplished outdoors. Make sure to give these fun kids activities a try and let us know which ones were enjoyed the most!
