Fun Activities when stuck at home with kids

So you’re stuck at home with the kids and have limited access to supplies? It’s time to get creative! When I was a child, we didn’t have luxury items, craft supplies or a bevy of expensive toys at our fingertips. This forced us to used our imaginations to dream up our daily fun. Now that I am the parent, my children have lots of entertaining things to choose from, but I don’t want them to rely on those things in order to keep themselves from mumbling those fateful words over and over again…”I’m bored.”

Here are some of the things we do to stay active, connected and engaged as a family without relying on ‘screens and things’ to keep us happy.

Note: Some of these activities may not be appropriate for younger children with shorter attention spans.

1. Dance Parties

What kid doesn’t love to move to a good beat? We have a family playlist of songs that make us all feel groovy. All you need is an open space and some good music. I know you’re tired, but show those kids you still know how to move! Whether it’s a weekend or a school night, this is one of the easiest ways to quickly turn up the family fun factor when you’re at home with kids.

2. Hide-and-Seek

My kids love to play this game! It can be played inside or outside, even when space is limited, and it still guarantees loads of fun and laughter from my kiddos. One person counts to whatever number you choose (I usually have them count to 20), as long as it gives everyone enough time to hide. The counter says “Ready or not, here I come,” and begins to look for everyone. Whoever is found first becomes the new counter and looks for everyone in the next round. This game is a hit at our house, and the more people that play, the better. Everyone really loves it when Mommy jumps in and plays too. This is a fun way to include everyone in the game when you’re stuck at home with kids.

Note: I have the little ones hide with me so they can play too.

3. Outside Play

I say it all the time….sometimes, we just need to go outside and play with our kids. Simply explore the nature in the back yard…climb trees, look for bugs, see who has the best cartwheel or handstand…We forget that we are all kids at heart, and a little exercise, laughter and vitamin D might be just what the doctor ordered. Depending upon the season, don’t forget to add some sunscreen and water to this one too.

4. Create a Masterpiece

Set a timer for a certain amount of time (shorter for younger children) and have each family member create a piece of art. It can be a song, a story, a drawing, a poem, a statuette made of various materials, etc. The point is to get the creative juices flowing and to come up with something that represents you. At the end of the allotted time, each family member will present their creation for all to enjoy.

5. Make a List

Okay…so I’m that Mom that likes to shop for the holidays all throughout the year so I’m not blowing my holiday spirit and the budget all in one month. Now, in order for this to work, I have to really pay attention to the things my kids are interested in. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. When I’m struggling to figure it out, I ask them to sit down and make a list of everything they might want for a birthday or Christmas or whatever. I keep it casual and if they press the issue, I tell them that it’s a good way for them to really think about the things they want, and who knows? One day, if they are good and someone is feeling generous, they might just get their heart’s desire. It’s a great way for them to pass some time and you get some valuable information in the process.

6. Interior Designer for a day

Pick a room in the house that you don’t mind getting a makeover (it’s okay, Mom…you can put it all back). Give the kids their parameters…don’t ruin anyone else’s belongings, no “painting” on the walls in any way, don’t move heavy things, don’t bring more than five items from other rooms, etc. Let them imagine, design and execute a brand new vision for the room. What they come up with may surprise you but it will definitely bring out their creativity and be a way to burn off some energy. If you’re feeling really brave, you can tell them that the room can stay that way for a full week (if you can live with it)!

7. Hot Potato

This may seem like a simple game to add to the list, but there are ways to make it more interesting. In the classic game, an item is selected to serve as the “hot potato.” This can be anything as long as it is solid enough to be held and passed to others quickly. Usually, the group of participants stands or sits in a circle and chants the following: “Hot potato, hot potato, who has the hot potato? If you have the hot potato, you are out!” Whoever is holding the item by the end of the chant is out and they have to sit and observe until the next round. To make it a little more interesting, you can have everyone close their eyes (which means they can’t anticipate when the object is coming their way), have everyone only use one hand while putting the other behind their backs, have them stand 3-6 feet apart and throw/catch the object, or even have them wear oven mitts to make catching and passing more difficult (and humorous). Make it your own!

8. Musical Chairs

Whether the participants are 5 years old or 55 years old, I have yet to find a group of people that isn’t thoroughly entertained by this classic party game. All you need is a few chairs and some good music (plus an amateur dj with a phone) to create loads of laughter and fun memories. Put the chairs in the center of the room, set up in a way that all players have access to sit in them. There should be enough chairs for all but one person. Play the music and when the music stops, everyone must sit in a chair. Whichever player is left standing with no chair is out of the game. Repeat this process (taking one chair away each time) until only one player is left sitting and that person wins! Add an element of fun (and possible injury) by making the top five people continue the game with blindfolds.

9. Karoake/Rock Band

Need I say more? We love to sing at our house, and we can pass so much time at home with kids, belting out songs at the top of our lungs. Whether you have a real karaoke machine or just your voices and some music, this can be done with solo acts or together as a family. During our childhood, my siblings and I didn’t have lots of toys so one of our favorite things to do was to pretend we were a famous rock band or musical group performing on stage. We used brooms for guitars, brushes for microphones, buckets and pots for drums…we even created choreography for each song. It felt like a cool accomplishment to perform our routine for others when we were ready. Do what works for your family and be sure to record the finished product for future enjoyment!

10. Dollar Store Day

I have a stash of cheap activities from the local dollar store and, even though I don’t spend much, the kids still love these activities. Sometimes, the kids need to ditch the screens and go play with hoola hoops, coloring books, jump ropes, play-doh, sewing crafts, water colors, jacks (Remember this? It’s just a ball and several little pointy thingys…) or just kick a bouncy ball around the back yard.

11. Board Games

Every family needs to have a collection of board games that stimulates learning, conversation, laughter and fun! This is one of our go-to solutions when we are at home with kids. Do some research to find the ones that are right for your clan, based on ages and interests.

12. Do You Know Your Family?

Have everyone sit down with a pencil and paper. Write a list of questions that each person has to answer on paper (not aloud). Collect the papers and have one moderator. Taking turns, give each person a question randomly selected from each sheet to answer about their fellow family members. If they get the answer right, they get a point. After going a couple of rounds, tally up the points and select a winner.

Note: Mom should probably be the moderator since she most likely has an unfair advantage in this game.

13. Backyard camping

We love to pull out a tent or two and throw them up in the back yard when the weather is right and we can’t get away. To make it special, include some of the following special touches: good lighting, enough seating for everyone, some type of fire (if possible and can be done safely), campfire stories, s’mores, eating at least one meal outside (camp-style), scavenger hunt (see number 15 on this list) and star-gazing. The kiddos absolutely love being together with the family for a backyard camping adventure!

14. Cook-Off

Who doesn’t love a good cooking competition? My kids are obsessed with Top Chef Jr! They started watching that show and now they want to learn to cook everything. The competition can be very simple. Choose a recipe that everyone has the capability of pulling off. Depending upon your family’s food IQ, this could be sandwiches or chocolate cupcakes from scratch. Or perhaps it would work better for your crew to create a meal– whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner–to serve to everyone. It works best if there are enough people to create teams to work together. Identify your judge(s) and get to cooking. Who says being at home with kids can’t be tasty?

Note: This could also be a great time to teach everyone some type of cooking technique (such as making homemade frosting), and then see who pulls it off in the most delicious way!

15. Scavenger Hunt

For a scavenger hunt, someone puts together a list of items to be found or hunted by various participants or teams of people. These hunts can simply be set inside the home or outside in the back yard. Hunts can also take place in the neighborhood, at the mall or, if you are stuck at home with kids, they can be done virtually (Check out this link to get ideas for a virtual scavenger hunt https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/scavenger-hunt/ ). The list of items to be found should be tailored to what’s readily available and the ages of the people searching for the items. Here are some ideas for things to include in the scavenger hunt: things found in nature, school/office supplies, objects of a particular color, objects of a particular shape, favorite things of the family members, fuzzy things, smelly things (ex. things that smell sweet), things that make music, etc. The list of what to include can be almost anything. Just get creative and have some fun!

You will want to come up with an easy way to ensure everyone actually finds all of the items if you don’t want to use the honor system and just trust everyone. These hunts can get very competitive. You will also want to create some incentive to get everyone excited to complete this activity by coming up with an awesome prize for the team or individual that finds all of the items first. For example, the winning team gets ice cream for dessert! That one always goes over well.

16. Family Bucket List

Make a family bucket list of all the things your family wants to do together. It could be for a short time, like a month, or more long-term. Our family bucket list includes things we want to do in our lifetimes, although we know that some of them will happen years from now when the little kids are older. It’s fun to sit around as a family and dream up things that we want to do together. Sometimes, when you’re at home with kids, dreaming of travel to interesting destinations feels like a getaway. Take a look at our family bucket list here… https://chucksducksandcoconuts.com/2020/04/09/family-bucket-list/

17. Field Day

There are so many games that are easy to create, simple to play and loads of fun for the kiddos. Why not pick 5 or 6 of them, create teams and call it the (Insert Your Last Name here) Family Field Day?! Frisbee Toss, Egg Relay, Obstacle Course, Three-Legged Race, Tug-of-War, Water Balloon Toss, Crab Walk, Spoon Race, Hula Hoop competition, Eating contest, Bucket Relay Race, Wheelbarrow Race…the list goes on and on. Do an internet search to find loads of how-to videos, descriptions and equipment lists for each game.

Did this list get your wheels turning? There is no reason to let boredom take over when you’re stuck at home with kids. Go grab your kiddos and get the fun started!