Inside Activities for Kids
Whether you’re trying to beat the heat of summer or dealing with stir-crazy kids stuck inside during winter, having inside-friendly activities on hand is a way to make your life easier (and less screen-time dependent!).
Here’s a round up of some of our favorite inside activities:
Papercrafts
Nothing beats boredom like some crafting! And the best crafting is the kind that doesn’t take 37 different materials and supplies.
If you’ve got a printer, scissors, and glue then you can have your child do papercrafts.
And if you choose the right crafts, not only will they keep them engaged while they’re creating, but they will entertain themselves after!
Get a whole bundle of crafts here so you can print once for hours of entertainment and creativity for your kids.
Build a Fort
I can’t think of anything my kids enjoy more when they’re stuck inside (okay, really any day of the year…) than building a fort.
Use chairs and a table, or a fort building kit (we’ve had this one here for years, and it is the best). Pair this with a picnic lunch and an audio book, and you’ve got an afternoon of fun.
A fun addition is a pretend campfire to add some ambience. Take a basic cardboard box or an egg carton (we used one of those big Costco egg holders). You can leave it as-is, or paint it brown or glue construction paper to it. Glue red, orange, and yellow tissue paper around the inside. Then stick a light in the middle:
Or if you’re feeling creative, use cardboard to make a fun rocket ship fort!
Whittling
This one is for the older kids and teens! Whittling is such a good skill to learn. It gets kids creating with their hands, and produces a beautiful, tangible result at the end.
If it sounds intimidating or you’re nervous about safety, I have a whole post on how to get your child or teen started whittling here.
Pixel Art
Pixel art is a fantastic way to get kids interested in doing an art project (even if they don’t normally like to draw!). You can use an app of course, but if you’re looking for screen-free activities for inside play, then you can go snag my free pixel art templates here.
All you have to do is print them out and let them start creating.
My teen used this to help him design his own Minecraft texture pack, but you can use it for all sorts of pixel art.
Play Board Games
We’re always down to pull out a board game around here – but especially on days where we’re stuck inside!
Here’s a whole list of our some of our favorite board games.
Drawing
Sometimes the simplest of activities can keep kids engaged the longest!
Check out this post with some of the best drawing books for kids (for all ages!).
I also have a free DIY comic book printable in this post.
Obstacle course
It’s so easy to put together a simple obstacle course right in your home. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- Streamers across a hallway
- Use pillows or couch cushions for them to jump on or crawl across
- Use chairs with a blanket hung across to make a tunnel (or if you have one, use a spring tunnel)
- Make stepping stones out of paper. Or we have this turtle shell game that we love to create a path
- Use a fun treat or snack at the end as a prize!
And speaking of snacks…
Bake
Baking is such a fun, satisfying thing to do together with your kids! This is a great one to do during winter when it’s extra chilly.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
- Muffins – get my gluten-free muffin recipe here, which we love to pair with reading If You Give a Moose a Muffin
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Banana bread
- Scones
Read
This can be a book you read aloud together as a family, or independent reading time, or listening to audio books. And if you’re anything like me, you’re always on the look out for good, quality books for kids and teens.
Here’s a few posts if you need ideas:
Create with a 3D pen
You don’t have to have a full 3D printer to create! The kids love using our little 3D pen to make all sorts of creations.
See this post here for our honest review.
And last…
Let them be bored!
There’s nothing wrong with letting our kids be bored and figure out how to entertain themselves. In fact, it’s often super healthy and good for them.
It’s tempting to either be quick to try to entertain our kids or to pass them the ipad or put on a show. But in doing that all the time, we rob them of the chance to stretch their creative muscles and develop skills that will last them a lifetime.
So use this post as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to let them be bored!
Have any favorite inside activities you’d add to the list? Let me know at hello@createinthechaos.com
