As more and more of us are asked to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many of us are looking for ideas of what to do to entertain our children. There are many hours in the day, and they can't all be filled with school time, so here are a few of our favorite low-cost, easy activities to do at home with our kids.

30 Home-Based Activities to do with Your Kids  

1.     Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy, and do an experiment at home with him.

2.     Take a virtual tour of a museum or national park. One of our favorites: the British Museum, which covers everything from mummies to the Rosetta Stone.

3.     Make sensory bags. Using materials around your house such as cooked pasta, beads, or glitter, create sensory bags with Ziplocs and take turns having your kids guess what is inside.

4.     Play a few classic paper games. From tic-tac-toe to the dot and box game, spending the afternoon playing a few simple games will turn out to be anything but, and may lead to some unforgettable memories.

5.     Make slime. Find a recipe here.

6.     Use shaving cream to "paint" in the shower. Add in a little food dye to create different colors, if you wish.

7.     Dance! Turn on the music and have a family dance party.

8.     Try a movie night with this heartwarming twist: pick out your favorite childhood movie, and use this time to introduce your children to what you were like as a child, and what some of your favorites were.

9.     Practice another language. With tons of online resources, (or even YouTube) aim to learn a new word a day, and see how many different phrases you end up able to make. 

10.  Get creative and make jewelry using pasta.

11.  Make the transition to nap time a little smoother by incorporating sleep meditation. There's much less of a rush with everything going on, so taking this time to introduce a few more mindful or healthful practices is a great way to bond with your child. Speaking of…

12.  Yoga! With a variety of poses for every fitness level, parent and child yoga is a great way to stretch, bond, and get a little exercise in, no equipment needed.

13.  Make chore time more fun by creating corresponding BINGO boards.

14.  Create a home study for the weather. Compare weather reports to what actually happens, and encourage your kids to create their own charts or reports. After a week or so, give them the chance to forecast the weather for you!

15.  Dive into the podcast world. A great podcast for kids is Stuff You Should know.

16.  Exercise writing skills by allowing your children to write reviews on the movies they watch, or give their opinion on some truly debatable topics, like whether chocolate or vanilla is the better flavor.

17.  Bring the zoo to your living room with live Animal cams. We love watching the penguins at the San Diego Zoo! 

18.  Follow-up on your live animal watching with a brief science lesson using one of the many documentaries offered for free on YouTube – no subscription necessary.

19.  Play dress up. Why not?

20.  Play Charades – no fancy equipment, materials, or associated costs, and it's endless fun for the entire family.

21.  FaceTime family members or friends, and then encourage your children to write them letters. Let them decorate the paper, and add the stamp to the envelope! There's no better time than to bring back the nostalgia of a handwritten note.

22.  Mirror their schooling schedules by allowing for recess, nap time, free play, and lunchtime. Keeping their routines as close to "normal" as possible will help break up the days and keep a sense of consistency during a time of great uncertainty. 

23.  Color. Use coloring books, let kids free-draw, or download one of the many free coloring book pages available on the internet. If you want to make it an educational opportunity or a chance to learn more about your child's creativity, ask them why they're using the medium they're using – whether it's crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Sometimes simple conversation with your children is the most engaging, memorable, and special.

24.  Have an indoor picnic. Spread out a blanket, and let their imagination run wild.

25.  Cook or bake together. Oftentimes, meal time is rushed due to the natural pace of things. Use this time to go slow, and allow your kids to help out with every step of the process… including clean up.

26.  Make a fort. Whether you use old boxes or tons of sheets, turn off the lights and break out the flashlights, instead.

27.  Do puzzles, or create your own "mosaic-style" using a printed photo.

28.  Lean into online educational resources. You don't have to do it all alone. We love Khan Academy and the schedule they've put together, and there are many apps available for download, too.

29.  Go for a walk, and still make time for outside exploration, whenever safe.

30.  Read that extra book at bedtime. With a more relaxed morning routine, now is the perfect time to indulge them in "just one more."

 

While times are uncertain and quite different from our usual routines, it doesn't mean that we have to put everything on hold. Use this time to bond with your child and get to know them on a deeper level. We hope you enjoy these activities, and happy playing!

 

 

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash