Sometimes You Just Need a Break! Here are 25 Activities to Keep Kids Busy
- Indoor scavenger hunt: Create a list of items for kids to find around the house.
- Build a fort: Use blankets and pillows to create a cozy fort.
- Bake cookies: Whip up some delicious cookies
- DIY snowglobes: Use empty jars, water, glitter, and small figurines to create your own snowglobes.
- Family movie night: Pick a movie and make it a special event with popcorn and cozy blankets.
- Create a sock puppet theater: Use old socks and craft supplies to make your own puppets and put on a show.
- Cardboard box creations: Transform old cardboard boxes into forts, cars, or anything else your imagination desires.
- Make homemade playdough: Mix flour, salt, water, and food coloring to create your own playdough.
- Indoor bowling: Set up a bowling alley using empty water bottles and a soft ball.
- Paper airplane competition: See who can make the best paper airplane and have a flying contest.
- Have a dance party: Clear some space, put on some music, and dance like nobody’s watching.
- Make homemade slime: Mix glue, borax, and water to create your own slime.
- Create a family photo album: Print out photos and create a beautiful album to cherish memories.
- Painting: Paint rocks, plant pots, paper plates, windows or whatever you like.
- Have a board game marathon: Spend the day playing all your favorite board games.
- Indoor picnic: Lay out a blanket and have a picnic indoors with sandwiches, fruit, and snacks.
- Make a time capsule: Fill a box with meaningful items and bury it in the backyard to open in the future.
18. Create a family tree: Use paper and markers to draw and label your family tree.
19. Write and illustrate a story: Let your imagination run wild and create your own storybook.
20. Have a karaoke night: Sing your heart out with a karaoke machine or YouTube karaoke videos.
21. Create a DIY marble run: Use cardboard tubes and tape to make a fun and challenging marble run.
22. Make paper bag puppets: Decorate paper bags and turn them into puppets for a puppet show.
23. Have a science experiment day: Conduct simple experiments using household items like baking soda and vinegar.
24. Build a LEGO city: Spend the day building a sprawling LEGO city with buildings and vehicles.
25. Play dress-up: Raid the closet and have a dress-up fashion show.
Bonus: Scrapbook pages – let the littles in on the fun! Teaching them to save their memories early means they will be more likely to do it later. It’s also a great way to introduce writing for fun and being creative! Having raised six kids, I can tell you I wish I would have started mine (boys & girls) keeping their memories in an album and saving their favorite stories there. I also would have handed them the camera a lot more and gotten IN THE PICTURE a lot more!
These activities are designed to keep kids entertained and engaged during winter weather, using supplies that can be found in most American households. They encourage creativity, imagination, and family bonding, making the most of indoor time. PLUS they are great opportunities to create memories and fantastic scrapbooking pages!