If you’re running out of ideas to keep your little ones busy, we get it—there’s only so many times you can play the same board game, right? That’s why we rounded up 101 activities that are sure to keep your entire family entertained. From cooking and crafting to exercising and exploring, these options will get a thumbs up from everyone!
1. Bake muffins. They’re easy enough for toddlers to help with and are best enjoyed straight out of the oven, which checks the instant gratification box. Bonus points if you can sneak a fruit or veggie into the batter.
2. Create a scavenger hunt. Give the kids the first clue, which will lead them to the next clue and so on. Have some sort of “treasure” for them to find at the end, or a treat such as a coupon for an ice cream sundae, which they can cash in that evening.
3. Make dye out of flowers—yes, really! To adorn napkins, pillowcases or art prints, use these simple instructions.
4. Play a board game. Even better: introduce your children to a classic from your own childhood. Sorry or Game of Life, anyone?
5. Complete a puzzle. This is a great way to encourage teamwork. Have the whole family work together to complete a puzzle—say 1,000 pieces! We love the options from eeBoo.
6. Write a story. Have older kids pen a tale, then ask them to illustrate it. Younger kids can draw a picture of their favorite thing to do.
7. Draw with chalk. From writing inspirational messages to drawing rainbows, these sidewalk chalk ideas will keep your kiddos busy.
8. Make slime. If you haven’t already banned slime from your home, whip up a fluffy version with this recipe.
9. Put on a show. Have your kids come up with a script and costumes. Then grab a seat on the couch and watch the performance.
10. Or make a movie. Let your kids use your phone (for filming purposes only) and have them act out a story with their toys (dolls or Lego people make especially good characters.) Send the finished product to your family and friends.
11. Grow your own veggies. Salads are so much tastier if you grow the ingredients yourself! Teach kids the principles of planting by growing spinach, lettuce or kale on your window sill.
12. Make pizza. Buy some dough or use this easy recipe to make your own. Then, let everyone choose their own toppings and declare it pizza night.
13. Play cards. You likely already have a deck on hand and there are endless games for kids of all ages. Start out with Crazy Eights or Concentration for younger kids and let the older ones play Rummy or poker.
14. Make playdough. It’s super easy and the cooking process will engage the kids even further.
15. Grow more houseplants from existing ones. Did you know that you can use your existing houseplants to grow more houseplants? Use plant cuttings to grow a new plant for every room in the house.
16. Look at old photographs. Get out your old photo albums and have fun reminiscing with your kids. Or if most of your photos are digital, let your kids help you organize them into photo books.
17. Ask your kids riddles. Here are 30 to get you started…with answers.
18. Convince them to clean. Tidying up a room is much more appealing if you can make a game out of it. Give them a space to clean, set a timer, and offer a reward for the fastest or most thorough job. (Watching them scurry around while sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee is optional.)
19. Let them go swimming. In the bathtub that is. Put on bathing suits, fill up the tub, toss in some toys and let them splash around.
20. Make a homemade chia pet. You’ve heard of Pet Rocks…now what about Plant People? Make a homemade “Chia” pet (complete with grass hair and googly eyes!) using old pantyhose, potting soil, grass seed and glue.
21. Have an indoor picnic. Let your kids choose the menu, pack a basket and set up a blanket on your living room floor.
22. Create a garden scavenger hunt. If you have a backyard, create a Garden Scavenger Hunt. Challenge kids to find common garden items like specific birds, leaves, rocks, etc. You can make it as general or specific as you want!
23. Set up a spa day. Cut up some cucumber slices for your eyes, give everyone a robe (or comfy pajamas), and spend a few hours lounging around the house. Make a DIY face mask, give each other mani/pedis, and sip hot chocolate or tea.
24. Go bowling. Set up a makeshift one in your basement by lining up empty plastic bottles and using a tennis ball to knock them down.
25. Make friendship bracelets. Whether you use beads, embroidery floss or soda can tabs, friendship bracelets are super fun (and time-consuming) to make.
26. Sing karaoke. Don’t have a karaoke machine? Just pull up the lyrics on your computer and go to town!
27. Print worksheets. Easy and free educational fun right from your printer. Enough said!
28. Build a fort. Use blankets, chairs, pillows and even sofa cushions to create your own fort. Assembling a fort requires lots of problem-solving and teamwork—great skills for your littles to work on!
29. Perform soil art! Soil is a form of paint, you know! In what will likely be your kids’ dreams come true…make like a caveman and perform soil art.
30. Make shadow puppets on the wall. A flashlight, fingers, dolls, and stuffed animals are all you need to make characters come to life!
31. Have a sticker party. Mamas, we bet you spent a lot of time with your sticker book as a kid! Recreate the fun by grabbing a notebook and letting your children go to town with stickers. They can even use them to make epic landscapes and goofy portraits.
32. Bust a move. Put on some tunes from the ’80s or ’90s and host an old-school dance party! It’s the perfect way for kids to get some exercise, work on motor skills and burn off energy.
33. Try the doodle game. Draw a doodle and then hand the paper to your child to finish in any way he imagines. Then, reverse the game and let him draw the doodle. You’ll see your kid’s imagination grow while playing, and also get some one-of-a-kind drawings to save.
34. Host a virtual playdate. Use services like Zoom, Houseparty and Messenger Kids to connect your kids with your friends.
35. Read with a flashlight. Grab a stack of books, hide under the covers and read with a flashlight. Reading to your kids is one of the best ways to bond with your littles. Here’s a great list for appropriate books for every age.
36. Paint rocks. If you have a backyard, go hunting—for rocks. Outdoor time gives kids time to move, plus being in a natural environment reduces stress and fatigue. Once you’ve collected the rocks, grab markers (and stickers) and let your little one draw colorful designs on them.
37. Play cat’s cradle. Played with a string, cat’s cradle is one of the oldest games ever recorded. Teach your children how to play by passing the string back and forth between the two of you. Here’s a step-by-step instruction guide along with videos in case you’ve forgotten how to play!
38. Listen to a podcast. You and your kids will love these options. Trust us.
39. Have a family movie night. We picked 10 Disney Plus flicks. Pop some popcorn to make it a true family movie night.
40. Volunteer at home. Here are some ways to get more involved in the battle against coronavirus—all while continuing to stay home and #flattenthecurve.
41. Make a craft using real flowers. A flower is so much prettier when it lasts forever! Get a plant press (or fashion your very own), dry them out, then Mod Podge them to paper to make pressed flowers and leaves.
42. Learn some math. Try these five math activities for kids that are as fun as they are educational—and they’ll have you feeling like a proper teacher in no time.
43. Make a classic craft. These easy DIY projects will teach kids all about what they’re making, what they’re making it out of and develop fine motor skills (via all that cutting and gluing).
44. Download educational apps. Keep up the learning at home (for free) with these 10 educational apps featuring STEAM, problem-solving activities and more.
45. Register your child in an online session with KidPass! Their newly-launched digital platform offers everything from music and dance to yoga and language classes. Plus, there are plenty of free sessions each week on the KidPass Live Stage.
46. Play freeze dance. Put on some dance music, encourage your kids to get groovin’ as hard as they can—then stop the music at a random point and your kids have to freeze in place. This is good for both their bodies and listening skills!
47. Blow bubbles (in a relatively empty area, of course). Challenge your kids to pop them all before they hit the ground. They’ll be diving, jumping and popping for hours.
48. Teach kids how to walk like a crab. You know, on all fours with their bellies facing up—then host a series of “crab races” to see who can cross the finish line the fastest.
49. Act like a spy. Using crepe paper or painter’s tape, set up a “laser maze” (a la Mission Impossible) in a hallway. Your kids must climb, crawl and contort to reach the prize on the other side without touching the “laser” and setting off the alarm.
50. Have a hula hoop contest. See who can go the longest—and bonus points for extra tricks like jumping while hooping!
51. Play “Don’t Let the Balloon Touch the Ground.” It’s pretty self-explanatory…but let’s just say it involves you blowing up balloons and throwing them in the air while certain individuals work to keep them afloat.
52. Make your own obstacle course. Using cushions, pieces of paper or masking tape, set up an obstacle course going from point A to point B. Everything but the “islands” is “lava” and your kids must cross to the other side by hopping across the course without falling in!
53. Have a parade. Gather ye pots and pans and have a stompin’, blastin’ and jumpin’ parade around the house. It’s basically your kids’ dreams come true…but also good exercise.
54. Pillow fight!!!!! No explanation needed.
55. Have a little workout—with books! Using a book like Green Eggs and Ham that repeats words, have kids do an action every time you say certain things. For example, when you say “Sam,” they get to do a jumping jack!
56. Play hopscotch. Create a hopscotch grid on your floors with painter’s tape and hop away!
57. Make your own sudoku. Create a number grid from 1-9 (like in sudoku) and call out random numbers for your children to jump to.
58. Go ice skating…indoors! Use two dryer sheets as your skates and your hardwood floors as your ice…then get gliding! (Helmets might be prudent for this one.)
59. Play a good game of balance. Have your kid balance a bean bag on their body while moving like an animal. They can balance it on their head and hop like a kangaroo, balance it on their back and run on all fours like a cheetah…the sky’s the limit.
60. Jump rope! Teach your kids all of your jump rope rhymes from your youth and get jumpin’!
61. Conduct a science experiment. Using household items like food coloring, pool noodles and highlighters, you can conduct simple “experiments” that are part-craft, part-science and tons of fun!
62. Go on a puzzle piece hunt. You hide the pieces of a puzzle around your house, and it’s up to your kids to find the pieces! Once they do, they can put the puzzle together.
63. Hide and seek is a classic for a reason! Keep in mind that your kids will get more exercise if they’re the ones looking for you. Happy crouching, mamas.
64. Let your kid have a “pretend temper tantrum.” (Only for an allotted period of time.) They can do all of the kicking, wriggling, jumping and fist-pumping they want.
65. Pop bubble wrap! When you get a package, challenge your kids to pop all of the dots in the bubble wrap by hopping on it.
66. Whip up something in the kitchen. We suggest trying one of these online cooking classes.
67. Enjoy free family programming with the YMCA. YMCA 360 features some of the Y’s most popular group exercise classes (think barre, yoga and boot camp) online for parents and kids.
68. Make up your own Mad Libs. Mad Libs may have come out in the ’50s, but they’re just as much fun today. It’s a great way to be silly as a family (what humorous word can we think to put in here?), while also teaching your kids about nouns, verbs, adjectives and how sentences are structured. Score all around!
69. Play the classic “My mother went to…” game. Let the creative juices really flow with this one! Here’s how it works. The first player says: My mother went to London and she brought me back—insert something here that starts with the letter “A” like an airplane. The next player would say the same thing, but add a word that starts with “B” and so on through the alphabet. It’s a great way to test everyone’s memory!
70. Break out the coloring books. There’s nothing like getting the whole family to sit at the kitchen table with some crayons and blank coloring sheets.
71. Play the ABC sign game. The goal is to look for words on signs and find a word that starts with each letter of the alphabet (easier said than done!). Once you get to the end of the alphabet, the player who finds a Z word first wins.
72. Build together. Engage young minds with Lego and Duplo challenges. Who can build a tower taller than they are? Who can build a house that looks like theirs? Who can build the new Star Wars droid BB-8? If your kids aren’t into Legos, any material will do.
73. Pretend you’re at a beauty salon. Take turns giving your little ones a makeover (hairdo, makeup, outfit and all!), then let your kids give you one. Have a fashion show to show off your new looks!
74. Visit the National Parks—from home! This link allows virtual visits to some of the most popular parks including Yellowstone, White Sands National Park and more. You can also download the Junior Ranger booklets and complete them at home!
75. Camp in your backyard. No need to venture off to a camping ground to get the camping experience. Pitch a tent in your own yard, stargaze and tell stories. (And the house is right there, in case you need something.)
76. Go roller skating. Your driveway is the perfect roller skating track for beginners. Don’t forget the knee pads, just in case!
77. Make your own splash pad. Is it warm where you live? The backyard hose and your lawn sprinklers make for the perfect at-home splashin’ ground.
78. Create a family cookbook. Gather all of the recipes you’ve been making and make your very own cookbook—the kiddos can even draw their own pictures to go along with each step.
79. Have a tea party. Pinkies up from the living room! Get out your nicest china, set the table all fancy and put on your Sunday best.
80. Design your own board game. Sure, playing board games are fun, but what if you designed your very own. Come up with a concept with the family, then assign each member their own task (someone makes the rules, someone makes the pieces, etc.).
81. Create a time capsule. To say we’re living through a historical time would be an understatement. Make your very own time capsule to remember these moments—put in a coloring sheet you finished, a craft you made or even a Lego creation you built. For a special touch, write your future self a letter.
82. Celebrate a holiday! Let the kids play dress-up with old Halloween costumes or bring the Christmas lights out of storage to decorate. Celebrate a different holiday every day complete with themed treats, movies and music.
83. Make your own ice cream. It’s actually super easy!
84. Write letters. Encourage your little ones to write their loved ones homemade letters or cards. Family members will love receiving these letters in the mail—especially their grandparents.
85. Create a monologue. Have everyone in the family make up one piece (beginning, middle and end).
86. Make a rain stick! Make your own rain sounds by creating a rain stick using paper towel tubes and beads.
87. Have a relay race. Have a bigger family? Divide everyone into teams, move the furniture and have a relay race!
88. Play in the rain. Embrace the elements and play in that giant rainstorm.
89. Practice a new language. Well, sort of! Decide as a family what language you’d like to immerse yourself in. Then, learn a new word every day. You’ll be surprised how many vocabulary words you’ll learn!
90. Learn at home with Scholastic. In light of schools around the country closing, the venerated children’s educational brand has created Scholastic: Learn at Home, a free, open-access digital hub to support your at-home learning plan.
91. Listen to a virtual story time. Plenty of celebrities are offering up online stories—hear from Dolly Parton, Michelle Obama, Julie Andrews and more.
92. Make puppets from socks. Take an old sock and create your very own puppet using materials you have at home. Glue on its face with construction paper or draw it on with paint! Make a few then have your very own puppet show.
93. Write in a journal. Take 10 minutes out of your day to have a journal session. If the thought of writing in a journal isn’t appealing to your kiddos, then encourage them to simply write down three things they’re grateful for that day.
94. Visit your favorite zoo or aquarium—online! Some of the country’s biggest zoos are offering virtual tours you can take from your couch. Say hello to hippos, elephants, penguins and more.
95. Have a stretching session. If your kids are doing school assignments and you’re working from home, you’re probably (hopefully) all sitting still for a while. Take a break every 30 minutes or so to stretch.
96. Have an art show. Tape large paper to the wall and get out the art supplies. Hang the masterpieces up for a mini-art show.
97. Adopt an accent. Put a variety of accents into a hat and have everyone in the family draw one—whichever accent you pick is the accent you have to use all day!
98. Switch chores with another family member. Hey, chores gotta get done—so, make it exciting! Switch things up by swapping chores with another family member. It’ll be interesting to learn the ins and outs of a new chore (plus the house will still get clean in the process).
99. Go for a drive. If you’ve got a car, go for a drive around town. Listen to some tunes, play car games (like the license plate game!) or just talk with your kiddos.
100. Make homemade dog treats. Fido needs some love, too! Make him a homemade treat using one of these easy recipes.
101. Share your “Rose and Thorn” of the day with your family. A great way to stay in tune with your family members is to share the best part of your day (the rose) and the worst part of your day (the thorn). This is a great dinnertime activity or a good one-on-one activity while tucking your LO into bed.
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