Easy Activities for Kids Stuck at Home

Need some ideas quick? Check out these easy activities for kids stuck at home.

This is THE LIST of easy activities for kids stuck at home. Look no further – these 35 activities will help you break up the days while the kids are out of school.

RELATED: Looking for other activities? I have a list of indoor activities here!

Activities don’t need to be fancy!!

Kids don’t need outrageous activity set ups right now or for us to spend hours prepping projects.

Simple and engaging.

We can use the supplies we have in our house to make fun activity breaks to pass the time each day.

Use these activities to help break up the day

Activities are a great way to break up different time blocks each day.

During these no-school times, I’m using activities to help make it through the long morning. Just 1-2 activities each day can make a big difference in giving me a break and helping the kids find play independent of an adult.

Independent play is so important right now for our kids without school and these activities offer an “invitation to play”: a way to get the play re-started.

Remember, independent doesn’t necessarily mean unsupervised. All activities require adult supervision.

DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PDF OF EASY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS STUCK AT HOME

Here’s the list full of clickable links as well if you’d like a little more direction than just one sentence (I get it: I’m a visual learner).

1. Popsicle Bath: Let your child take a bath while eating a Popsicle – mess is contained & the kids are happy.
2. Decorate Boxes: Go big – use paint, stickers, construction paper, crayons, markers. Store it and play again tomorrow.
3. Pillow Lava: Put every pillow and cushion on the floor for a “pillow lava” experience.
4. DIY Coloring Page: Roll out a large piece of paper and draw your child their own personal GIANT coloring page.
5. Make Play Dough: Make some homemade play dough with your child. Let them be a part of the process.
6. Wash the Toys: Fill a large container with tear-free soapy water. Have your child wash their plastic toys in the bin.
7. Toy Parade: Tape lines on the carpet and set out some tiny toys to have a giant parade.
8. Creation Station: Let your child cut and glue recycled materials – explore, tinker, create.
9. Dance Party: Crank up the tunes, add in some glow sticks, turn off the lights – make this a real kid party.
10. Random Painting: Invite your child to paint with random paint brushes: foil, Q-tips, cotton balls, sponges.
11. LEGO Bath: Dump your LEGO Duplos or other large plastic bricks in a full bath – let the water building begin!
12. Build with Toilet Paper Rolls: Have your child build towers using toilet paper – they can pretend they’re snow forts.
13. Box Road: Cut open a box and draw DIY road in marker. Bring out cars, blocks, animals and make a town.
14. Toy Hide & Seek: Pick a toy to play hide and seek with (puzzles are great). Hide the pieces for your child to find.
15. Playing Card Games: With cards, have your child sort by color, suit, & number. Teach them Slap Jack. If older, play War.
16. Make a Fort: Be epic! Bonus points: have lunch INSIDE the fort, read books in the fort, bring in toys.
17. Paint in the Bath: Cover the walls with paper and let your child paint will in a dry bathtub.
18. Make a Ramp: Use wood OR fold an open box into a ramp. Tip: tape a broom handle to the back of cardboard for stability.
19. Flashlight Find: Put sticky notes all over with shapes, words, or numbers. Send your child to find them with a flashlight.
20. Sensory Bin: Make a sensory bin in a storage container. Fill with kitchen tools and a base (rice, cornmeal, leftover cereal, or oats).
21. Make Paper Airplanes: Learn how to make paper planes and teach your child. Have races.
22. Body Art: Lay your child down on a large piece of paper and trace their body. Let them paint it.
23. Car Races: Have car and ball races on the floor – keep track of the winners.
24. Play with Ice: Experiment with ice. Fill a bin with ice and add water. Ladle the ice, mix, scoop, and smash it.
25. Paint the Trash: Grab the recycling & let your child paint it – egg cartons, boxes, etc.
26. Bake Cookies: Bonus points: Open the cookbook and pick a NEW recipe.
27. Color Bath: Collect plastic toys and object – all one color. Dump them all in the bath for a color themed experience.
28. Bubble Foam: 2:1 tear free bubble bath/body wash to water – 1 cup soap + ½ cup water. Mix with a hand mixer or blender to “stiff peaks.”
29. Paint the Toys: Let your child paint some of their plastic toys (then have them wash them off in the bath).
30. Cut & Glue Bin: Let your child practice cutting and gluing by making a collage on paper.
31. Puzzle Unwrap: Wrap puzzle pieces in foil or paper and let your child open them and complete the puzzle.
32. Send Letters: “Write” letters and make pictures for family and friends – actually mail them!
33. Pouring Station: In a bin or dry bath tub, let your child scoop and pour water into and from various containers.
34. Coin Sort: Sort the coins onto 4 plates. Talk about each coin’s uniqueness.
35. Oobleck: 2:1 cornstarch to water. Mix 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water for an awesome taste safe science experiment.

DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PDF OF EASY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS STUCK AT HOME

Hang this on your fridge and may it help you navigate the next few weeks with kids at home.

Great activities and fun ways to break up the day don’t need to take hours to prep or be full of stress.

The kids can be entertained and playing using what we have in the house. I promise.

Which activities on this list sound the best to you?