Looking for some fun and easy indoor activities for kids?
Most, if not all of the activities I’m listing have items that you probably already have at home.
I know for myself, it is always frustrating when you see activities on Pinterest, click on it to read it and you have to have something like dry ice to do the activity.
First of all, I wouldn’t even know where to start to get dry ice.
But secondly and more importantly, that means I can’t do the activity the day I’m reading about it, or possibly for the next few days if there are supplies I’d have to go out and get.
Now, that’s not to say you’ll have everything you’ll need for every one of these indoor activities for kids, but I bet you have a lot of them!
Especially, if you, um, have kids 🙂
So let’s get started.
In case you’re in need of some quick and fun activities, you won’t have to wait 🙂
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks! For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Indoor Activities for Kids
Ballons
Hopefully, you have some balloons laying around.
Inflate it like normal.
Enough so the sides are tight but not so full it’ll bust the first time it touches something.
Now, go to town 🙂
You can play keep the balloon off the floor, keep away or simply pass it to each other.
If you happen to have some badminton rackets, or, which we’ve used :), some spatulas, use them to ‘hit’ the balloon and incorporate some hand-eye coordination!!!
Baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring
So food coloring is one of those items we didn’t normally have in the house and ended up buying once my son was old enough to start doing some of these projects.
With that said, you can totally do this without the food coloring, but if you don’t have any, don’t want to go buy it, and have nice neighbors, see if you can borrow some 🙂
Once you have all the items, pour some baking soda into a plastic container (we used a clean take-out container), enough to at least cover the bottom of the container. (See the image at the top of the post for the example)
Put some vinegar into a cup and add the food coloring if you have it.
Then, with a syringe (we used old ones from the children’s medicine bottles) or use a spoon or simply slowly pour the vinegar mixture onto the baking soda.
When they combine it will bubble!
Related Post: Household items you’re kids will love
Cooking
This and the next one are oldies but goodies 🙂
Why not get out your favorite recipe (book) and make a dish with the kids?
I know it can be messy, and I know for myself I’m not good at relinquishing my control lol, but it’s such a great experience for them and you can incorporate counting, measuring and following instructions.
And if it turns out well then you’ve just successfully made dinner :), you’re welcome 😉
Baking
Like cooking, baking can be one of the best indoor activities for kids out there.
My son loves helping me make our banana muffins and chocolate chip cookies.
O.k., so truth be told it’s probably just because he loves to eat the final product but hey, it gets him busy, he’s learning and we’re spending time together.
Right, right, plus we get to eat some delicious sweets afterward 🙂
Shaving cream in Ziploc
Technically, this one can be done on just a cookie sheet or some paper but during it with the Ziploc will help control the mess!
Spray some shaving cream into a Ziploc bag, put a few drops of one or more food colorings into the bag then carefully seal it.
Try to get out as much air as possible while keeping the shaving cream in.
If you have duct tape around tape the zippered part to ensure nothing will accidentally come out.
Now have fun and use your imagination.
Mix the colors to see what new color you might create.
See if you can keep the colors from mixing.
Draw shapes in the shaving cream.
Faces on Ziploc
I got this one from The Dad Lab.
Grab a Ziploc bag, or any seethrough plastic bag and a marker.
Next, you’ll have your kid gentle place the bag up to their face and then you draw/trace their face onto the bag.
Then let them do the same to you 🙂
Let everyone check out the awesome artwork created by your faces!
Having fun with your kids doesn’t have to be hard work.
Ninja warrior
Ever watched American Ninja Warrior?
It’s a great show to watch if you haven’t.
Either way, it’s basically an intricate obstacle course.
Why not create an age-appropriate obstacle course for one of the easiest indoor activities for kids out there?
You don’t need any special equipment either!
Grab some pillows, couch or seat cushions, shoes, toys, chairs that are easy to move, you get the idea.
Place them around a room or two and figure out a path.
It’s that simple.
Depending on how old the kids are, you could always time everyone to create a competition 🙂
Make a box into something
Just the other day we had an empty box laying around the house.
My son wanted to be a robot.
Grandpa made two little holes on each side of the box and that was it.
My little guy became a robot 🙂
We all know kids love boxes, maybe even more than what might have been in the box!
They can become a robot, space ship, race car, food truck, restaurant, whatever their (or your) imaginations can come up with.
Scavenger hunt around the house
I did my first scavenger hunt with my son just this past Easter and you know what I learned?
It’s not as hard as you might think (or at least I was thinking!)
Choose about 5-10 places in the house that your child can go to and either look online to print out clip art of those places or draw them yourself on little pieces of paper.
Place each piece in each spot and you’re ready!
For example, I had my son start in his room with a picture of the kitchen (it’s the farthest room from his bedroom ;)).
Once he got to the kitchen he found a piece of paper with a picture of a bathroom (again, on the other side of the house).
In the bathroom, he found a picture of a couch (for the living room), and so on.
He had so much fun and not only made his brain work but also his body running back and forth throughout the house!
Pretend baking
My son loves to get out some bowls, borrow a spatula or two, grab his toy eggs and make us all some pancakes!
If there is a box around then that becomes the stove/oven, and his steering wheel toy allows him to have a food truck 🙂
We don’t have a kitchen set of any kind for him and so literally all the food is imaginary but we have so much fun and again, your mind is your only limit!
In Conclusion
So, initially, the thought of having to stay inside for whatever reason may seem like a drag but with these 10 fun indoor activities for kids, I don’t think you’ll mind!