I am always having trouble when I have to figure out some fun things to do with kids at home for a rainy day. Well, I decided to make it easier for me and asked fellow mom bloggers for their favorite indoor activities for kids.
And here are the fun things to do with kids at home – recommended by mom bloggers!
Fun Things To Do With Kids At Home For Age: 1 month – 1,5 years
“Some of my favorite things to do with kids at home are reading books, playing in the floor with his toys and helping him learn, playing peek a boo and pat a cake, and singing to him! We also get lots of cuddle time in while watching Sesame Street. He has learned so much from all of our play time already, the newest being clapping. It makes me feel so accomplished seeing him happy, healthy, and learning!!”
Brittany @ “Stay at Home Momma Life”
Baby E. is playing with water
“Right now, our favorite indoor activities for kids are books, trying to learn to walk and going out on the patio to swing or play in sand. Around four months, I introduced water play to Baby E. Now, most people assume that water play should only be limited to outdoor play. BUT, that simply is not true. I filled a glass pie pan half-way with water and gave her a spoon, a small cup and a rubber ducky and allowed her to explore. At first, she wasn’t so sure that it was ok to play in it. Then once she confirmed it was ok to proceed, she began to splash and mix the water around with the spoon.”
Marcia @ Our Eggcellent Adventure
“Our favourite indoor activities for kids are playing with bubbles (bit messy!). Just a small bottle, I’ll blow them in the air and Archie runs around trying to pop/eat them.”
Kaye @ Hello Archie
Fun Things To Do With Kids At Home For Age: 1,5 – 5 years
Little princess likes to wash dishes!
“One of our favorite things to do with kids at home is “washing dishes.” I am usually doing something in the kitchen, and she just wants to participate as well. She doesn’t really wash a thing. We get her stool and set up the sink with bubbles and a few plastic cups, containers and she gets some good water sensory play in.”
Krystal @ Fit Frugal Mom
“A road made of masking tape is a smart way to engage a toddler. Prep time is way shorter than play time: you’ll only need a minute or two to stick the masking tape onto the floor. No need to be precise, your toddler will enjoy any version! It’s my son favorite indoor activity. He is quite fond of the road in the middle of the living room.”
Damjana @ Apple Green Cottage
“My 2 1/2 year old is becoming very curious and independent. Matching Bingo is a perfect activity for us both. Not only is it fun, but it helps with learning shapes, colors, and matching. It’s a perfect family game, but he also loves to play it on his own. He gets very excited when he fills the whole board all on his own.”
Adreanna @ Life in Our Nomad
“My son, Dallas, is almost three and his favorite indoor activities are puzzles and bubbles! We have a Frozen puzzle that he is obsessed with and is really fun to do together. It’s cool to watch him get better and better with it. Blowing bubbles in our living room is so much fun too. He likes to hold the wand and then chase them down. Hours of fun!”
Regan @ One and Done
She is having fun with Playdough!
“For my two year old toddler, we enjoy stacking blocks and then knocking them down… rinse and repeat.
Also, she really loves play-doh and water color painting. My daughter loves to put some sea shells, sticks, blocks, wiggly eyes, and buttons in her play-doh and that makes it even more interesting for her.
With water color painting, she has all the freedom to use a brush and paint in anyway that she feels compelled to do. There is no method except freedom! That is the best way to do it!”
Erin @ Nourishing My Scholar
Baby N loves to draw!
“Baby N. likes to go out and play with other kids, but sometimes we’re just forced to stay in. What to do then? Her most favorite activity is reading and drawing. She only knows few letters but it’s fun for her anyway and she is learning at the same time.
Also, we enjoy playing with our cat (or better to say, she is driving him crazy). He runs around the apartment and we are trying to catch him. He usually wins in playing catch with her, but she never gives up trying!
We also like to play with playdough
but we will try to make our own next week, so we will see how will that work out!”
Marina @ Parental Journey
“My favorite things to do with kids at home is painting with watercolors. Once they have their watercolor papers, their watercolors, their paintbrushes and some water, they immediately explore their creativity by mixing different colors and putting them on paper without thinking but just feeling. When they have finished their paintings, they are so happy and proud of their work. Of course, it is a messy thing but I don’t mind because watercolors
are washable and their happy faces will more than make up for it!”
Janet @ Writing Webworking Mom
Book Picnic!
“Indoor activities for kids… We have what we call book picnics. My daughter & I will lay out a blanket and some pillows on the floor in our living room. Set out a plate of snacks & some juice and spread out a pile of books. What she likes to read varies by week. She is really big recently into reading (High Five) Highlights magazine. This week Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is a favorite. Do Princesses Scrape Their Knees & Steam Train Dream Train are big ones. This is a great rainy day activity that we can enjoy together.”
Kim @ Pinterested parent
“My favorite things to do with kids at home are making bracelets and necklaces. They’re getting into beading jewelry and I love it! It’s great to see what a 3 and 5 year-old can create with just some beads and string.”
Kristina @ The Mommy Rundown
“My 2,5 year old loves when we take all the cushions from the sofa and create a fort out of them. She calls it her “house” and brings all her favorite toys in there and we have such a good time. Sometimes, we even share a snack together in her “house” “
Vicki @ Diary of an Imperfect Mom
Fun Things To Do With Kids At Home For Age: 5 – 10 years
caterpillar diy project
Our top 3 things to do with kids at home are:
Painting:
I went to my local dollar tree and grabbed some paint…paint brushes …and a project board and was able to create a fun project for the kids for under $4 (I cut the project paper so we could get more use out of it )
Crafts:
Pinterest had this cute little caterpillar diy project …and while it only took a few minutes to make …the kids had fun playing with it for awhile. All you need is some Popsicles Stick … little puff balls (which I also found at the dollar tree )…and we found the fuzzy sticks and googly eyes at Walmart. Glue the puffs to the stick and I found it easier to wrap the fuzzy sticks(which we used for ears) around one of the puffs
Reading books:
My kids have always loved reading…so cuddling up with a good book is a daily activity in our house. I hope you have enjoyed reading some of our indoor activities!
Tonisha @ A little of this and a sprinkle of that!
“Our favorite indoor activity right now is nerf dart guns. It’s a safer version of playing darts. We just draw a dart board and use suction cup nerf bullets.”
Natalie @ Messy Mom
“Our family enjoys completing puzzles together. My kids are three and almost seven so I try to get puzzles that are in the 200 piece range. That way it’s a bit of a challenge for the kids, but I’m there to help.”
Melissa @ Wading through Motherhood
“Quiet boxes are boxes you make that are perfect during quiet time or a fun rainy day/inside day activity. I used them when my daughter was out of naps but I had a sleeping baby at home. We always had some ‘quiet’ time and these were perfect. I traded the boxes out so she wouldn’t get bored with the material. I ONLY let her have them during this special quiet time too. Also, moon Sand is a fun and easy project you can do in minutes. It’s perfect for a rainy day or on a nice day too. Kids of all ages would love this! Gak is another fun and simple thing to make at home with just a few ingredients.”
Shannon @ Daily Momtivity
Legoland!
“For my 7 year old son, our favorite indoor activities are building with Legos
, Reading out loud to him, and watching documentaries on prehistoric creatures.
He also loves Story Cubes. Story Cubes are like dice with a picture on each side.
The game is played by rolling a dice and beginning a story based on the picture. Then the next person rolls a dice and continues the story based on that picture.
You can continue the game for as long as you like. We have the prehistoric story cubes which contain pictures of dinosaurs, volcanoes, meteors, mammoths, swamps, cavemen, ect. It is a really fun game of story telling and imagination.”
Erin @ Nourishing My Scholar
“My favorite thing to do with my kids at home is arts and crafts. We keep a “craft box” in the house that is filled with supplies and many of those easy craft kits that you buy from Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. On bad weather days I say, “Go get the craft box!” and he’ll run and pull it off the shelf. Sometimes it’s even fun to play board games. Our favorite is a game called Blokus
. We also sometimes play Uno.”
@ The Jersey Momma
“One of the games I used to play with my kids when they were small was Hot and Cold. It was really just a take off on the old “you’re getting warmer” thing. We would take turns hiding something, sometimes a toy, or if I had a
treat for them, I would hide that. Then, they would look for it while I would prompt them with “You’re getting warmer” or “You’re so cold you are turning into ice!” I used all kinds of hot and cold sentences to guide
them to where the treasure was hidden. You are going to catch on fire! You have cold feet. Don’t burn your hand! If you are going over there, you better put on your mittens! The kids had a lot of fun playing this and love to re-hide the treasure over and over. It was a great way to pass a rainy afternoon, with everyone getting a chance to hide and find.
My kids also loved to build forts. And one of their favourite thing to build forts with were the couch cushions! They would stand them up as walls, add a blanket over top for the roof and make tunnels around the living room. They would gather all the furniture cushions from around the house and make bigger forts. Now my younger kids show their niece and nephews how to build them! Using a blanket over a table also makes a great fort or hideout!”
Sue @ The Little Shack on the Hill
Happy Jar With Activities
“My six-year-old daughter loves to pick happy activities from our happy jar.
We created it together when she was going through a rough patch (she has anxiety).
It’s full of all of her favorite activities she likes to do with Mommy and things that elicit happy feelings. Its purpose is to help her focus on the positive and manage her anxiety in a healthy positive way.
She’s come a long way since we started the “happy jar,” but it remains one of OUR favorite indoor activities.”
Elle @ Tuned In Parents
Fun Things To Do With Kids At Home For Age: 10+ years.
Kids Can Even Make Sushi
“I like to involve kids in kitchen activities. One project that my son and I love doing is making sushi! This is a great supervised activity for kids ages 10 and up. New to sushi making? The Sushi Making Kit from Mud Puddle is a great place to start – it includes a recipe book, rolling mat, rice paddle and two sets of chopsticks. We made California Rolls – no raw fish involved! But you can get really creative and use just about any ingredient that can be rolled up!”
@ Mom Meets Blog
“My 10 year old loves arts and crafts, so we do lots of DIY projects we find on Pinterest. We choose the 1st craft project that catches our eye, as long as we have all the materials or sometimes we just improvise with what’s around the house then we have a go at it. It keeps our creative juices flowing.”
Anne @ Stretch Your Pesos
Fun Things To Do With Kids At Home For Age: everyone!
“Because my children range in age from 1 to 10, I’ve tried to come up with a few fun indoor activities that we can all participate in when the weather is just not cooperating. Here are some recent picks: – Put on a play: Everyone can take part! The oldest can write and direct, while the youngest can have their own little “role” or be a part of the audience with mommy. – Have a dance party: Let everyone take turns picking out songs or create your own family playlist. It’s a great way to burn off some energy (and a few calories!). – Write a book: My sons are really enjoying this project right now, and even my littlest guy can color on some folded white paper that has been stapled to create a booklet. Give everyone 15-30 minutes to work and then take turns sharing the finished products. They key for our family in each of these ideas is that they are not competitive but harmonious projects that build cooperation and listening skills – and help keep the peace!”
@ Overwhelmed Mom
“My favorite indoor activity with my kids is to create treasure hunts for them. I leave clues all over the house leading them to the next clue, ending at a prize (usually some cookies or stuff I keep in a stash from the dollar store). When I don’t have time to make up clues, but want to keep the kids busy, I send them on a scavenger hunt. Here’s a sample of one. This activity works best for school-aged children. If you have older kids too (tweens and teens), they love to help make up the clues.”
Corinne @ Wondermom Wannabe
Do you have some indoor activities for kids you would like to share? Just send me an email and I will add your things to do with kids at home to the list
around can be fun as well.