Do you want to keep your kids entertained and active, especially during vacations or at times when they are at home? Finding fun activities for kids that are creative and engaging is important to keep your children busy. Most importantly, these activities should make your kids happy while staying indoors.
Well, here is a great idea: a list of 10 fun activities for kids that will keep them entertained and stimulate their imagination. These, besides helping them with brain development, will also make them future all-rounders.
1. Arts and Crafts
Painting
Let your child unleash their creativity with a canvas and some paint. One of the simplest techniques to train the kids in painting is to make them paint on plain paper. Rather than starting to mix colours in the palette, which is sort of time-consuming, mixing the colours in the paper itself will make their task easier. This technique is called the double-loading method and is very effective for young brains.
There are some points that need to be followed while you are preparing these sorts of fun activities for kids. Let the kids wear light-coloured clothes, cover the surroundings with newspaper, move the nearby household items away from the painting area and choose safe colours for them. Make sure to have items like napkins, paper, soft cloth, etc., so that in case of any spoilage, the damage is minimal.
Drawing
This is one of the perfect fun activities for kids who love to draw and doodle. All you need is a pencil and paper. This activity is very simple for the kids and quite easy to make them like it. Just a pencil in his or her hand will ease the world for them. It doesn’t even require much concentration in the initial years of children, as they are happy to scrub their notebooks as per their fancies, which is one of the great activities for kids.
Actually speaking, drawing is the first serious lesson that you can impart to the small kids, which they will cherish. This builds up the motor skills of the child and paves the way for better concentration levels at later stages of the child.
Some things that you can ask them to draw are the basic items that you can find in the home like furniture, plants, vegetables, flowers, etc. Ask them to draw off their free will and let them unleash themselves on the paper. This can also be the best way to enhance the creativity of the child.
Origami
This kind of Japanese art of paper-folding can be a fun and challenging activity for kids of all ages. Origami can be one of the most fun activities for kids of any age, and it can also act as a brain sharpener.
Any square form of coloured paper can be used for this, as there is nothing complicated about it. Origami is an interesting art where the coloured paper is folded in such a way that it takes many shapes and forms. The child should develop this art, as it is one of the most simple, cost-effective, and fun.
The different shapes that can be drawn from these coloured papers are fish, houses, animals, boats, flowers, etc. The only way to create shapes is by cutting and folding the paper. Just one of the most cost-effective fun activities for kids.
DIY projects
Encourage your child to create something for their room or to give it as a gift. As the name suggests, anything created by the child is his or her own creation, which you can even showcase at home as a decoration. This acts as a very encouraging factor and one of the fun activities for kids, as anyone visiting your home will definitely watch this creation and appreciate the child.
The basic idea of doing these DIY projects is that the kids can utilize their vacations to create something that is close to their hearts. Something that they can’t do during school time since their hobbies do not always match the tasks given in school. But, in some cases, the schools give home assignments to kids, wherein they are asked to do some projects at home during vacations and present them in school afterwards.
Some of the DIY projects which can be tried are
Bird feeders
These tiny structures will surely help the kids realize the importance of caring about nature and their surroundings. Besides helping the birds with food and shelter, the kids will get their emotional quotient raised for the better. The kids can use coconut shells, cardboard, wooden pieces, etc., for the same.
Candle stand
The DIY candle stand project for your kids will ensure that their skills are enhanced. This will also teach them the value of creating something on their own. Lighting the candles that they made themselves will make them feel a sense of pride and achievement, besides having some fun.
Twig planters
The twig planters are just fun to work with, and they don’t cost much. The kids can just assemble the twigs and wooden sticks, which are then tied together around a pot into which the plant can be inserted. The twigs can even be cloured and woven beautifully around the pot to give it a nice look.
Backpack tags
The backpack tag is something that acts as information, besides looking cool to kids. These can be created by your kids using just some fabric, cardboard, tape and a key ring to attach to their favourite bags or belongings. These backpacks look visually attractive to thekids,s which they flaunt with pride.
2. Board Games
The parents can select the best board games for kids, promoting fun-filled moments and the overall brain development of the child. These games keep the interest level of the kids high and promote teamwork between them.
Classic board games
The board games are one of the best stress busters and fun activities and a great idea for a family to be together. The children and the parents can sit at a table and play between themselves. The Board games offer a welcome relief from the stress and act as a great bond between the family members. Some of the classic board games which can be tried are:
Monopoly
In this game, the player can engage in the buying and development of properties in order to acquire wealth. This uses some iconic locations and the players use dice to play and checkmate the opponents
Scrabble
A word game where players use letter tiles to create words on a game board. Each letter has a point value, and the goal is to create high-scoring words while strategically using the available letters.
Clue
A deduction game where players try to solve a murder mystery by moving through rooms, making suggestions, and eliminating suspects, weapons, and locations
Card games
The card games offer different styles to play and are suitable to all ages and genders, thereby making them quite favourite among families who want to play with their grown-up children. Some of the most common and well-known card games are poker, Go-fish, UNO, solitaire, Bridge, poker, etc.
Cooperative games
Cooperative games are perfect for players who appreciate collaborative activities since they develop teamwork, communication, and shared problem-solving. These games offer different levels of difficulty in playing and present unique scenarios that are often challenging to the players. Some of the famous cooperative games are
Forbidden Island / Forbidden Desert / Forbidden Sky
These games are part of a series where players must work together to achieve specific objectives. In “Forbidden Island,” players collect treasures from a sinking island; in “Forbidden Desert,” they search for parts of an ancient airship; and in “Forbidden Sky,” they construct a working electrical circuit atop a platform.
Pandemic
In this game, players are members of a disease control team working to prevent the outbreak of deadly diseases across the globe. Players coordinate and try to find cures and treat infections with resources.
Ghost Stories
The players are Taoist monks defending a village from vengeful spirits. They work together to defeat the ghosts while utilizing their great abilities of problem-solving and teamwork.
Two-player games
The two-player games offer various techniques to players and keep them engaged for hours. Some of the famous two-player games and great sources of fun activities that can be good options for kids are
Chess
A classic strategy game where two players go head-to-head in a battle of wits, moving their pieces strategically across the board to capture the opponent’s king.
Checkers (Draughts)
A simple yet strategic game where players take turns moving their pieces diagonally on the board, aiming to capture their opponent’s pieces.
Lost Cities
A card game where the players take on expeditions to find lost cities and play cards in such a way that they can build routes and score points.
3. Science Experiments
One of the most famous fun activities for kids is doing scientific experiments, which they will find very interesting and exciting. These experiments should be done in the presence of parents who must ensure that proper precautions are taken and the necessary research is done before going for these experiments. These fun activities create a scientific temper in kids and encourage them to study the subject more enthusiastically.
Volcano experiment
This is quite a fun exercise that involves some chemical reactions and has to be performed with some caution and in the presence of parents. It involves creating a volcano-shaped mould using modelling clay or playdough. A bottle is kept under the clay with its opening at the top of the clay mould. Pour some baking soda, dish soap, vinegar and some orange colour for a perfect live volcano resemblance to the delight of the kids.
Balloon rocket experiment
Let the kids explore the principles of thrust and motion of science by creating a simple balloon rocket. Attach a string across a room, thread a drinking straw onto the string, blow up a balloon and tape it to the straw, then release the air from the balloon to make the rocket move along the string.
Invisible Ink experiment
Write secret messages using lemon juice as invisible ink. Allow the juice to dry, and then reveal the message by gently heating the paper (with parental supervision) to make the lemon juice darken. Invisible ink invokes a great interest in kids and acts as a nice source of fun activities for kids.
Mentos and Diet Coke experiment
Let the kids drop Mentos candies into a bottle of Diet Coke to create an explosive and fizzy geyser. This experiment is quite fun for the kids and involves the release of carbon dioxide gas.
4. Reading is one of the best fun activities
Reading has always been one of the favourite pastimes of many and is the best source of entertainment knowledge at the same time. Kids especially should be encouraged from childhood to read books as they can retain the knowledge more in these early years of their lives rather than afterwards.
There are many websites where you can find books that are just right for your kid’s age. This site analyses and rates the books and recommends them to kids.
Try to create a reading nook at the house where your kids can relax and read the books recommended to them. This will generate an interest level in the kid and enhance his reading ability. You can also read along with your kid so that he or she feels encouraged and participates willingly. Discuss with them what they have learned from the book and ask them to summarize it if they can or try to explain it to them. Your kids can also start book club with their friends which will create a healthy and competitive environment while they are having fun activities during their vacations.
5. Cooking and Baking
One of the best fun activities for everyone who loves food is cooking, which allows them to experiment with different tastes and cuisines at home. Kids can explore the different combinations of food in the kitchens along with their parents to come up with something new or improvise on the existing famous cuisines.
Cooking simple meals
You kids can learn from your culinary skills and try to prepare some of the meals at home. This will add to their cooking skills which can be very handy in case of need. Besides learning cooking skills, they can experiment with different recipes which can be very a fun activity and encouraging for them. Meals that they can try are pasta, scrambled eggs, noodles, etc.
Baking skills
Kids can be taught baking skills as one of the fun activities at home. They can learn to make simple cookies and cakes at home. Baking can be fun and add to their skills which will make them self-reliant in case of need.
Decorating cupcakes
Also as a parent, you can make them unleash their creative side with cupcake decorating. Cakes come in different flavours and hence they can definitely learn some of them which can be a fun activity for them.
Making pizza
The kids can also try to make homemade pizza and choose their own toppings as these sorts of fun activities add to the creative sides of the kids.
6. Pretend Play
Vacations offer a welcome relief from the mundane activities of lives and in the case of kids, these are the best times to indulge in fun activities and relax in the confines of their homes. Some of the fun activities that they can try their hand at are
Dressing up in costumes
Let your child use their imagination and dress up in costumes. They can select dresses from the legendary movie characters or from the classic tales to add some spice to the vacations and record them.
Creating a pretend store
Encourage your child to create their store and “sell” items to family and friends. The store may contain dummy items which are favourites of your kids and their friends. It is a nice fun activity which makes them quite creative.
Playing restaurant
Let you create a menu and let your child be the chef and server. Let the kids learn how to serve and learn to be patient with others. This can also be a fun activity that will make them more polite and disciplined
Acting out favourite scenes
Recreate favourite scenes from movies or books and let the kids enact them as per their liking. Recreating these scenes as fun activities will make them funny and creative.
7. Physical Activity
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to get some exercise while relaxing. This will make your kids physically quite strong and disciplined. This can be one the best fun activities at home which definitely adds to their personality.
Dance party
Put on some music and let your child dance and move to the beat. Dancing is one of the best exercises for the body and the brain. This is definitely a fun activity and adds to the overall motor skills of the growing kids.
Indoor obstacle course
Create an obstacle course using household items like pillows and blankets. On days when outdoor play might not be possible, this indoor obstacle course activity can be quite fun. An indoor obstacle course can benefit the kids physically who have to pass the physical challenges that these obstacles offer. This can be one of the imaginative and fun activities that enhances their motor skills too.
Sports games
The kids can play indoor games like basketball or bowling which doesn’t require the kids to be outdoors. The small courts required for these fun activities can be made a t home for kids so that they don’t miss the outdoors during the rainy seasons or hot summers
8. Virtual Tours
Museums
Visiting museums online can be great fun activities for the kid. In this way, the kids can explore different exhibits, remain informed and utilize their time spent at home in a better way.
Art galleries
The kids can also browse through famous artworks and learn about artists from the confines of the rooms only. Learning the art of different cultures makes them aware of other societies and is a nice and informative fun activity.
Aquariums
Let your kids explore different marine life and learn about ocean conservation from their home computers only. Watching hundreds of fish of different colours and sizes can be a fun activity
Zoos
The kids can observe animals from different parts of the world and learn more about animal habitats while utilizing their holidays at home. Then after learning about them at home only, they can visit them physically while being outdoors.
9. Movie Nights
Choosing age-appropriate movies
One of the most favourite fun activities for kids is watching movies. You can pick a movie that is suitable for your child’s age and make arrangements for them to watch. This makes their day with some information, fun and a great time pass during the vacation days.
Creating a cosy atmosphere
Let you dim the lights, make popcorn, gather blankets and pillows and create a nice cool environment for the kid’s room. They will love it and enjoy the change in the room and it will also have a great calming effect on them.
Making snacks
Let the parents create movie-themed snacks like popcorn or candy while watching the movies at home. It binds the family together and compensates for the inability to visit the theatres for any reason. In fact, making the snacks together with the help of kids can be great fun and a welcome change for the kids from their routine life.
Discussing the movie afterwards
You can have a discussion about the movie and ask your child what they liked or didn’t like about it. It will open the horizons of their thinking and decision-making ability and prepare them for situations where parents can’t be by their side to make decisions.
These sorts of casual discussions don’t happen normally in homes when everyone has to move to their respective workplaces or schools. It is only during the days when the kids are at home due to vacations, that these chats can be initiated. Besides the kids feel confident that their opinions also matter at home
10. Outdoor Exploration
Backyard camping
Parents can also create a camping experience for kids in their own backyard. Choose a suitable spot in your backyard to set up the campsite. Make sure the area is flat and free of rocks and debris. Set up the tent, arrange sleeping bags and pillows, and create a cosy campfire area (if regulations and safety permit) using battery-operated flameless candles or lanterns. Let the kids spend a night in the backyard, which they can remember as one of the most unique fun activities they ever had.
Nature scavenger hunt
Compile a list of items found in your backyard or outdoor area that kids can search for. Make sure the items are safe and appropriate for the location. Some of the items that they can search for are Pinecone, leaves with jagged edges, smooth rocks, particular feathers, flower petals, etc
Gardening
Plant a garden with your child and teach them about different plants and vegetables. Try to involve them too and let them do the stuff themselves so that they feel involved and enjoy the experience. Gardening is one of the most sought-after home exercises and well-known fun activities that kids enjoy for hours.
Backyard sports
Backyard sports can be initiated by the parents for kids at home. It will definitely be one of the joyous experiences and fun activities for them. Games such as basketball, football, badminton, frisbee, etc., are nice fun activities for kids who want to enjoy outdoor activity but inside their homes. Definitely should be tried for the overall outdoor experience for kids during vacations
Conclusion: The fun activities that the kid can be involved with at home are numerous, but here we discussed some of the best and most common fun activities that will surely keep the kids fully entertained at home, especially during the time they cannot go outside due to any reason.
Some of the frequently asked questions
How can I ensure my child remains safe when engaging in these fun activities?
Always supervise your child during these activities to ensure their safety.
What if my child loses interest in any of these fun activities?
Encourage them to try a different activity or take a break.
Can these fun activities be done with multiple children of different ages?
Yes, many of these activities can be adapted to suit different age groups and interests, making them perfect for siblings of different ages
How can I make sure my child is learning while being entertained?
These fun activities have their own benefits too, that teach the kids about academics, history or culture. As parents, we must encourage them to participate in them regularly