Keeping kids entertained most days is already a challenge, but when facing unexpected school closures or bad weather, new indoor activities for kids can save the day and make you a hero. You may feel that every indoor activity has been used up this past year, but we promise that your kids are always looking for excuses to hang out in their Little Sleepies PJs all day and laugh!
Here are some fast, fun, and educational - and tested - indoor activities and games for kids that help little ones build motor skills, keep them active and engaged, and possibly provide the adults in the room some entertainment too.
I spy for the indoor kids
This popular long car ride game is an easy indoor activity to play with kids of all ages - no materials needed. Start with easy items - I spy something blue. Build into counting and letters - I spy something with four letters or I spy four things that look alike. Don’t do all the spying … ask your little to make you guess what they’re spying. Kids are sponges and will begin to pick up on your tricky ways to spy items.
Mad Libs with your kids’ books
If you’re like most parents, you can probably recite your kids’ favorite books in your sleep. Make a game out of it while letting your kids practice their reading skills. Ask your kids to read sentences and leave out words for you to guess. While reading Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss), your kids may read, “A person's a person, no matter how ____” and you finish the sentence with “small.”
Bonus fun: make up words and watch them giggle.
Rock art as neighbor gifts
This fun and creative project is a special way to surprise neighbors, grandparents, and friends while staying indoors. Let kids paint fun scenes like a rainbow and add special messages on rocks of all sizes, and leave them with your neighbors on their flower pot or hand them out during family walks. No one can resist handmade art from the littles in their neighborhood.
Just because you can’t go outside, bring the color inside with one of our floral prints and find inspiration for your rock art.
Rainbow organization
Turn this fun indoor activity into a win-win for everyone involved! Whether you choose clothes, toys, books, Lego pieces, or sippy cups, ask your kids to organize their items by color or by size. Small tasks like this show that you trust them to help you, and build confidence and independence among growing kids.
Need some inspiration? The queens of rainbow organization - Clea and Joanna from The Home Edit - share expert advice on how to tame the playroom in this colorful blog post.
Write letters together
Do you remember the last time you received a handwritten letter in the mail? We’re guessing it made you feel special. Spend some time with your kids writing letters to friends, family, and strangers that may need a positive message (click here to learn about Operation Gratitude). Even if your kids are too young to write letters, ask them to draw a picture of a specific person or memory and see what they create. For kids learning to write, this is the perfect activity to practice while considering how the recipient will feel when the note arrives in their mailbox!
Additional lesson: It’s great for kids to practice writing their own address!
Treasure hunt
This takes a little preparation and it’s always a good idea to have it in your back pocket for a rainy day: create a treasure hunt in your own house - even if your kids are searching for items that you know are packed away and may take a little while to find (i.e., something with a mermaid on it, band-aid).
If you’re getting ready for a trip or day at the beach, create a list of items for your kids to hunt that contributes to the packing! And don’t forget to pack your Little Sleepies toddler underwear!
This list is just a start to all the fun you can have indoors. Here are other indoor activities that we know kids will love:
- Play hide and seek (and maybe longer seeks for you!).
- Slowly work on jigsaw puzzles that take longer than expected.
- Perform a talent show with all of the stuffed animals in the house.
- Build a campsite in your living room with a tent and sleeping bags.
- Plant a garden, add water each day as part of your routine, and watch it grow.
- Check out our easy sensory play activities for littles here.
How do you keep your littles busy when indoors? Let us know in the comments below the different activities your kids love.
