Are you stuck inside and wondering how you’re going to entertain the kids? Keep them busy with our list of stay-at-home indoor activities for kids. They’ll have a blast playing these DIY energy-burning kids’ activities.
We all know as moms when the kids are bored that’s when the trouble starts. So fight the boredom with these fun kid’s activity ideas and be ready for upcoming rainy days or wintery days.
The kids will be happy and you’ll be less stressed when you’re stuck at home.
Bonus – With simple adjustments, all the indoor games can be played by toddlers to tweens. Perfect for families playing together at home.
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Fun Indoor Activities for Kids When Your Staying at Home
Ready for some fun energy-busting indoor activities for kids? Your whole family is going to love these activities when you’re stuck at home.
Balloon Games
If you want cheap entertainment look no further than a bag of balloons. You can create so many active kids’ activities with balloon games to have your kids running all over the room.
The best part is when the balloon hits your TV, lamps, or fragile items it won’t break anything. Here are a couple of our favorites.
Find more games like these in 15 Awesome Balloon Games for Kids
Balloon Tennis
This game will have the kids burning up tons of energy chasing the balloon.
To make your tennis rackets tape paper plates to wooden spoons. (as seen below)
Then have the kids volley the balloon back and forth across the room. The goal is to keep the balloon from touching the floor. If you want a net have the kids stand on either side of a couch or chairs.
Balloon Volleyball
Kids can use a balloon as a volleyball and hit it back and forth with their hands. Again your net can be a couch or line up some chairs. Kids will love running back and forth and trying to stop the balloon from touching the floor.
Balloon Balance
Have the kids try to balance a balloon on their foot or the back of their hand. Make it into a contest to see who can balance the balloon the longest.
Balloon Race
Give each kid a balloon to hold between their knees. Then have them race without dropping the balloon across a finish line.
If the balloon falls they need to stop and put it between their knees before they start again. Whoever crosses the line first wins.
Check Out More Balloon Game Ideas for Kids
Sack Race
Give each child a pillowcase to stand inside. Then have them race by jumping in the pillowcase across a line. See who can make it through the course first.
Tip: Make it harder for older kids by adjusting the racecourse from a straight line to around obstacles or in a curvy path.
Related Article – Hilarious Minute to Win it Games
Laser Maze at Home
Create a fun laser maze for your kids to climb through. It’s super easy to do with streamers taped across your hallway. I suggest using painters tape so that you don’t ruin the paint on your walls.
When it’s all set up let your kids try to get through the maze without touching the lasers (streamers).
You can keep changing the course to make it easier or harder for your kids. Learn more about making your own DIY Hallway Laser Maze.
Tip: Pick up cheap streamers at the dollar store.
Cardboard Toys
Use up all those cardboard boxes from Amazon or Costco and create cheap & fun toys for kids. Take part of the day creating the cardboard toys and then enjoy playing with them all afternoon.
10 Cool Things to Make with Cardboard – Turn all your Cardboard boxes into fun crafts, toys, reading nooks & more.
DIY Cardboard Marble Run – Make a cool Marble run with an old box and paper towel rolls for a fun STEM project at home.
DIY Spinning Nerf Targets – Cool cardboard targets for kids who love to play with Nerf Guns.
Easy Cardboard Butterfly Craft Ideas – Use cardboard and tissue paper to make cute stained glass butterflies.
Dot to Dot Worksheets
Kids of all ages will enjoy dot-to-dot worksheets and discovering what pictures will emerge. Once kids have connected the dots they can use the printable worksheets as coloring pages in their own creative way to bring out the hidden picture.
This is great for practicing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination too.
Grab your FREE Dot to Dot Printable Worksheets and pick from number recognition to animals, food, cars, flowers, and more fun dot-to-dot puzzles.
Airplane Toss
Use your streamers again for this fun game. In an open doorway tape streamers across the opening. Make sure that the spaces in between streamers are not too small for a paper airplane.
Next let your kids make their paper airplanes. Use this as a craft time and let the kids color and design their airplane.
When the airplanes are ready have the kids see how many times they can get the airplane through the spaces between streamers.
Tip: For older kids make the space between streamers smaller and for younger kids make the space larger. This will adjust how hard the game is to play.
Related Article – Stuck at Home? Connect with Friends by Playing Zoom Games for Kids.
Tape Games
Tape Games are a great way to turn the indoors into an active play area or a rainy day game. Plus they’ll help your kids get out all their energy.
For all of these activities, I suggest you use painters tape which will easily come off your floors and walls.
Hopscotch
Use your painter’s tape to create hopscotch on your floor. To make the hopscotch game create 10 squares alternating between 1 and two squares next to each other. Make sure the squares are large enough for a foot.
To play have the kids throw a bean bag, button, or any small toy that won’t roll away into the first square to the first square. Each time it’s your turn you’ll hop to the next furthest square. The piece must land inside of a square if it doesn’t you give up your turn.
If your piece lands in a square kids then need to hop to that square and pick up the piece without falling over. When they are hopping over one square they can only have one foot on the floor if they are over two square then each foot can be in a square.
After you pick up your piece turn around and hop back to the end. Make sure not to hop on a line or your out.
Long Jump
Let the kids see how far they can jump. Create several spaced out lines on your floor with painter’s tape. Then have the kids run toward the lines and jump across the lines.
Tip: Make it hard for older kids by having them jump on one foot, hop or skip toward the line before they jump.
Balance Beam
When I create the long jump I make one really long line with the tape. This then becomes a balance beam. Have the kids see if they can walk across the balance beam with one foot in front of the other without falling over.
Tip: Make it harder for older kids by having them balance something on top of their head like a pillow or a book.
Car Race
Create a race track for your kid’s cars with painters tape on the floor. Make it bigger or smaller depending on the age of your kids. You can put pillows or cardboard on the floor for ramps, tunnels, and mountains to drive over.
Hot Lava
Another fun rainy day game kids love is Hot Lava. An awesome energy buster game while playing inside.
The idea is the ground is hot lava and you can’t touch it. Make a path with pillows or other soft items to jump on and see if they can make it across the room.
Tip: To make the game last longer let your kids create their own path and keep changing it up to make it harder and harder to reach the other side.
Obstacle Course
Use items in your family room to make an obstacle course for the kids. Put blankets over chairs or tables to make tunnels, have them go around objects, and jump or hop to the end.
Kids will have a blast helping create the course to run through and making it over and over again.
Tip: Time older kids as they run through the course to make it more challenging. Have them try to beat their own time or against a sibling.
Build a Tent
Have the kids make a tent using furniture and blankets. Once the tent is made have them use their imagination to play. It could be a castle, a fortress or a cave.
My kids often use it as a nerf gun base or superhero lair. The tent would be fun as a new reading spot & place to bring their toys to play inside the tent too.
Nerf Targets
Let kids use their nerf guns to shoot down DIY targets. Make easy target with paper plates, pool noodles, water bottles, and solo cups. Kids can create the targets themselves and move them around to make it easier or harder.
Get more ideas on how to make cool DIY Nerf Targets for indoor & outdoor.
Mirror Game
Have two kids stand facing each other. Then one child makes a motion and the other child needs to mimic it as if they were looking into a mirror.
This will end up being a pretty hilarious game.
Paint Chip Hunt
Pick up at the hardware store some paint sheet samples. Give each child a color and have them go around the house finding as many items as possible that match the colors on the paint chip.
Hide and Find
Have the kids pick an item in the house they would like to hide. Have one child hide the object and then let the other kids try to find it. They can do this over and over again all day when you’re stuck at home.
Ping Pong Ball Toss
For the Ping Pong ball game have the kids try and toss a ping pong into a bucket or solo cups. You can play this two different ways.
To play with another child have kids each hold a solo cup and have the other kid toss them the ping pong ball. Kids will try and catch the ball in their cup.
To play a solo set out several solo cups or buckets and have the kids toss the ball and try and make it into the cups.
Make the most of your time staying at home with fun family bonding activities the whole family will love. You’ll be amazed by how much you can connect with your kids playing quick games together.
I hope you found a few fun indoor activities for kids when your staying at home. These energy-busting kids activities should stop the boredom and keep your kids entertained for hours.
Need More Fun Activities for Kids?
At Happy Mom Hacks we have tons of fun activities ideas your kids will love. Here are a few favorites but visit out Kids Activity Page to find more.
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- How to Make a Volcano at Home
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- Best Games to Play on Zoom for Kids
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