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100+ Fun Things to Do With Kids at Home (All Ages)

Nicole Sipe
Written By: Nicole Sipe
Last updated on:

Looking for things to do with kids at home? This guide started as a list for families who were stuck at home and has grown into 100+ fun activities for toddlers, preschoolers, school-age kids and tweens. You’ll find indoor games, crafts, simple science experiments, cooking projects, sensory play, screen-free ideas and easy boredom-busters for rainy days, snow days, school breaks and ordinary afternoons.

Most of these activities use things you already have around the house. Some are quick boredom-busters. Some can stretch into a whole afternoon. None require you to become a camp counselor in your own living room.

Is the weather nice? Check out our list of 100 outdoor activities for kids at home.

Have a fun idea to add? Email us at [email protected], and we’ll add it to our list.

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Quick Picks for Busy Parents

Need something fast? Start here.

  • Five-minute activity: Play I Spy, make paper airplanes or stack plastic cups.
  • Burn energy indoors: Build an obstacle course, play balloon volleyball or try The Floor is Lava.
  • Quiet reset: Read together, listen to an audiobook, do a puzzle or make shadow puppets.
  • For crafty kids: Make friendship bracelets, pipe cleaner creatures, paper bag puppets or a cardboard box creation.
  • For kids who want a project: Try a science experiment, bake something, make a stop-motion movie or build a blanket fort.

100 Things to Do With Kids at Home

Here are 100 things to do with kids at home, loosely sorted from quick boredom-busters to bigger projects. Let your child choose two or three ideas, then rotate through them. Choice helps. So does a snack.

  1. Play indoor hide and seek.
  2. Conduct a simple science experiment. Try one of these 31 easy science experiments using household items.
  3. Make a batch of DIY gummy bears.
  4. Have a laugh with Alexa or Siri. Here are funny and kid-friendly things you can ask Alexa and Siri.
  5. Turn an Amazon box into something new. Start with these 32 creative things to do with a cardboard box.
    Child playing with a cardboard box activity at home
    Photo by The OT Toolbox
  6. Ride a virtual roller coaster. Stream the video to your TV and sit inside laundry baskets for the full effect. Here are 30 virtual amusement park rides.
  7. Try a new cookie or cake recipe. Set up a phone and let the kids film a cooking show.
  8. Make a play kit with items from around the house. These inexpensive play kit ideas are easy to adapt.
  9. Make DIY fruit roll-ups.
  10. Practice a life skill together. Start with this list of essential life skills to teach kids at every age.
  11. Play with blocks or try a building challenge.
  12. Make a mancala counting game with an egg carton, dry beans and two small bowls.
  13. Go camping in the living room with sleeping bags, flashlights and a pretend campfire.
  14. Play board games.
  15. Make DIY strawberry Pop-Tarts.
    Homemade strawberry Pop-Tarts for a kids cooking activity at home
    Homemade Pop-Tarts are a good baking project for kids who like to help in the kitchen.
  16. Design an indoor treasure hunt.
  17. Plan a family garden together.
  18. Make ice cream in a bag with cream, sugar, vanilla, ice and salt.
  19. Make slime.
  20. Set up an in-home nail salon and try simple nail art.
  21. Dress up in your best clothes and have a fancy dinner at home.
  22. Make a piñata with paper strips, flour paste and a balloon.
  23. Make friendship bracelets.
  24. Make and blow bubbles.
  25. Teach your pet a new trick.
  26. Make rock candy.
    Homemade rock candy science activity for kids
    Photo credit: jenniemasterson.com
  27. Have an indoor picnic.
  28. Listen to an audiobook or podcast together.
  29. Host a DIY talent show.
  30. Try a kid-friendly yoga video.
  31. Make paper fidget spinners.
  32. Create your own bingo cards and have a bingo tournament.
  33. Create a family tree together.
  34. Let your kids write, direct and film a short movie.
  35. Learn and play a new card game.
  36. Make a stop-motion video with toys.
  37. Teach yourself to juggle.
  38. Play indoor basketball with a laundry basket and small, soft balls.
  39. Practice origami.
  40. Play with magnets on a cookie sheet.
  41. Make a maze on the floor with painter’s tape.
  42. Play with sidewalk chalk indoors on large paper.
  1. Play indoor volleyball or soccer with balloons.
  2. Have a pizza party. Try this DIY pizza bagels recipe.
    DIY pizza bagels for an easy kids cooking activity at home
    Pizza bagels let kids build their own lunch or snack.
  3. Make paper airplanes and see whose plane flies the farthest.
  4. Play dress up with grown-up clothes.
  5. Create your own memory game with family photos.
  6. Create a DIY aquarium with paper fish.
  7. Make your own popsicles. Here is one fruit popsicle recipe to try.
  8. Go outside and look for four-leaf clovers.
  9. Write a secret message in invisible ink using lemon juice.
  10. Play I Spy inside or out the window.
  11. Sing karaoke with your favorite songs. Hairbrush microphones count.
  12. Clean out closets and make a donation pile.
  13. Set up a video chat with family or friends. These tips can help make video chats more meaningful for kids.
  14. Have breakfast in bed.
  15. Set up stations for a DIY Minute to Win It game.
    Minute to Win It penny stacking game for kids at home
    Photo credit: happymomhacks.com
  16. Write a family song or rap together.
  17. Have a tea party.
  18. Learn a few magic tricks and put on a magic show.
  19. Make a water sensory bag.
  20. Make DIY play dough.
  21. Create a nature scavenger hunt in your backyard.
  22. Play The Floor is Lava.
  23. Snuggle on the couch and read your favorite books.
  24. Rearrange or redecorate a bedroom together.
  25. Play in a bubble bath with toys and cups.
  26. Have a pillow fight, with ground rules.
  27. Write a short story or comic book together.
  28. Try a new type of dance with a video tutorial.
  29. Have a family movie night. Here are 10 family-friendly movies to stream.
  30. Make an indoor obstacle course.
  31. Have a family music night with instruments, pots, pans or singing.
  32. Learn to code without a computer through pattern games, sequencing and obstacle-course commands.
  33. Make shadow puppets and create stories on the wall.
    Child making shadow puppets on a wall at home
    Shadow puppets turn a flashlight into a whole activity.
  34. Have an alphabet scavenger hunt and find one item for each letter.
  35. Build a giant fort out of blankets, chairs and pillows.
  36. Paint with Kool-Aid.
  37. Put on a puppet show using socks or paper bags.
  38. Set up a funny photo booth using household items as props.
  39. Create a family cookbook with favorite recipes.
  40. Make a family vision board.
  41. Make homemade lava lamps using oil, water, food coloring and an effervescent tablet.
  42. Make a scrapbook of memories.
  43. Play marbles on the floor.
  44. Do a puzzle together.
  45. Have a home economics day. Learn to sew on a button, iron a shirt or make a simple meal.
  46. Learn basic sign language together.
  47. Fold clothes together. This may or may not count as fun, but it does count as useful.
  48. Create a new dessert recipe as a family.
  49. Put on bathrobes and play spa day.
    Family spa day activity for kids at home
    A home spa day can be as simple as robes, lotion and cucumber slices.
  50. Play 20 Questions.
  51. Host a lip sync battle.
  52. Create creatures out of pipe cleaners.
  53. Make a treasure bottle with rice, small toys and a clear plastic bottle.
  54. Decorate a T-shirt with fabric markers or iron-on designs.
  55. Write letters to family and friends.
  56. Build a bridge or building with toothpicks, Q-tips or craft sticks.
  57. Play hangman or tic-tac-toe.
  58. Make a time capsule to open in a year or on a future birthday.

20 Things to Do at Home With a Toddler

Toddlers do best with short activities, movement and repetition. These ideas work for kids roughly 1 to 3 years old. Stay nearby, skip tiny pieces that could be choking hazards and expect the same activity to be fun about 14 times in a row.

  1. Play I Spy around the house with simple objects.
  2. Build a blanket fort using chairs, cushions and blankets.
  3. Set up a pretend grocery store with empty food containers and a shopping bag.
  4. Stack plastic cups or blocks to create towers.
  5. Hide small toys around the room for an indoor treasure hunt.
  6. Dress up in costumes or old clothing for a fashion show.
  7. Create a sensory walk using soft towels, bubble wrap, pillows and other safe textures.
  8. Sort and match colored objects, such as toys, socks or blocks.
  9. Freeze colored water in ice cube trays for ice cube painting.
  10. Set up a DIY bowling alley using empty water bottles and a soft ball.
  11. Tell stories and act them out with stuffed animals or toys.
  12. Turn a cardboard box into a car, train or spaceship.
  13. Practice simple yoga poses or stretches.
  14. Create a DIY obstacle course using pillows and couch cushions.
  15. Use pipe cleaners to make bracelets or simple shapes.
  16. Play Simon Says or Follow the Leader.
  17. Use masking tape to create a racetrack on the floor for toy cars.
  18. Play Hot Potato with a soft ball or stuffed toy.
  19. Make shadow puppets on the wall with a flashlight.
  20. Play animal charades. Hop like a bunny, stomp like an elephant or crawl like a bear.

How to Match Activities to Your Child’s Age

The activities that hold a child’s attention change fast, so it helps to adjust the idea instead of starting from scratch. A scavenger hunt, for example, can be picture-based for a preschooler, clue-based for a school-age child and fully kid-designed for a tween.

  • Toddlers, ages 1 to 3: Sensory play, stacking cups, simple hide and seek and anything they can touch, dump, move or repeat. Keep it short and supervised.
  • Preschoolers, ages 3 to 5: Pretend play, easy crafts, dress up, cooking with help, obstacle courses and beginner scavenger hunts.
  • School-age kids, ages 6 to 9: Science experiments, building projects, board games, baking, stop-motion movies and longer treasure hunts.
  • Tweens, ages 10 and up: Unplugged coding games, friendship bracelets, vision boards, writing and filming their own videos, more involved recipes and kid-led projects.

One thing holds across every age: kids stay engaged longer when they get a say. Let them choose a few ideas from the list and give them some ownership over how the activity works.

Frequently Asked Questions About Things to Do With Kids at Home

What can kids do at home when they are bored?

Start with something that needs almost no setup, like an indoor scavenger hunt, a blanket fort, a board game or a science experiment using items from the kitchen. If your child has a lot of energy, try an obstacle course, balloon volleyball or The Floor is Lava before moving to a quieter activity.

What are some free things to do with kids at home?

Most activities on this list cost nothing. Building forts, playing hide and seek, putting on a talent show, doing puzzles, making up scavenger hunts, reading together and writing letters all use things you already own. Many crafts and DIY recipes can be made with pantry or recycling-bin supplies.

What can kids do at home without screens?

Crafts, cooking, forts, board games, science experiments, dance parties, puppet shows, obstacle courses and sensory play are all screen-free. The list above is mostly hands-on, with only a few ideas that use a TV, tablet or phone.

What are good rainy day or snow day activities for kids?

Indoor activities that burn energy work best when kids are stuck inside. Try an indoor obstacle course, balloon volleyball, The Floor is Lava, an indoor treasure hunt or a fort-building project. Pair an active game with a quieter activity like baking, puzzles or reading.

How do I keep a toddler entertained at home?

Toddlers do best with short, hands-on activities and a lot of repetition. Sensory play, stacking cups, simple hide and seek, sorting games, dancing and pretend play all work well. The toddler list above has 20 ideas built for ages 1 to 3.

How do I keep siblings of different ages busy at the same time?

Pick activities that scale, like a scavenger hunt, fort-building, baking or a family movie night, then give older kids a bigger role. A younger child can find clues while an older child writes them. A preschooler can stir batter while a tween reads the recipe. The by-age guide above can help you adjust an activity up or down.

Keep the Fun Going

When you need more ideas, start with these guides:

Share your favorite at-home activity: Email [email protected].

About the Author:

Nicole Sipe
Nicole Sipe
Nicole Sipe is the editor of Indy's Child and Southwest Ohio Parent magazines. She has a BA in Journalism from California State University Northridge, and has been involved in the print and digital publishing world for most of her life. Born and raised in Southern California, Nicole traded the city and sun for corn and creeks, and now lives in central Indiana with her husband, two sons and Collie. Her latest book for children, “All About Me! Art Journal” was published in 2022 by Walter Foster Jr. In her spare time, she likes traveling with her family, enjoying good food and drink, volunteering at her children’s schools and around her community, and practicing yoga.

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Comments

  13. Such an amazing website!! Me and my kids will love doing these ideas!! I had an idea of doing one activity a day and then keep doing it for 70 days. My kids will love doing all these!! Thanks so much!!

  23. […] Parents! Your toddler needs plenty of things to bring to their schools and as a parent, it is important to keep a checklist of what you are going to buy for your kids. If your toddler is going to school for the first time, there will be an obvious fear for the parents to buy all the essential needs for their kids. Your kid may have anxiety about going to a new place and need to communicate with new people at the school. In those times, being fully prepared with their essential things will help you to ease out the situation. You can use this article as a checklist for your toddler’s things! […]

  27. […] I screamed at my kids today over homework. Yes, even though they are being homeschooled for obvious reasons, they still give them homework? Isn’t all school work homework now? And yes, I let myself get so worn down and stressed out that something that was clearly just busywork for my kids turned into a meltdown. Not all kids and not all parents learn the same way. Trying to educate by doing a few printouts… come on … this is silly. Don’t let a packet of busywork come between you and your loves. […]

  40. […] The best activities for kids are the ones that encourage self-expression and natural curiosity, and gardening is a good example of an exercise of this kind. Whether you are taking care of your existing plants or planting new seeds in a flower pot, gardening will seem interesting for kids. With the help of gardening, children can learn essential responsibilities, including patience, responsibility, and healthy eating. Not to mention that gardening can also be a great family bonding. […]

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