COVID-19 is now in Indiana, and schools throughout Indianapolis are closed for the next three to four weeks (or more).
Not only that, but many Indy attractions are closed or limiting visitors, and the general recommendation is that everyone should just take this time to stay home and away from other people.
*NEW ARTICLE: 100 Things to Do Outside This Summer at Home*
The thought of an unexpected, weeks-long isolation period at home with bored children will send chills down the spine of many parents. In fact, as soon as the schools around Indy started closing, I got panicked group texts from some of my mom friends. “What are we going to do all day if we can’t leave the house?” was a common question.
RELATED PAGE: CORONAVIRUS UPDATES, ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES
If you are looking for some fun things to do with kids while you’re stuck at home, here are some ideas. Do you have an idea that isn’t on this list? Let us know and we’ll add it! We will all need all the ideas we can get in these next several weeks.
70 Things to Do with Kids Now That We’re All Stuck at Home
- Play indoor hide and seek.
- Make decorations, curate a playlist, and throw a family dance party.
- Try a new cookie or cake recipe. Bonus idea: Set up a camera or smart phone and film a cooking show!
- Play with blocks. We recommend the competitive STEM game Blocks Rock!
- Make a mancala counting game with an egg carton. Instructions here.
- Go camping in the living room.
- Play board games.
- Design and go on an indoor treasure hunt.
- Plan a family garden.
- Make ice cream in a bag. Recipe here.
- Make slime. Instructions here.
- Set up an in-home nail salon and try some nail art techniques. Ideas here.
- Dress up in your best clothes and have a fancy dinner.
- Make a piñata. Instructions here.
- Make friendship bracelets.
- Make and blow bubbles. Instructions here.
- Teach your pet a new trick.
- Make rock candy. Instructions here.
- Have an indoor picnic.
- Listen to an audiobook or podcast.
- Try Cosmic Kids Yoga.
- Make paper fidget spinners. Instructions here.
- Create your own bingo cards and have a bingo tournament.
- Create a family tree.
- Let your kids write and direct a stop-motion movie. Learn how it works here.
- Learn and play a new card game.
- Teach yourself to juggle.
- Practice origami, or the art of paper folding. Ideas here.
- Play with magnets on a cookie sheet.
- Make a maze on the floor with painter’s tape.
- Play with sidewalk chalk.
- Play indoor volleyball or soccer with balloons.
- Have a pizza party. DIY Pizza Bagels recipe here.
- Make paper airplanes and see whose plane flies the farthest.
- Play dress up with mom and dad’s clothes.
- Make your own popsicles.
- Go in your backyard and look for four-leaf clovers.
- Write a secret message in invisible ink. Recipe for lemon juice invisible ink here.
- Play “I Spy” inside or out the window.
- Clean out your closets.
- Facetime or Skype with family or friends.
- Have breakfast in bed.
- Have a tea party.
- Make a water sensory bag. Instructions here.
- Make some play dough.
- Create a nature scavenger hunt in your back yard.
- Play “The Floor is Lava.”
- Snuggle on the couch and read your favorite books.
- Rearrange or redecorate your room.
- Play in a bubble bath.
- Have a pillow fight.
- Make an indoor obstacle course.
- Have a family music night.
- Build a giant fort out of blankets, chairs and pillows
- Paint with Kool-Aid. Instructions here.
- Put on a puppet show.
- Make a scrapbook.
- Play marbles on the floor.
- Do a puzzle.
- Fold clothes together.
- Create a new dessert.
- Put on your bathrobes and play spa day.
- Play 20 Questions.
- Create creatures out of pipe cleaners. Ideas here.
- Make a treasure bottle. Instructions here.
- Decorate a T-shirt.
- Write letters to family and friends.
- Build a bridge or building with toothpicks or Q-tips.
- Play hangman or tic-tac-toe.
- Make a time capsule! One day your kids can use it to tell their kids all about this craziness.
