With at least two full weeks at home ahead of us, we’re all a little nervous about how we’re going to keep the kids busy without losing our minds. So after they’ve played with all their toys, read every book, and watched all the TV shows…what do you do? Never fear, we’ve got one big list for you of options. Most of these ideas can be done with things you already have at home. We are not advocating spending a ton of money to keep the kiddos occupied. Use what you’ve got!
And whether you’re going the super scheduled home school route or the let’s just see what happens and make it through the day route, I just want to remind you mama: You can do this. Take a deep breath and grab an activity off the list.
Baking
Make edible yogurt play doh.
Bake delicious banana bread (it may go without saying, but we add chocolate chips to this recipe!)
Make your own super easy bagels (no boiling necessary)
Bake these delicious chocolate chip cookies.
Creative
Use a cardboard box to make fairy wings.
Make a marble painting with oil and food coloring.
Make a glitter star mobile out of an empty cereal box.
Use a canvas scrap and stick from outside to make a nature wall hanging.
Paint fingerprint dandelions.
Make a cardboard rainbow collage.
Create a salt dough footprint keepsake (and a handprint one too!)
Grab an old spray bottle to make silhouette spray art.
Make a telescope out of an empty paper towel roll.
Use an empty toilet paper roll to paint flowers.
Make a dreamcatcher out of a paper plate.
Make DIY musical instruments and start a family band.
Indoor Play
Blow up a balloon for balloon tennis.
Set up for laundry basket skee ball!
Make paper airplanes and have a contest for who can make theirs fly the furthest.
Play minute to win it style games – grab a stack of solo cups and see how many the kids can stack in one minute.
Make straw rockets and see how far they fly.
Learning
Grab a plate and buttons for an easy addition game.
Use up some old cereal and snacks for a rainbow sorting activity.
Draw shapes on construction paper and have your kiddos put sticker dots all around the outline.
Listen to a podcast like Story Pirates or Wow in the World.
Create an alphabet scavenger hunt around the house.
Explore color with this walking water science experiment.
Movement
Use painter’s tape to make an indoor obstacle course.
Start a superhero action training regimen.
Enjoy a family yoga session with Cosmic Kids Yoga.
Make an activity cube and get rolling.
Take a dance lesson from the Kidz Bop kids!
Use these Simon Says prompts to get your kids moving.
Play a movement game with scarves – bandanas work too!
Use a deck of uno cards to make a movement game that kids can play on their own.
Outdoor Play
Draw out chalk games on the driveway.
Make bubble snakes with dish soap and empty water bottles.
For your littles, make a pour station to have fun and make a big mess.
Make your own bubble soap!
Set up a DIY bean bag toss game.
Have the kids move toys and outside furniture around to build a race track and obstacle course.
Go on a scavenger hunt (and after you find everything on this one, write your own!)
