12 Fun Activities To Do At Home For Kids
The lockdown due to COVID-19 has made us stay at home most of the time. While it has caused us to face challenges and adjust to the new normal, it has also become an avenue to spend more time with our children at home.
With that said, you are probably looking for more ways to make staying at home more fun and productive, especially for the kids. That’s why we have this list of fun activities to do at home for kids.
A general tip would be to do things that you would also enjoy since you would most probably be doing it with them. This way the activity will not feel like a chore and will be more like an adventure that you are having with the kids.
Of course, it would also be great if you can teach them a new talent that you have whether it be drawing, baking, playing instruments, or so much more.
There are a lot of things you can do with your kids while staying at home. The list below will be some of these ideas and to make it easier to follow, we will be classifying them into three sections:
- A. Educational
- B. Arts and Crafts
- C. Household activities
Some of the activities would mix two or more of these types (a fun educational task, an artistic household activity, etc.) The main goal is to check and see which of these activities would spark interest and joy in your children.
A. Educational
These activities focus on giving your child an avenue to learn new academic skills or take on activities that somehow depict the things they normally do in school. This can help them maintain proper mental growth even when they may be staying at home for now.
1. Play Learning Games
This can come in the most basic activities like coloring books, counting numbers, writing letters, identifying shapes, naming animals, and so much more – all with the help of interactive books and toys. After all, there are a lot of books and toys that are created to make learning fun for kids. Of course, the level will depend on the age of your kid and then you can throw in more challenging learning games.
Check out our collection of printables on our website here or on Etsy here.
2. Practice Writing
Writing is a skill that should be tuned while young. A child’s penmanship is something that they will be living with for the rest of their life. Training them to write more clearly and more precisely is a great way to spend time at home. Also, since a lot of kids these days are more exposed to computers than to notebooks, pencils, and books, the essence of writing is slowly losing its meaning. Now, kids learn how to write merely for the sake of learning while only a few remain to show interest in the artistic forms of writing.
This is why it is important to instill in them the art and importance of beautiful handwriting while they are still young. This way they can see its value as they grow and will be able to share it with others too.
3. Join Educational Virtual Tours
We all want to minimize the screentime of our kids during their time at home. While we aim to have more physical activities with the kids, it would not harm to have a little screen time for the kids as long as it is something educational like taking them on a virtual tour.
With proper guidance and the right setting for your kids, you can allow them to enjoy virtual tours for now since physical tours may not be back in session yet.
Here are a few sites that you can start with. Let your child pick a place of interest and join them as they explore a new place (even if it’s just virtual for now).
- Louvre – https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs
- The Smithsonian National Museum, US – https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
- The United States Air Force, US – https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Virtual-Tour/
- Wild Earth – https://www.twitch.tv/wildearth
4. Create Bug Sensory Bin
What are bug sensory bins? Simply enough, they are bins that mimic the environment of bugs and insects. This creates a fun and safe setting for kids to explore and learn engaging information as they explore. This also helps lessen their fear of bugs and allows your kids to understand why bugs are created the way they are.
The entire process – from the creation of the sensory bins to your kids playing with them – is a journey that you can enjoy with your children. They can help build the bin or you can build it for them as a surprise. Whichever you choose, this educational DIY toy will surely be a fun and educational activity that your kids can try at home.
If you are interested to get started on your bug sensory bin, then check this DIY version from thebestideasforkids.
5. Make A Lava Lamp
If you feel that your kids are ready for more explorative and useful DIYs or home experiments, then guide them in making their lava lamp!
Lava lamps are not only pretty to look at but you can even explain why things happen the way they do while you experiment with them. You can describe why each material is important and what properties they have that help make the lava lamp function the way it does.
For a complete tutorial on how to do it (with explanations you can tell your kids ????), check out noguiltmom.
B. Arts and Crafts
While this could also be an educational activity as well, there is a greater focus on colors and creating DIY in these arts and crafts. This is the perfect activity for kids that find joy in coloring, drawing, painting, and other artistic tasks.
1. Wall and Floor Art by Kids
While we all love every little (abstract) artwork our kids decide to confidently draw on our polished walls and expensive floors, you will feel a certain pain in seeing your home turn into a graffiti place.
But, instead of getting angry at the kids for doing something so innocently, just give them the right avenue to do it! ????
Get butcher paper, tape it on your kid’s wall, and show them where to draw and paint their little hearts out. Some days you can also just lay it on the floor and even have the little kids lie down and trace around them so they can create life-size drawings of themselves.
This activity will help your kids be more responsible about where they draw, and it will save you from the expensive repainting that you would need to cover up crayon marks on your walls. ????
2. Create a Paper Plate Whale
If you have paper plates, create these adorable paper plate whales with your kids. The materials you need to achieve this are likely already in your home anyway. You can follow this DIY from Krokotak for a photo sequence of how to achieve it.
Of course, you can go ahead and explore many more ways to have fun with your paper plates. Check out this blog from ohmy-creative for more ideas.
3. Popsicle Stick Catapults
Popsicles are another Favorite DIY item as there are countless ways you can create art out of popsicles.
A favorite by many are popsicle stick catapults and if you check out mombrite, you can learn the steps to create 3 easy popsicle catapults. ???? Also check out our other list of popsicle sticks Christmas crafts.
4. Create a Foil River
This looks like fun creating an aluminum foil river or alfoil river for short. This is perfect for those times you want your kids to enjoy a little summer sun in your backyard or front yard.
Add toys, stones, bridges, or whatever you can imagine. There is no limit to how you design your river. Let your kid’s imagination fly (or swim ????) in completing their very own alfoil river.
To gain more ideas on how to achieve this, visit ourbeautifullymessyhouse.
C. Household Activities
The following activities will focus on how you can teach your kids to help with household chores. While the term “chores” may make your kids not want to participate, promise them a creative and fun way to do things around the house. This way they will be more than willing to help you out. ????
1. Baking
If you, as a parent, have a knack for baking, then it would be great to share that passion with your kids. You know what they say – start them young! ????
This will be such a fun activity to learn together with your child. Even if you are not great in the kitchen, this will be a wonderful bonding experience with your little one as you have fun baking together.
To help you start things off, here are a few tips from BBB Food.
2. Fashion Show for a Cause
Now that you have been staying more at home, you must have realized that your kids have tons of stuff and clothes that they barely use. Some, they may have already grown out of.
Tell your kids to sort out clothes that they think are still good enough to be worn, but they are okay with giving away to charity or others in need of donations.
To make it more fun, have a fashion show first before finally letting go of the clothes. A photoshoot would also be a lot of fun. This way you create memories of wearing the clothes for the last time.
This would also teach your kids to be more giving to others. ????
3. Plant a Garden
Another fun activity you can do outdoors is teaching your kids how to plant a garden. It can be a flower garden, vegetable garden, or any other type of garden that is accessible and suitable for you to grow near your home.
This will teach kids the value of proper care and patience and how these qualities are necessary to create something beautiful.
Regardless of what activities you have planned with your kids, the essential part of it all is to make sure that your kids love spending more time with you. Allow them to explore what they like and guide them as they discover new things that may intrigue their interests.
You have been given more time to spend with your children so make sure that you spend it in love and use the time to create more wonderful memories that will last you both a lifetime.
