If your child is at home due to being too young for school, recovering from a cold, or enjoying a snow day, fret not. This compilation is loaded with engaging activities to keep them busy and entertained all day, while ensuring easy cleanup afterward. (Additionally, check out: 50 Fun Ways to Stay Entertained Indoors During Winter)
1. Create artwork with dot markers
Dot markers might seem old-fashioned, once mainly used for Bingo, but they can be a fantastic tool for creativity. Local dollar stores often offer the best prices on these.
Kids can use them to make connect-the-dots or draw freely on plain paper. You can introduce them to pointillism, an artistic technique that involves creating images through dots, allowing them to craft their own dot marker masterpieces.
2. Craft a comic strip
Your little one can step into the shoes of a cartoonist. Start by printing blank comic strip templates or sketching some grids on plain paper with a ruler to keep lines neat.
Encourage them to use colored pencils, washable markers, or ink pens to illustrate and color in their comic. They can invent characters on thrilling adventures or depict stories inspired by their daily experiences.
3. Design and play a ring toss game
Creating a ring toss game can be done with various materials, provided they are soft and safe. Gather items that can be formed into rings, like pipe cleaners, and find a vertical target, such as a bottle, for them to aim at.
Let your kids set up the target and take a few steps back before tossing as many rings as they can. Increase the challenge by timing them or using smaller rings and varying distances to test their skills.
4. Invent a board game
This activity allows kids to create everything from the game board and characters to the rules and objectives.
Begin by having them decide on a winning condition—will it require points, or a complete circuit around the board? After that, let them draft the rules, like whether they will roll dice or spin a wheel. They can repurpose parts from existing board games, such as dice or spinners, for their creation.
Encourage them to utilize materials lying around: cardboard for the board, cut paper for cards, clay for game pieces, or even small toys they already own.
5. Challenge with origami
Begin with simpler origami patterns. YouTube is filled with tutorials for making a ninja star, a baby chick, or even a water balloon (a fun first choice). As they grasp easier shapes, they can progress to more intricate designs.
6. Construct a miniature town
Check the recycling bin for plastic bottles and cardboard boxes, ideal for creating a small community. Thin cardboard works best for easy cutting.
Kids can construct their town by stacking and gluing various boxes and bottles, cutting out doors and windows. Use washi or masking tape to hold everything together, and brightly colored tape can outline roads in their tiny towns.
7. Build a marble run
Setting up a marble run starts on a flat surface like the floor, using toys and books to form a racecourse. Kids can add small, light obstacles that won’t impede the marble’s path. To launch the marble, cut cardboard tubes in half, tape them together to extend length, then position one end on books or a table for a downward slope into the course.
8. Create a toy car racetrack
If they have toy cars, they can design a unique racetrack complete with jumps and challenges using various materials. Kids often rely on stools, stacks of books, and flat cardboard to create ramps.
They can also implement obstacles and create tunnels with blocks or Lego pieces, allowing for both construction and demolition as they see fit.
9. Develop an advertisement
This game involves players inventing their own advertisement for a fictional product. Start by having them brainstorm a product they would like to “market,” no matter how outlandish.
Next, they need to devise a promotional strategy, which could include storytelling, acting out a scene, or performing a song. Costumes and props heighten the fun, and many kids enjoy filming their ads to laugh at later.
10. Make a music video or host karaoke
They can choose their favorite songs and either choreograph a video or simply enjoy singing and dancing. Incorporating costumes and props will enhance their engagement with the music.
11. Organize a scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt can happen indoors or outdoors. You can either create your own list for them to find items or allow them to devise their own. You can choose to make it a collaborative team effort or a competition, with a timer adding an exciting challenge.
12. Set up a memory challenge
All you need for this activity is a timer. Begin by selecting five to ten small objects such as a marble, toy car, or spoon. Display them on a tray for 30 seconds, then hide the tray and have them recall the items.
They can draw or list what they remembered. If they succeed, increase the challenge with more items or reduce their viewing time.
13. Initiate a Lego building contest
This challenge accommodates any kind of construction toy—be it blocks, K’Nex, or Magnetos. Start by compiling a list of ten to fifteen structures they want to assemble, or utilize printable Lego challenge cards for ideas.
Choose an item from the list to build, either timing the task for speed or allowing them to focus on quality instead.
14. Create fortunes
Kids can enjoy this activity with friends or siblings. They can craft traditional paper fortune tellers or revert to a simple childhood game called MASH using just paper and a writing instrument.
15. Engage in pasta-marshmallow architecture
Unleash their inner builders with dry pasta! They can use spaghetti and mini marshmallows, or gumdrops if marshmallows run out.
By pushing spaghetti into marshmallows, they can create a variety of structures, starting with basic forms and advancing to more intricate designs.
16. Construct a felt board and pieces
For this project, you’ll need felt, cardboard, and scissors. Start by covering the cardboard with felt, securing it with staples or glue. Different colors can create diverse backgrounds, such as grass or mountains.
Using additional felt, they can cut out shapes to create characters and scenery that stick to the felt board, enabling endless storytelling possibilities.
17. Generate 10 ideas
Looking for more activities? This technique, inspired by writer James Altucher, is useful when children express boredom.
Pose a question like, “What can I do to entertain myself?” and have them list ten ideas without stopping prematurely. The final entries often yield the most innovative responses.
After making one list, encourage them to think of another question, leading to multiple lists with a wealth of ideas to explore. (See also: 25 Ideas for Free or Low-Cost Child Entertainment)
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