When you’re stuck at home with your kids, you might all go a little stir crazy. You can avoid it and have some fun by learning how to keep kids busy at home.
Some of these ideas will require assistance and/or participation from you (or another adult or older sibling). Of course, I know you will need ideas for how to keep kids busy so you can get stuff done, too, so there is plenty of activities for that on the list, too.
How to Keep Your Kids Busy at Home
1. Help them or encourage them to set up an obstacle course.
The older your kids are, the more likely they will be to do this independently. Be prepared to have to attempt the obstacle course in the end, however.
For younger kids, you may have to assist them in the setting up process, and then teach them how to get through the obstacle course. You may be able to back off eventually and let them make their way through the course on their own.
2. Do a craft.
This doesn’t have to be hard! One of my favorites this week was using old magazines to make collages. All of my kids loved this craft, even the teenager.
Simply supply each kid with a magazine or two, a glue stick, and scissors. Then let them have fun and create whatever they want. Likewise, other engaging activities for kids include face painting. Interestingly, you can buy face paint for kids from online stores; these colors are safe for children to use. It pushes the kids to explore their creativity and try out new crafts.
There are so many other crafts, however, so be creative and do whatever you think your kids will like. You’ll also have to decide how hands-on you want to be during the craft, too, before deciding on one.
3. Set up a sensory bin.
I love sensory bins!! You don’t have to have a sensory table to enjoy sensory play. All you need is a container such as a medium-sized tote or a large bowl. Then, fill it with whatever you think your kids will enjoy for a while.
Sometimes I just go with soap and water in the sensory bin, or I will dye rice. Other times I get fancier and do a shark-themed sensory bin. Oh, another favorite was our frog sensory bin! There are so many options.
4. Make something out of paper mache: How to keep kids busy
A few years ago, our son had to do a project where he created a 3-D animal. He chose to make a paper mache diamond-back rattlesnake. This project ended up being one of the best he’s ever done, and it gave us all a new-found love of paper mache.
These types of projects are so much easier than they sound and actually require only a few ingredients. Kids can make whatever they want, or you can challenge them to make something specific.
Click here for an easy paper mache recipe.
5. Have a push-up competition: How to keep kids busy
I’m excited for this one! My kids love to compete with one another, and I think even our 12 and 15-year-old will have fun with it. Actually, it may keep my husband busy for a while, too. If you have a gym or workout space, you could even make a day of it. Or if not, creating a purpose built space to entertain your kids could be great.
With a great contractor and basement waterproofing company, it will take no time at all and give you the exact space you need to have more fun as a family. Either way, spending time having a mini olympics or sports day can be fun for the whole family. Make sure someone is counting out loud, too!
6. Have them work on puzzles.
While I’m working from home, puzzles are one of my go-to options when the kids want to be right next to me. I get out a few wooden puzzles for them to choose from
One of the choices is always an alphabet puzzle and as they put it together I’ll call out a random letter that they have to find next. It’s helping with letter recognition along with keeping them busy. I’ve also been having my littles practice their name with the letters.
7. Let them play with and write on sticky notes.
So at first, I was completely against this idea. I didn’t want my sticky notes wasted. htat quickly changed when I realized that my kids left me alone for a bit when I let them use the sticky notes. A small price to pay.
My son has been having me write math problems out on sticky notes for him and then he solves them. My daughter has been practicing writing her name on them. Other times they make random pictures and stick them in random places, but that’s okay, too.
8. Write a letter on a piece of paper and have your child write it in different colors.
My kids love this one because I pull out my “special” markers for it. Really, these markers are just the ones I hide from the kids so they don’t get lost or dried out.
Sometimes I even let them use glitter pens or a mixture of many different writing instruments.
9. Challenge them to build a Lego or block tower.
Tell them to make it bigger or wider than they ever have before, and to keep it a surprise until they are 100% finished. This should buy you a little time to get things done with kids in the house.
After that is done, you can always challenge them to make different things out of Legos. Be creative and come up with fun ideas that they’ll be excited about.
*Check out my Pinterest board called “Legos” for ideas!”
10. Set up an art center.
Before you get busy doing your own thing for the day, set up a small art center for your kiddos. This could include blank paper, markers or crayons, glue, some colored paper, or any little add-ons you can find to put in the bin.
If you want a themed art center, just go with whatever holiday or season is coming up and offer colors pertaining to that. You can use whatever you have around your house, or you can head to a dollar tree to grab a couple of seasonal items that they can use for artwork.
11. Find a free electronic resource for your kids to use.
Right now, many companies are offering free online resources for kids. This is to ensure every child has the chance to learn something new. A few good ones are Scholastic and ABC Mouse.
My 12-year-old has been loving the Scholastic lessons because they are about things that are interesting to him, and my 3-year-old has been really enjoying ABC Mouse. I think finding the right online source for your child based on their interests and their age group is important, but there are resources for all kids right now.
12. Blow up balloons: How to keep kids busy
No, I’m not kidding. This keeps ALL of my kids busy for a while. There are so many different things they can do with balloons. From playing indoor volleyball or balloon soccer to simply throwing the balloons at each other, they have fun for such a long time when I randomly blow up balloons.
13. Have a board game day.
Pull out yours and your child’s favorite board games and spend a few hours (or the entire day) playing games together. This is great bonding time, and your kid will love the time you spent with them. If you can’t play for such a long time, play a game or two and then suggest that they play with their siblings.
Since I have big kids and little kids, this gets a bit trickier, but it’s still possible. The other night we played Monopoly Voice Banking, which is our 12 year old’s favorite game. The littles wanted to play, too, of course, and instead of sending them away we formed “teams”.
Each little (there’s 3 of them) chose one big person’s team to be on. The little was responsible for rolling the dice and moving the piece (with help when needed), and the big person was responsible for the rest of the turn. We had very little argument or whining during the game and everyone had a good time!
14. Remember, it’s National Reading Awareness Month.
There are TONS of ideas out there to celebrate reading month. This could be as easy as pulling out your child’s school calendar and copying what your child would have been doing at school that day to celebrate. Otherwise, you can check out my blog post about Fun Ways to Celebrate National Reading Month.
15. Play hide and seek
We’ve already played in the house, in the backyard, and in the front yard since our social distancing began. The kids love this game and its one that can be played with parents or with siblings. Even better, it’s actually fun for everyone.
Recap: How to Keep Kids Busy
There are many ideas for keeping your kids busy, but it’s sometimes hard to think of them when you need them most. This post can help.
What do you do to keep your kids busy? Leave a comment and let me know!
