60+ Fun Things to do at Home with Kids

Anyone else living day by day of social distancing and feeling like you are in the movie “Groundhog Day“? Same! I started a list for myself of fun activities for kids using the notes on my phone and would pull up when feeling uninspired. Then I thought, why not create a full blog post for everyone. I’ve put together this list of “60+ Fun Things to do at Home with Kids” so that hopefully we all gain a few more ideas and fun activities for kids.

So whether you want to do-it-yourself and make something to do, download and print an activity or buy it off Amazon, you will find a little of everything below.

I’ve put this letter together with all moms and dads in mind cause we all know our kids move from one activity to the next in like 2 seconds flat. Who knows you might just get through this list in one day. (I hope not!!)

Do you have any fun activities for kids to add? Leave a comment below and share it for everyone else to be inspired from.

This list contains some affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase it cost you the exact same amount but it allows me to make a little bit of money for the work I’ve done to create the content.

From 50+ to 60+ things to do at home with kids

After posting this live and sharing on my Instagram I had a few more of you submit ideas and we went from 50+ fun ideas to do at home to over 60 ideas of things to do with kids at home, yay! Comment below to add more ideas too!

List of 60+ Fun Kids Activities to do at Home

1. Play Dough: You can buy organic and gluten free for those that are allergy sensitive from Hued.ca, try your hand at making your own using Jillian Harris’ recipe. See how ours turned out here.
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2. Scavenger Hunt: Create your own scavenger hunt with a blank page and list a bunch of items to find or you can download and print off this backyard scavenger hunt that I designed.
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3. Origami: Great for older kids. My son has been YouTubing different tutorials or you can get a Origami book for beginners to learn how to create new shapes and 3D objects.
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4. Paint Rocks: Super easy to put together and something my kids are entertained with usually for a while. Did you know you can actually buy Rock Painting Kits on Amazon ?!?! I would suggest NOT buying rocks and just finding them outside.
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5. Have a Picnic: Lunch has never been more exciting. We’ve been outside with a tray full of snacks enjoying the fresh area so often. Great lunch boxes for this are YumBox and Bentgo Box.
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6. Create an Obstacle Course: This was shared in a list by my friend Julie on Instagram, it reminded me of when my sisters and I were young and we would create hurdles with skipping ropes and run around in circles having races pretending to be horses jumping.
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7. Make a Cardboard TV: I saw Bethany Menzel created this on Instagram with her kids and I thought it was the cutest idea!
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8. Sidewalk Chalk: There is so much you can do here, create different tracks for the kids cars or their bikes, draw a hopscotch too or write love notes! Here’s a set of Sidewalk Chalk on Amazon.
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9. Coloring: Seems obvious but sometimes we need a reminder of a simple thing to do. Here are some favourite colouring books: Disney Princess, Unicorn, Paw Patrol.
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10. Try a New Recipe: Grab a cook book, I’ll be using my Fraiche Food Full Hearts cookbook by Jillian Harris and Tori, and let the pages randomly open to see what new recipe you will create. My 11 year old just made chocolate chip cookies, what a treat!
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11. Make Bracelets and/or Necklaces: Any string and beads will do. Find old necklaces you don’t wear anymore, use those pieces for them to create something of their own. Don’t have beads, cheerios work good too! You can find different sets online too, like this Charm Bracelet Making kit.
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12. Manis & Pedis: Spa day! My girls are obsessed with painting their nails. Go all out and set up a little home salon with a foot and hand soak for each child.
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13. Science Experiments: Mine have already made the classic vinegar and baking soda volcano with food colouring. Just google science experiments for kids, you’ll find lots of good experiment ideas.
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14. Blind Food Tasting Challenge: Put a bunch of different foods together, blind fold the kids and then see if they can tell you what food they are eating without looking. Great way to get them to try new things too! Renee shared a video on her Tiktok.
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15. Make Your Own Slime: My kids have tried multiple different recipes to create slim. This one is more of a silly putty texture and is less (keyword less, it still probably will) likely to get stuck on everything. Get the Best Slime Recipe here.
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16. Write a letter to a Grandparent: The whole family can write or draw something together and send it to someone you love, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends.. anyone will love it!
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17. Make Sparkling Jello: I found this idea through Pinterest and then tried it for myself, here’s the recipe “How to Make Sparkling Jello | Easy Recipe for Kids”.
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18. Learn a Magic Trick: I’m sure with a quick search on Google and/or YouTube or a beginner kit from Amazon you and your kids will be learning new magic tricks in no time. I have a preteen that I think would be pretty keen to learn.
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19. Create paper Snowflakes: You know the ones that make a huge mess of little tiny pieces of paper everywhere. You could do it a bit different, create a heart shape first and see the designs that come through.
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20. Draw Something Starting with Each Letter of the Alphabet: Another amazing idea from @bethanymenzel shared through her IG stories. Grab a blank sheet of paper and create a box (big enough for your kids to draw something in) with each letter of the alphabet beside each bow. Ask your kids to walk around the hose and draw something that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
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21. Silent Reading: Ask your kids to grab a book, or a few books, then set up a fun sit spot with the timer set. Ask them to read their books until the time goes off.
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22. Hearts & Rainbows on Your Windows: I saw this first through Andria from, @thecheeriodiaries, Instagram story using the tag #heartsonwindows. I also saw @meredith_deanne share the tags #letsallbewell & #aworldofhearts. Such a beautiful idea to send a message of love. Check out the hashtag and see ideas.
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23. Kids Yoga: I’ve heard by a number of people suggest Cosmic Kids on YouTube, by good friend @basicbadmom has me convinced it’s good as her kids have been grooving to it on her IG stories.
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24. Playing Board Games or Card Games: This is one of our favourites. With preteens to toddlers we have a wide range of games, some of their favourites are Blokus, Uno, Candyland, Sorry, Skipo.
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25. Create a Talent Show: Set up a stage and create a performance, it could encourage your child to pull out their dance shoes, grab a hair brush as a microphone or show you something you didn’t even know they could do.
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26. Go Through the Kids Clothes and Toys: A little organizing doesn’t hurt. Go through their drawers and remove anything that doesn’t fit anymore and box up toys in a few different bins. Only have one bin out at a time and then have them on rotation to continually maintain and switch up their play toys.
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27. Plant Seeds: If you don’t have space outside for a little garden, set up a few pots in your window and plant some herbs or flowers, encourage your kids to water everyday and admire their daily growth. Check out this beginner garden kit that includes seed.
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28. Download a Kid’s Audio Book: This is another great silent activity you can do, hopefully your child gets fully engaged to listening to the story so you get a little down time with this one.
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29. Treasure Hunt: Write out clues on little pieces of paper that will take your child from one room to the next to find some hidden “treasure” or “treat” — if your child can’t read yet perhaps draw photos they could use to discover the clues. I created one with six clue cards for a friends kids birthday party, such a fun idea! Get the free Treasure Hunt printable here.
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30. Just Dance: My friend Heydy Lopez has shared her and her boys doing these dances in her Instagram stories and it always looks like so much fun! Find Just Dance on YouTube.
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31. Build a Fort: I have vivid memories of fort building as a kid, it’s so fun for imaginative play and your kids will love it! Best part is you can use and all the things you already have in your house.
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32. Make Homemade Pasta: Don’t need to stress about dinner when you have the kids help you. @mamapapabubba does it again with this 4 ingredient super simpler recipe to create your own.
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33. Paint a Chalkboard Wall: You may or may not want to get your kids involved in painting depending on their age, though I am sure all kids will enjoy it after. I love this idea that I saw on @rhiannonmairi’s Instagram page, she used painters tape to create the design before painting overtop. Find Chalkboard paint here.
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34. Flash Cards: You can buy different flash cards online whether you want math flash cards or phonics flash cards, Amazon has a good selection. I’ve even thought about just making my own and adding as a free printable.
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35. Create a Collage or Vision Board: We have been told this is a great thing to do as adults to find out what we love and where we want to focus our time, why not bring out a variety of magazines and let the kids cut and glue images of things they love on a board too.
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36. Have a Tea Party: Maybe this would take over lunch time or just a fun snack time. Take time to ask the kids what would be special to have on the table and then make some tea and enjoy. We did this for Evelyn’s birthday one year with a tea set I picked up from the thrift store.
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37. Morning Stretches: One of my Instagram faves, Sarah Therese, often shares her stretching routine in IG and YouTube and her kiddos are often joining in. I love it! See my blog post of “Five Stretches to Start Your Morning” for more ideas.
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38. Build Paper Airplanes: My kids can spend hours flying and building airplanes. Set up targets for them to try to aim at.
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39. Indoor Bowling: If you have a hallway that’s the perfect place to set up your bowling alley, use empty water bottles if you don’t have any pins and I’m sure you have a ball. For the serious ones, you may even keep score and play a full game. Looking for an actual bowling set, here’s one.
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40. Paper Mache Balloons: Remember doing these as a kid in school?? My friend @tamara.m.clark shared these in her Instagram stories and I was like, YAS! I’ve got to do that with my kids. It’s easy to do with a balloon, newspaper, flour, water and salt. Check out Pinterest for more details.
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41. Learn how to Skip: I feel like skipping was so popular when I was a kid but I hardly see it anymore. Perhaps it’s time for your kids to pick up a new hobby. Find Skipping Ropes on Amazon here.
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42. Build a Block Tower: Don’t have blocks, use canned foods or other items that your kids would find SO FUN to build with.
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43. Karaoke: One of my friends, Renee LaBlanc, posted this Karaoke machine on TikTok and it looks like such a good time!
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44. Make Pancake Creatures: Just look up Pancake Animals on Pinterest or watch to see how I made one with the kids here. (coming soon)
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45. Write a Gratitude List: Pen and paper for all, for those that can’t write words ask them to draw pictures of what they are thankful for. A good thing to practice everyday, being grateful.
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46. Frozen Toy Rescue: One of my favourite new ideas that I discovered through @mamapapabubba, fill a container with water and some of your kids toys and then put in the freezer until frozen. Remove and have your kids kids chip away at the ice to free their toys.
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47. Play Hide and Go Seek: If you want to make it even more challenging turn all the lights off and shut the blinds.
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48. Letterboard Writing: Great for kids learning to read and write… plus I am sure almost all of us have a letterboard at home. Give you child a list of their sight words and then give them the task to find the correct letters and place them on the board to create the words.
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49. Learn Macrame: I discovered some kits recently on Amazon that are great for beginners. You could do the Wall Hanging Macreme Kit or the Plant Hanging Macrame Kit, I think either would be great to do together with your kid.
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50. FaceTime Your Friends and Family: Something we have been doing everyday. Whether it’s FaceTime, Skype, HouseParty, or through the Instagram App we are trying to stay as connected and check in with our friends as much as possible.
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51. Make a Giant Word Search: Another good on to incorporate sight words your child is learning. I found the idea during a late night Pinterest scroll and recreated it, see photo above.
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52. Potato Stamps: Cut a potato in half and then carve out simple shapes like hearts, circles, squares, and a star. Use a stamp pad or paint and start stamping.
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53. Learn about the Ocean: My friend Samantha, @thefamilyjewelsblog, shared that if you head to ocean.org/learnonline they have lots of great resources for and programs for all different age groups.
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54. Read Your Child’s Height in Books: Or have your kid look through all the books that they choose to stack up and hopefully gain some quiet time. My sister did their youngest child’s height and shared the idea with me.
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55. Have a Sleepover party: Family Sleepover in the basement or living room, sounds good to me! Something the kids would be sure to remember for years to come, such a fun idea that @juliechristinephotography shared on her IG stories.
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56. Construction Paper Rainbow Craft: I saw this craft done by @popsofgrace on Instagram, see here. Super cute and simple craft that would also look really cute hung up in your window.
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57. Make Cloud Dough: Here’s another one of @tamara.m.clark activities for kids, all you need is 2 parts conditioner (buy something cheap for this) and 1 part corn starch, mix until no longer sticky, add more corn starch accordingly. I’ll share a link once we create it to see.
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58. Greek Yogurt Painting: This is perfect for the little ones that may just eat everything in sight. Create a canvas and make a design with painters tape. Let them have at ‘er and then when dry remove the tape to reveal the masterpiece. See an example here from when Sophie was one.
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59. Look through Baby Books: It’s been a while since I dusted off my baby books, going to pull them out for an afternoon looking at photos and introducing the kids to their mama at their ages.
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60. DIY Scratch Art: I came across this idea on TikTok here, it’s on our list of fun activities for kids to try next week! Looks so cool!
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61. Create a Toy Rainbow: Love how creative @jenniferwilson.co is!! See her Instagram post for how they turned toys and other home items into a huge rainbow.
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62. DIY Salt Dough Ornaments: I saw this one posted by @kelseydianeblog, a very easy recipe to create your own dough, bake it and then paint it. They made theirs for Easter but you could do any holiday, for a birthday gift or just for fun. We made heart ornaments with the kids here.
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63. Salt Paintings: I saw this one through a Pinterest pin, you create shapes on regular printer paper with white glue, immediately cover with salt until all the glue is covered, shake off access salt and let dry. Once dry you can paint the object you created and the salt sucks up the paint. So cool!
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64. DIY Plinko Board: Another good one by @tamara.m.clark, this mama is full of ideas. See the awesome plinko board she created with her boys here.
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65. Cardboard Nail Painting: Do your kids want to paint their nails, your nails and then everyone’s nails again? Mine too! Grab a piece of cardboard and trace your child’s hand, then drawn in nails and have your child paint those, over and over again. Another brilliant idea by Bethany Menzel.
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66. Name Art: Something I may have gotten super into as well, ha! This one you print your name with sharpie, print it again bigger, then write over top in handwriting. Close off the ends and then colour in the open spaces with different colours. See a mini tutorial on my TikTok here.
67. Paint a Mural Wall: We did a DIY Rainbow Wall in the Girl’s bedroom, it was so fun to do together and turned out better than we imagined. See it here.

Do you have any more Fun Activities for Kids or Things to do at Home to share?

We would love to hear from you, share in the comments below some activities you have been doing. Have a blog? Share a direct link to a tutorial, DIY, printable… you name it! The more to add the merrier the list.

Enjoy getting creative and doing some of these fun activities for kids! If you share on Instagram we would love a tag @creativewifeandjoyfulworker or FB / creativewifeandjoyfulworker so we can engage with you too!