100 Things With Kids

25 More Indoor Fun Ideas for Kids

Looking for more fun ideas? Here are 25 more indoor fun ideas for kids.

1. Have an Indoor Camp-Out

What You’ll Need:

  • Kid-sized tent
  • Flashlights

Make it Happen:

  1. Set up tent.
  2. Turn out the lights.
  3. Camp-out in your living room!

Other Thoughts: Microwave s’mores are a fun addition to this activity.

What You’ll Need:

  • Graham crackers
  • Chocolate bars
  • Marshmallows
  • Microwave

Make it Happen:

  • Put 1/2 graham cracker topped with some chocolate and a marshmallow in microwave.
  • Microwave on high for 15 seconds.
  • Place other cracker on top and smoosh.
  • Allow to cool for 30-ish seconds before digging in.

2. Play Board Games

What You’ll Need:

  • A board game (for little kids try Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, or Connect 4, big kids will like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Clue).

Make it Happen:

  1. Follow the directions included with the game.

Supplemental Resources:

Here are some of the best kid-friendly board games on the market:

Amazon: Candy Land

Amazon: Chutes & Ladders

Amazon: Connect 4

Amazon: Monopoly

Amazon: Scrabble

Amazon: Clue

3. Put on a Play

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids

Make it Happen:

  1. Try a re-enactment of a classic fairy tale. Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Jack and the Beanstalk are great choices. Or let your kids come up with their own creative ideas.

4. Make a Blanket Fort

What You’ll Need:

  • Blanket
  • Chairs or table

Make it Happen:

  1. Drape a blanket over some chairs or a table and voilà, instant fun.

5. Veterinarian Fun

What You’ll Need:

  • Doctor’s kit
  • Stuffed animals

Make it Happen:

  1. Let your kids play doctor to their stuffed animals.

6. Nursery Rhymes

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids

Make it Happen:

  1. Take turns reciting classic nursery rhymes from memory (think Humpty Dumpty, Old Mother Hubbard, Hey Diddle Diddle, etc.)

7. Write a Letter

What You’ll Need:

  • Lined paper
  • Pens or pencils
  • Envelopes
  • Stamps

Make it Happen:

  1. Determine who you will write to (grandparents really love to get letters by snail mail, but you can also create letters for friends).
  2. Write letter on paper.
  3. Fold letter and place in envelope.
  4. Address the envelope and place a stamp on it.
  5. Put the letter in the mailbox.

8. Cook Something

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids
  • A recipe (if you need ideas for kid-friendly foods to cook, check out the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book or Betty Crocker Kids Cook!)
  • Ingredients
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Pots and pans
  • Stove top, microwave, and/or oven

Make it Happen:

  1. Clean cooking area.
  2. Wash hands.
  3. Follow your recipe.

Other Thoughts: I find that my kids are much more likely to try new foods that they have helped prepare. If you have a picky eater this activity just might help encourage them to try something new!

Supplemental Resources:

Some of my favorite kid-friendly cookbooks:

Amazon: Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book

Amazon: Betty Crocker Kids Cook!

9. Play Hide-and-Seek

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids

Make it Happen:

  1. Decide who will be the “seeker” first.
  2. The “seeker” covers their eyes and counts to a per-determined number (20, 50, 100… whatever suits you).
  3. The “seeker” searches until they have found all of the “hiders”.
  4. The last “hider” found is now the “seeker”.

10. Play a Card Game

What You’ll Need:

  • Cards (you can buy specialty decks or just go with the standard 52 card deck)

Make it Happen:

  1. Follow the directions in your specialty card deck, or follow the link to easy card game for kids in the Supplemental Resources section.

Supplemental Resources:

Here are some good specialty deck games:

Amazon: Uno

Amazon: Phase 10

Amazon: Skip Bo

And here is a link to some kid-friendly standard deck card games:

10 kid-friendly card games

11. Play Dress-Up

What You’ll Need:

  • A dress-up trunk, old Halloween costumes, or parent’s clothes.

Make it Happen:

  1. Dress up!

12. Play with Your Food

What You’ll Need:

  • Marshmallows
  • Small pretzel sticks

Make it Happen:

  1. Use marshmallows and small pretzel sticks to build houses, cars, or whatever else you can think up.

13. Make Shadow Puppets

What You’ll Need:

  • A dark room
  • A lamp or flashlight

Make it Happen:

  1. Set up stationary light source in a dark room so that light projects onto a blank wall.
  2. Make shadow puppets.

Supplemental Resources:

Here is a good how-to video:

How To Make Shadow Puppets With Your Hand

14. Secret Messages

What You’ll Need:

  • Printer paper
  • White crayon
  • Watercolor paint

Make it Happen:

  1. Write a message on white paper using a white crayon.
  2. Paint over the paper with watercolor paint to reveal the secret message.

15. Make a Movie

What You’ll Need:

  • A video camera

Make it Happen:

  1. Bust out the video camera and let the kids write, direct, and film their own movie.

Other Thoughts: You will want to be the camera person for younger kids.

16. Build a Zoo

What You’ll Need:

  • Legos or wood blocks
  • Plastic animals

Make it Happen:

  1. Use legos or wood blocks to create a zoo for the plastic animals.

17. Build a Puzzle

What You’ll Need:

  • Puzzles

Make it Happen:

  1. Build the puzzle.

18. Tell Knock-Knock Jokes

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids

Make it Happen:

  1. Tell knock-knock jokes. Don’t know any? Make some up, buy a book, or see the Supplemental Resources section below.

Supplemental Resources:

Here’s a good knock knock joke book:

Amazon: Lots of Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids

And a great free resource:

101 Best Knock Knock Jokes for Kids

19. Learn Some Fun Yo-Yo Tricks

What You’ll Need:

  • Yo-yo
  • Trick videos

Make it Happen:

  1. Follow the directions in the videos (see Supplemental Resources below).

Supplemental Resources:

Here is a good beginner’s yo-yo:

Amazon: Duncan Toys Butterfly Yo-Yo

And a good YouTube how-to channel:

YoTricks

20. Try Some Finger Play Songs

What You’ll Need:

  • You and your kids

Make it Happen:

  1. Teach finger play songs to your kids (some good ones are Itsy Bitsy Spider, 5 Speckled Frogs, and The Wheels on the Bus).
  2. Repeat several times until your kids have the motions down.

21. Play With Cars, Trains, Dolls, or Whatever Other Toys Your Kids Already Have

What You’ll Need:

  • Toys your kids has sitting around

Make it Happen:

  1. Play! Once you get started, you may be surprised how much fun you find yourself having!

22. Play in the Tub

What You’ll Need:

  • Kids (in bathing suits or birthday suits, depending on their ages and your preferences)
  • A bathtub

Make it Happen:

  1. Get those kids in the tub and let them play.

Other Thoughts: Try adding bubble bath or colored fizzing tablets for extra fun.

23. Karaoke

What You’ll Need:

  • Karaoke machine
  • Music

Make it Happen:

  1. Set up Karaoke machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  2. Pop in your cd and let kids sing away!

Other Thoughts: Don’t want to invest in the whole Karaoke machine? That’s fine too. Just get a hold of instrumental versions of favorite songs and let kids belt it out.

Supplemental Resources:

Just in case you’re looking for a karaoke machine:

Amazon: JYX Karaoke Machine

24. Put on a Puppet Show

What You’ll Need:

  • Puppets (make your own out of paper bags or socks, or buy a set).
  • Puppet theater (make your own out of a cardboard box, or buy one).

Make it Happen:

  1. Set up your theater and be the audience while your kids put on a show.

25. Watch Old Family Movies From When You Were a Kid

What You’ll Need:

  • Your old family movies

Make it Happen:

  1. Snuggle up and share memories of your childhood with your kids.

Also See:

25 Indoor Arts & Crafts Projects for Kids

25 Indoor Active Play Ideas for Kids

25 Indoor Learning Activities for Kids