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Sometimes, we have to stay inside. Maybe it’s too hot or cold outside, or your child is or has been sick.
So what happens..? Screentime. Rest, of course. Also boring and lonely after a while! And not very healthy! (And honestly, just sitting inside and “relaxing” can drive me crazy…)
Here are some ideas for kids to do together and easily involve parents and siblings! Many activities can be adapted to your child’s age and are easy to set up. I am ready to make family life easier and more fun!
Actions are not in order; more than that, I started with slow things and ended with fast ones. Have fun!
16 Fun Indoor Activities for Toddlers (and Their Families)
1. Cook, cook and have a picnic
Have a cooking activity or cook with your children. Offer each child an easy-to-make snack, such as cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit salad, or chocolate. Then, have a picnic on the ground, enjoying everything they made. Younger children can invite their favorite toys or favorites to the party.
2. Pick up a memory game or deck of cards
Pick up a memory game or a deck of cards and teach your children to play memory or, with older children, Rummy, Speed, or Slapjack. You can make card games more fun by having a prize for the winner of the game. (IF your kids are old enough to tolerate that their brother won…) Learning to play real games is something for older kids.
If your children are too young to learn games and you don’t have memory games nearby, use cards to practice colors, counting, shapes, or playing memory – where two can be, for example, two red fives, two black aces, etc. I would just use some of the 52 cards, even if there is a chance that your student will find the right pair and you won’t! 😀
3. Write letters
Write letters (yes, on real paper with markers, pens, or crayons) to family and friends. Ask your children to help you put a stamp on the envelopes and put them by the door so you can put them in the mail tomorrow morning.
4. Build a City
Find yours building blocks or legos, and everyone should work together to build a city. You can see the size of the town or in detail (depending on the blocks you are using and the age of your children).
5. Read together
I’m sorry good book (and maybe some popcorn) to enjoy snuggles and story time.
6. Build a fort
Find old blankets and pillows to build a fort. After lunch, you can invite everyone to have some quiet time (or relaxation time) in the fort you made together.
7. Create and play with Play-Cross together
Making and playing with Play-Doh together is so much fun! You can find easy recipes online with ingredients you can find in your home. If you have different types of food, divide the dough into different portions and make different colored loaves. This is an opportunity to get your child involved and mix different colored dots to create new colors – “Wow, look, when we mix red and blue, we can make a purple ball!”
8. Time to paint
What child doesn’t like coloring? And the best part is that if you love to color, you can easily grab a box of crayons and share with your kids to enjoy an evening of coloring. And remember that coloring can be anything from using coloring templates and markers or crayons to finger painting on blank paper – it all depends on what your child likes!
9. Paper art
If you have paper plates lying around, any type of paper craft is fun for toddlers and kids. Here you will find farm animals to craft. Other ideas are ghosts and monsters, flowers, or cars. But really – you can do anything with paper plates, crayons or watercolors, glue, and ideas. Work together and create! Then hang them on the ropes in the window or as art on the wall.
10. Blow the soap bubbles
I still remember how my son laughed when he had foam on his nose for the first time. He was the happiest little boy in the world. Blowing bubbles is great fun in the bath, under the shower, or even in the kitchen sink, because the bubbles can “survive” when they land on the water and on the baby’s wet skin.
Blowing bubbles is a great way to entertain your child. If you have a light-headedness from keeping the bubbles constantly, then use a small fan to help blow and push the bubbles around the room. I found this perfect, because all I had to do was dip the stick in the foam mixture and then hold the stick in front of the fan. The fan blew out the bubbles and scattered them around the room. There are also toys that can help you with the task.
11. Play high-quality, fast-paced games
Use your own taste or some other great place play classic gamessuch as Red Light, Green Light, Simon Says, or Freeze-Dance.
12. Sing or dance together
Enjoy a karaoke concert or dance together. In short just sing and dancewithout music. Our kids LOVED dancing when they were little. Nursery rhymes with movement are great. Or put on fun dance videos and dance together. Or – again- just call along!
13. Having fun with balloons
If you have it balloons inside the house, blast them and don’t let them touch the ground. See who can keep their balloon in the air the longest. Great for practicing math and concentration. If you take turns or let your children do it together while you read together, they can “win” together instead of being disappointed if someone in the family does well.
14. Pillow fights
Want to release energy? Hit the pillow! I usually let my little ones stand on my bed and stand on the floor. Then we fight with the pillows for a while. Lots of fun, and I love that they can fall without hurting themselves and that the pillow fight takes place in a small area (the bed).
15. Hide-and-seek
There are many fun games you can play with your child. Hide-and-seek is one of them. In order to keep your child from having too much trouble, ask for two or three rooms where everyone is allowed to hide. This is funny and worth a photo as a memory. Young children don’t always understand that they are still visible even if they can’t see anyone else (cover their eyes.)
16 The indoor barrier method
Do you have a very active toddler? Do you feel like you bounce off the walls more times than you can count? Then, they will love indoor lessons. This is great for fine motor skills and balance – and fun!
I’ll stop here! There are, of course, endless ways to entertain a toddler in the house. But if you go through this entire list, I’m sure you’ll have some fun days ahead! When it’s time to head out again, you’ll find winter fun and beach activities for the little ones here.
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a parenting and pregnancy writer ever since. Her parenting and writing is based on studies in cognitive-behavioral and child support and her experiences as a mother and stepmother. Parental life has helped him realize the importance of putting relationships before the law. She strongly believes in proper parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula works with a group of pediatricians who help review and write stories.