20 At Home Kid Activities
Written by Amy Rollo, M.A., LSSP, LPA, LPC-S
Owner, Heights Family Counseling
I want to let every parent know that these times are hard and to be okay if your day doesn’t go smoothly. Kids are bored, parents are overwhelmed, and everyone is stressed. I wanted to create a list of things to do with your children to help ease some of the stress, but please know it’s okay if you just make it through the day with love, screen time, and survival. These times won’t last forever, and our kids are resilient. For anyone stuck in Groundhog Day maybe this list will help.
1. Sidewalk Chalk can be a lot of fun with lots of options! I love seeing the long hopscotch activities, mosaics, and messages written on the sidewalk for the neighbors. It can be fun for a wide age range!
2. Make homemade play-doh or slime. Kids can have fun helping make the play-doh or slime and then have fun playing with it. Trust me, nothing is better than the feeling of warm play-doh in your hands!
3. Magnatiles are my absolute favorite toy for kids to play with. They are worth the hefty price tag. For older kids, I recommend Legos. Try free style Legos to let their imagination create things instead of the box kits!
4. Snap circuits are really fun for our science and engineering kids! Kids can have fun for hours and while the age range might suggest 8 years and older, kids as young as 4 can have fun with parents’ help!
5. Puzzles have been the thing this quarantine! Kids as young as 1 can play with age appropriate puzzles while older kids and adults can do jig saw puzzles.
6. If you have a backyard, now is the time to use it! Get the sprinkler going and let your kids run through it. Bonus points if you can find a slip and slide! That is fun for any age!
7. House scavenger hunts can be fun. Make a list of things to find- For example, your favorite toy when you are bored, something you play with when you are sad, something with wheels, etc. Get creative and have fun!
8. Board games are my favorite thing to do when my own kids. We have almost every game created! Young kids can play games like Silly Street, Candy Land, slap jack, and Kerplunk. My own kids love Mario Monopoly, Monopoly Junior, Connect4 and Uno Attack.
9. Get out your old dance recitals and Halloween costumes and play dress up. The imagination is needed now than ever before. Imaginary play is a way to cope with big emotions and for kids to process their world.
10. Daily nature walks where the family moves slowly with little purpose. Collect leaves and sticks that the kids think look cool and just enjoy the outdoors.
11. Find a YouTube dance or yoga class to do as the family! Get moving!
12. Games like Simon Says and Red Light Green Light help promote listening skills and regulate impulses. Go ahead and give it a try with your children!
13. I’m a big believer of water being healing. Get some bath colors or soaps and enjoy a fun bath midday.
14. Bubbles are fun for everyone! They are also a fun way to promote mindfulness. Have your kids try to have them land on the finger or pop them for more impulse control activities. Tell them to name the colors they see in the bubbles to promote mindfulness.
15. Obstacle courses can be fun for hours. There’s so much you can do with little materials to jump, crawl through, and move your body in fun ways!
16. Hide and go seek is such a fun thing to do and kids of wide age range can enjoy the activity.
17. Get a ball. Any ball. Play catch, kickball, volleyball, etc. You can do a lot with a sports ball!
18. Read a book. My family started reading Harry Potter aloud when the kids were 3 and 5. We’ve almost made it through the series. Find a series to read aloud to your kids. If you have older kids, listen to an audiobook or podcast together.
19. Print out free coloring books or use the adult coloring books with older kids. It’s a mindfulness task that can reduce anxiety.
20. Journal the quarantine experience. If you have younger kids, they can glue pictures into the journal and draw pictures to share their experiences.
If your child is struggling to adjust to the changes the quarantine has brought about, child counseling can help. Contact us today to learn more.