Weekends and school breaks may be fun for kids, but keeping them entertained and learning in between classes can be challenging for parents. And with the schools and daycare facilities closed, thinking of fun activities at home for kids becomes a top priority.
Whether your child likes to explore, be active, or just needs some cool things to do at home, we’re here to help. Here are some ideas to keep your kids occupied and entertained at home.
For Your Little Explorers
Activities that allow your child to scoop, dump, dig, pour, and transfer are a great way to foster independent play (and keep them occupied longer). They also build fine motor skills and allow your child to explore concepts like volume, size, and color. Here are a couple of our favorite ideas:
1. Dig and Dump
Great for: Toddler
The Setup: Get a large bin and fill it with a filler of your choice—beads, pompoms, buttons, crinkle paper, or even water. Put in various small toys and give your child cups, measuring spoons, and more to explore with.
Ideas while you play:
- Put in a variety of familiar items and ask your child to find them by name. Example: “Can you find me the ball?”
- Focus on one category of item (example: animals, cars, balls, etc.), and work on labeling each item and describing its colors or sounds as your child pulls them out.
2. Kernel Transfer
Great for: Preschooler
The Setup: Fill a bowl with dry items like beads, pompoms, buttons, or sequins. Put a muffin tin down next to the bowl. Give your child a spoon and show them how to transfer from the bowl into the holes of the tin.
Ideas while you play:
- Let your child explore with different-sized spoons to build fine motor and self-feeding skills.
- Count together as you transfer items from one container to the other to introduce numbers and counting.
3. Tiny Archeologist
Great for: Toddler and Preschooler
The Setup: (Needs to be prepped the day before) Get a glass baking dish and some small toys that fit inside. Fill it with an inch of water and a couple of toys and freeze. Add another layer of water and toys and freeze again. Keep adding layers of water and toys until the dish is full. Take the dish out of the freezer and place it in a larger dish of hot water to thaw the edges until the ice block slides out. Place the ice block in the bathtub or outside, hand your child forks or any other utensils and let them slowly chip away at it over the course of the day to excavate all the treasures!
Ideas while you play:
- Talk about temperature and how the ice melts over time. Let your kid watch as you carefully pour hot water onto the block of ice.
- Try a variety of tools and observe how they work in different ways to break through the ice. What other ideas can your child come up with for how to get the treasures out?
If You Have Active Kids
If being outdoors or at the playground is not an option, you may have a child who’s itching for some physical play. Find ways to set up safe physical challenges at home and be sure to join in on the fun. Not only is your child getting their energy out, but they’re also developing strength, coordination, motor planning skills, and problem-solving skills. Some ideas for you:
4. Couch Obstacle Course
Great for: Toddler
The Setup: Gather couch cushions, pillows, blankets, small stools, and more to set up an obstacle course for your child to navigate.
Ideas while you play:
- Have your child go through the obstacles in a different order each time.
- Time your child as you go through or pretend to race each other.
5. Spy Training
Great for: Preschooler
The Setup: Create a web of yarn or string by taping it back and forth along the walls of a hallway. Have your child start at one end and crawl/climb/jump over the “laser beams” to get through.
Ideas while you play:
- Set a timer and see if your child can get through before it goes off.
- Re-construct your web in various configurations to practice hopping over a low string, doing the limbo under a higher string, etc.
Housechores Made Fun
And finally, when you’re all at home together, here are some ideas for involving your kids in the eventual chores you need to do. Giving them small tasks is a great way to build practical life skills, foster their sense of independence and confidence, and to create routines and rituals that you can build on for years to come.
6. Grocery Stocker
Great for: Toddler
The Setup: Find a low cabinet or shelf that your child can reach and give them a bag of canned goods to unload. Invite them over and ask them to help you put the cans away.
Ideas while you play:
- Stack the cans on the ground outside the cabinet and see how tall you can make your tower.
- Help your child group/sort the cans by type (or color).
7. Laundry Sorter
Great for: Preschooler
The Setup: Once your clean laundry comes out of the dryer, invite your child over to help you sort the items based on who they belong to, “fold”, and put the folded laundry away.
Ideas while you play:
- Let your child try folding washcloths or towels. Don’t worry if they aren’t able to fold, just show them how.
- After you sort by who the items belong to, you can sort by type of clothing —pants, shirts, socks, etc.
- If you have a pile of distinct pairs of socks that are all mixed up and need to be matched and folded, have your child help. Pick one sock and ask them to find the matching one from the pile.
More Help for Parents
Need more ideas? Here at Playfully, we are committed to doing our part to help parents. With our app, you can find thousands of simple, fun activity ideas you can play right at home, as well as video-based classes and a catalog of activities to promote any area of your child’s growth and development.
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