Fun indoor activities when it’s too bleak to go outside.
Staying indoors for a long time can give anyone cabin fever! What do you do when it’s too hot, too cold, too rainy or too polluted to go outside, but the kids need to burn some of their bottomless energy reserves? Sometimes toys and good old board games just don’t cut it, so we’ve come up with some easy peasy ideas to entertain the whole family (including you!). These simple activities require zero screen time and offer plenty of opportunity for family bonding, sure to see you through days when you’re holed up at home.
Get everyone involved and whip up some yummy bites in the comfort of your own kitchen. We have plenty of ideas here on Sassy Mama, perfect for kids of all ages and interests – starting with pancakes in the morning and moving on to Mexican for lunch. You can extend the entertainment time by adding a tea party or an indoor picnic.
If it’s time for dinner, there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal prepared as a team (hello, pizza!) after a long day of indoor activities. Make some chef hats and put them on when doing this (super simple to do and one more thing to keep those little hands and minds occupied).
Looking for a quicker fix? Try our no-bake or easy snack recipes.
Storytime doesn’t only have to be before bed. We all know the great benefits of raising a reader. So cuddle up with a pile of books and spend quality time developing your child’s vocabulary. Choose books that are at a higher level than what your kids are used to reading themselves and read to them. Then get creative and let your kids act out parts of the stories and play with costumes and props!
If you aren’t in the reading habit yourself or have been neglecting this must-do daily routine (we know how it feels to read the same book out loud for the millionth time), look at the titles below for some inspo:
Read more: Our Top Book Picks By age: From 4 to 14+
Read more: Our Favourite Hong Kong Children’s Authors and Books
Read more: Children’s Books: Best Modern Fairytales to Empower Sassy Girls And Boys
Burn some energy (and calories) by setting up your very own fitness boot camp at home. Get the family moving with skipping ropes, yoga and jumping jacks. You can even create your own obstacle course with props available around the house. Add excitement and competition by using a timer or stopwatch and setting time limits for each physical activity.
If no one feels like jumping around (or they are already ready for the next activity – will the day ever end?!), make an indoor bowling set using recycled bottles of plastic as pins (fill with water) and knock them down with a ball. Get even more realistic by writing down scores; ten is the traditional number of rounds. Each pin knocked down is worth one point. Customise the rules based on the children’s age (rules on strikes and spares can be applied to older kids). Highest score wins!
Read more: Family Fitness: Gym Programmes For The Whole Gang In Hong Kong
We know that regular toys and board games lose their charm after a while, so why not tackle all the mega-sized ones that your kids got as birthday gifts that you quickly and discreetly hid away? Pull out that 300-piece cityscape puzzle and engage and challenge yourselves as a family. If you haven’t been gifted one yet, it’s a good idea to invest in buying a giant floor puzzle of your hometown (much more personal and you can share childhood stories along the way), or even your own family portraits (available here). Frame and hang them on your wall after completion.
This is also a good time to use that 1,000+ piece Lego set to create a mini city. Have fun with the details; add hospitals, banks, schools, parks and trees. If you don’t have Lego, make models out of paper, toys and any other items your kids have lying around.
Look for the next “idol” by hosting, judging and setting up your own home talent show! Kids can work together or separately, just tell them to have a blast and unleash their inner divas! Have the kids put on a show and be quirky with the execution. A closet raid (keep your best dresses out of this!) is a great way to put on fun costumes for their 15 minutes of fame. Paired with a read-a-thon, this works like a dream!
Is your child more of the artsy kind? Have fun with bubble wrap you recycled from packages you’ve received. It can be used to make arts and crafts such as painting with watercolour, writing cards for friends and relatives, collage making, playing hopscotch and more!
Another fun thing to do is let the kids go to town with tie-dye. All you need is some dye, rubber bands and old white T-shirts (or onesies, skirts, shorts etc.). You can find plenty of options online for readymade tie-dye kits, but read this resource from Playful Learning, if you’d prefer to use natural dyes. Have fun creating your unique designs – maybe even come up with a family style.
One other craft craze with kids is slime. You may hate the mess, but sensory play is very important for children in their early growing years, so pick safe, fun and homemade recipes available everywhere online. Let them identify different states of matter during the process, something the little chemists will definitely enjoy.
Read more: Get Creative: DIY Easter Crafts For Kids Of All Ages
Last but not least, it’s important to let your kids play! It develops their imagination and keeps them happy and occupied.
If your kids are into cars and active toys, grab some masking tape and create a racetrack in your living room! Build roads and highways with the tape and use ordinary objects and toys to set up petrol pumps, drive-through dinners and theatres. You can be sure that your child will end up “driving” off-the-beaten track and extending to other areas of the apartment.
Those soft toys that you have always considered dust-attracting nuisances? Finally, they can be put to use for a puppet show. You can also get your kids to make their own pirate, policeman and all kinds of animal puppets with simple paper bags. (Try these easy tips for making your own at home.)
All days, even indoor ones, need downtime. But don’t make it the usual – build a fort instead! We haven’t met a child yet who doesn’t love building a fun place to hang out. If you want to take it to the next level, try picking a room or corner in the house that you don’t mind being messy for a few hours. Use blankets, pillows and pegs to secure them. This can potentially provide hours of entertainment if you let them decorate, bring in toys and books and maybe even a picnic inside the fort!
Editor’s Note: This piece was originally written Czarina Sunga by on 23, March 2018 and was updated by Anita Balagopalan on 9, August 2019.
Featured image by Juan Pablo Arenas via Pexels, image 1 courtesy of Alexander Dummer via Pexels, image 2 courtesy of Daria Shevtsova via Pexels, image 3 courtesy of Caleb Woods via Unsplash, image 4 courtesy of Hans-Peter Gauster via Unsplash, image 5 courtesy of coyot via Pixabay, image 5 courtesy of Tanaphong Toochinda via Unsplash, image 6 courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels.
