35+ Things to Do with Bored Kids

With “Shelter in Place” happening everywhere and homeschooling ending at 12:30 or 1pm, there are A LOT of hours left to fill in the day. When you’re all feeling cooped up, and have filled your quote for screen time, try one of these ideas to spark some indoor activity.

1. Have a House Party!
I never thought I’d say this, but thank god for social media! It’s what’s keeping us all feeling connected the last week. Let your kids connect with their friends using the video chat app HouseParty . They could even play a game of charades or Pictionary with family friends.

Youtube.com

2. Have a Your Kids Teach You a New Dance
Get out some energy with a dance party. Your kids probably know know more dances than they’ll care to admit. Make a Tik Tok video of yourselves and share it with friends. Form teams, have a dance competition, and make one person the judge. They above video is one of my favorites: check it out here.

3. Take a Virtual Tour
Go to a museum…virtually. See dinosaurs and beautiful works of art. Here are a few of our favorite virtual tours.

4. Ride a Roller Coaster
Need a thrill? Experience a roller coaster ride right in your living room. From Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point, tallest hybrid roller coaster at 205 feet tall, steepest drop on a hybrid roller coaster at 90 degrees…to Space Mountain at Disney World…or ride upside down on the Manta Flying Roller Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida.

5. Play hide and seek.
My daughter, above, has always been a pro. She can contort her body into the tiniest of spaces. And it is still surprisingly fun, even as a grownup! If you find a really good spot, you might even get to take a quick nap!

From familyeducation.com

6. Create an Indoor Obstacle Course
Create an obstacle course where they have to jump and climb on and under chairs and tables–something you’d never let them normally do. Or make one outside with hulahoops and ropes. Here are some ideas.

7. Learn at Home
Scholastics is offering daily courses for students from Pre-kindergarten to grades 6 and higher with their “Learn at Home” program. The courses provide approximately three hours of learning per day, including writing and research projects, virtual field trips, and geography challenges.

8. Make Cards.
Make thank you card for the people who are still going to work everyday like healthcare workers, police, fire department, grocery store employees or your mail carrier or Amazon delivery person. Or make a card for someone that you know is alone.

9. Have Someone Famous Read Them a Story
Kids can listen to stories read by everyone from Al Gore and Oprah Winfrey to Annette Bening and Betty White on StoryOnline.net

10. Have a scavenger hunt.
Sneak in one item that you’ve been looking for for a while–like all those missing socks!

11. Make a Fairy Garden.
You can make one inside or out using twigs, stones, small containers and small doll furniture. Want some ideas? Check these out.

12. Read Together
Set a time to read as a family each night. Choose a book that everyone will love like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Indian in the Cupboard. Here are Karen’s favorites.

13. Go to Disneyland
Yes, Disney is closed, but you can tour the amusement park virutally! Visit Cinderella’s castle, walk around France at Epcot, see animal shows in the Animal Kingdom.

14. Plan your Next Vacation .
Look at a map with your kids and daydream about a future vacation because, someday we’ll travel again!
Here are few of our favorite vacation destination ideas!

15. Treat the Whole Family to a Spa Day
We all deserve–and need–a little pampering right now! Set the mood for your afternoon spa day: get in your coziest pjs (or stay in them if you’re already in pjs like I am), light some candles, and play soft music. Make a facial mask or homemade face scrubs. Have everyone take turns taking a long soak in the tub. Next paint each other’s fingers and toes. Finish with a shoulder rub.

16. Channel Your Inner Fancy Nancy
and Play Dress Up…with the Whole Family.

17. Break Out Your Board Games
You could spend hours playing Monopoly or do a short one like Connect 4, Clue or Life. Here’s a list of 25 of our favorites.

18. Teach your child a card game.
This one will get their heart racing: Slap! It’s intense, moves fast and they always end up giggling.

19. Tell Riddles.
Keep their minds busy with some great riddles. (The answer to the one above? Potatoes.)

20. Do a puzzle.
Leave it out and work on it a little each day. We ordered a puzzle of a beach on Amazon (because that’s what we’re dreaming of now!)

21. Have Christmas…in April.
If you have a fake tree, put it up, and decorate the house with lights. Why not?You’re stuck at home anyway. This town in Cleveland is putting Christmas lights on their porches to create a efeling of connectedness.

22. Play Chopped.
You are the judge, they are the cooks. I guarantee your pantry or fridge has some interesting ingredient combinations. Beware, your kitchen will be a mess, but it will kill hours of the day, and at the end of it, you may not have to cook. (In case you’ve never seen it, it is a Food Network show. Chefs compete. They get 3 baskets of ingredients. One for appetizer round. One for main course. And one for dessert. Each basket has 3 or 4 ingredients they must use, and then they can substitute with any other ingredients in the kitchen. They are judged on taste, presentation, creativity and use of basket ingredients.)

23. Do an Fun Science Experiment
Do a fun, yummy science project–you’re home-schooling anyway!The kids will have fun…and maybe even learn something. From fun edible experiments like making ice cream in a ziploc or rock candy pops to bloated gummy bears or homemade lava lamps.

24. Have a House Party!
Make a formal invitation, create fun cocktails and mocktails, and have a dinner party. Here’s Karen’s Tips for a Fun House Party.

25. Build a fort.
Get creative with blankets, sheets and pillows and string some Christmas lights to make it extra special! Need ideas?Here are some tips.

26. Play Two Truths and a Lie
This is a great way for you all to learn something new about eachother. Each person tells 2 true facts and 1 lie to the group. The group has to figure out which statement is the lie. For example, “When I was in college, to make extra money, 1) I babysat, 2) worked in McDonalds or 3) worked at Yankee Staidum. Which is the lie?”

That’s me!

27. Play Video Games…with them!
I NEVER say “yes” to playing video games but I tried Wii Party and Mario Cart this week for the very first time, and actually, they really are fun!

52fortwo.com

28. Camp Out…in the Living Room.
Put up a tent, make smores, tell scary stories and sleep in a tent in your living room.

29. Keep a Journal
My kids have been keeping a journal about how they are feeling and what they are doing. Kids have anxiety just like we do and it’s a great way to sort out your feelings. I also think they’ll love reading them years from now. (It’s a great idea for parents too!)

30. Make a Time Capsule
Spend the afertnoon creating a time capsule of 2020. Decorate a shoe box and fill it with things that remind you of this time–like a toiletpaper roll and a newspaper.

31. Cute Baby Animals
Check out the cutest baby animals you’ll ever see–it’s sure to take your mind off the “C” word.

32. Play Indoor Volleyball!
Blow up a balloon and pratice your spike ball.

33. Teach your pet a new trick.
Teach your pup how to bring you your slippers or say “hello.” Doggiebuddy.com has lots of ideas.

34. Find Their Inner “Om”
Get their bodies movies and their minds quieted with a yoga class together like this one by Alissa Kepas.

35. Make Magic
Kids can learn 7 easy magic tricks that will wow the whole family from Evan Era TV.

36. Start a Garden
Start seedlings for veggie and herbs inside to plant in the spring. The kids will love watching them grow and it will save you some trips to the strore for produce! My friend Karen has a green thumb; she suggests using toilet paper rolls to start the seedlings. She puts the rolls inside of restaurant take out containers and it creates a little terranium!