Winter and Summer breaks or even the weekends can be challenging when it comes to keeping your kids entertained. Even if you work from home and have children who are doing remote school, it can be a tough job to keep everyone busy so you can be productive. While most of them would love nothing more than spending their time parked in front of the television or computer, you may feel less than thrilled about letting them do so.
Entertaining during lockdown meant keeping them indoors more often than not and as such, many parents ran out of new ideas a while back. Thankfully, the waning pandemic means that events and activities that have been primarily off-limits are back, and as such, there are plenty of great activities for kids, both indoors and out.
Tried & True Winners
1. Day camps for kids
2. Have a family picnic in the backyard or local park
3. Go bird watching
4. Collect leaves and research to identify them
5. Collect flowers and press them in wax paper
6. Have a pretend sword fight with rolled-up newspaper
7. Start a garden with the seeds from fruit/vegetables they ate
8. Go bike riding around the neighborhood or local park
9. Learn about robotics for kids
10. Have a water balloon fight
11. Have a scavenger hunt
12. Visit the local humane society and spend time with lonely pets (Just be sure that they understand that you can’t take them all home)
13. Visit a local aquarium
14. Bake treats together
15. Make DIY Gummy Bears
16. Make homemade slime
17. Have home science experiments
18. Attend library events for kids
19. Play dress up
20. Play with dolls or cars with them
21. Have an “unusual” lunch like fresh fruit and popcorn
22. Let them style your hair or put makeup on you
23. Style their hair in a crazy way or use temporary a color like purple or pink
24. Play volleyball or soccer with balloons
25. Play games with Alexa
26. Write a letter to a friend or relative
27. Make a sheet fort
28. Play a video game with them
29. Teach your dog a new trick
30. Research the family tree together
31. Make paper airplanes and have a flying contest
32. Help them make a stop motion movie with Playdough
33. Make milkshakes or ice cream floats
34. Make macaroni art
35. Pretend the floor is lava
36. Learn origami together
37. Have a pillow fight
38. Make homemade popsicles
39. Play school or work together and let them be the teacher/boss
40. Play restaurant and have various foods and treats on the menu
41. Show them how to make tie-dye t-shirts
42. Teach them how to put together a scrapbook
43. Make sock puppets and put on a show
44. Let them pick the color and help them paint their bedroom
45. Have a board game triathlon
46. Make a time capsule and bury it in the backyard
47. Help them rearrange and decorate their bedroom however they want
48. Dress up and have a fancy lunch
49. Read summer bridge books
50. Make homemade ice cream
51. Make a paper mâché piñata
52. Make unique bingo cards and have a tournament
53. Play poker with cookies or candy as the bets
54. Invite some of their friends over for a pizza party
55. Write secret messages in lemon juice
56. Take them to a museum of science. Most have fun interactive activities for kids
57. Put on your swimsuits, fill a small swimming pool, and have an outdoor bubble bath
58. Write silly songs together
59. Listen to samples of each other’s favorite music
60. Have breakfast in bed
The biggest thing to remember is that the best activities for kids during the day include doing them together. Whether it’s building a fort or visiting a museum, they’re virtually assured to have fun and enjoy the time more fully if you’re doing it with them.