50 Activity Ideas for Kids

Do you find yourself wondering what to do with your kiddos now that they're home from school? Or maybe you stay at home with them everyday and you just find yourself in a creative rut. I've compiled a list of 50 activity ideas for kids in hopes that they encourage and inspire togetherness and creativity in your home.

child creating a car out of a box

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I know as parents, we feel like our plans for our children need to be flashy, and grand sometimes. But what I have found is that it's not so much the activity we're doing, but the time we're spending together. May I encourage you to simply be with your children. See them for who they are. Look them in the eye. Talk with them. Laugh with them. Just enjoy them.

I think you'll find this list useful, educational, and, of course, fun! Truly, all has value. So let's get to it!

loose parts in nature

Activity Ideas for Kids:

1. Take a walk (For added interest, bring a magnifying glass.)

2. Play a board game (We are currently loving Catan, Bug Bingo, Ticket to Ride, and Uno.)

3. Explore a neighborhood, regional, or state park

4. Play old school yard games (Jump rope, hide & go seek, kick the can or even good ol' tag. Get in there moms. This counts as your HIIT workout ;)

5. Plant something (flowers, veggie garden, grass in a pot, anything!)

6. Bake cookies (or make it a cake and celebrate!)

7. Have a lego contest

8. Draw, paint - There are lots of great tutorials on youtube, including mine which you can find here.

9. Craft - If you have a little money to spend, we love the kiwi co. kiwi crates. They are great STEM projects for all ages, and I do not have run around finding all necessary supplies. If not, raid your pantry. It's fun to fashion & glue beans and seeds into seasonal nature finds like pinecones, birds, or flowers, etc.

10. Go for a bike ride

11. Play music together - I'm learning how to play the ukulele (again, youtube videos). Gotta keep up with my kiddos. And it's a fairly inexpensive instrument to invest in. This is the one I have and love.

12. Paint nails (My daughter is thrilled about adding these stickers lately!)

13. Build a fort - outside or inside (The weather is no excuse.)

14. Rearrange their bedroom - It will feel brand new (plus, waaaay cleaner.)

15. Finger paint

16. Make sidewalk chalk murals (The bigger, the better.)

17. Blow bubbles

18. Set up an obstacle course for bikes

19. Create box cars (or anything out of a box really ;)

20. Play hopscotch

21. Try your hand at felting (Here's how we started.)

22. Go fishing

23. Paint rocks

24. Make a stick mobile

25. Try your hand at whittling

We're halfway through...

1. Let them help you with meal prep (My kiddos love to help chop veggies and fruit.)

2. Read aloud together! This has been the single most unifying thing for our family (and I never would have guessed that.) Here are our favorites over the years!

3. Dip found objects in bees wax, then make garland (It smells wonderful!)

4. Build with blocks (This usually turns into a competition in our home.)

5. Create 2 dimensional outfits or animals with found outdoor objects

6. Color! (This can be so relaxing.)

7. Listen to an audio book (Pair this with #31.)

8. Get a game of baseball going with neighborhood kids

9. Play basketball (with Dad - anything with Dad is always a hit in our house) If Dad is not available, Mom is great too - or Grandpa, Grandma ((how fun would THAT be?!)), or Uncle whomever

10. Write a letter (It's almost a lost art.)

11. Create a book

12. Make homemade play dough

13. Have a paper airplane flying contest

14. Learn to finger knit (Youtube!)

15. Bead (You probably have some lying around the house in some way shape or form. Get them out and see what you can come up with.

16. Go on a scavenger hunt. We like to to hunt for cool nature finds.

17. Head to the water! (Even a frozen lake can be fun.)

18. Geocaching (Talk about a treasure hunt!)

19. Have a picnic

20. Create an inviting tea party

21. Learn to sew (or at least a few hand stitching techniques. Here's a great book to get you going.)

22. Climb trees

23. Make puppets

24. Put on a play

25. Clean your room! (That one's for you, Mom ;)

little boy building a tree fort

Now these ideas are meant to be shared, not just suggested to the kids while you "get some work done." (I know how it goes. You should see what I try to pack onto my to-do list! ;) Use your time together to actually be TOGETHER!

Maybe you do one idea together, and then let the kids run with another while you tackle something on your to-do list. That's completely fine! They don't need our undivided attention every waking minute. In fact, it's better for them to have some space in order to flex their creative muscles. But do make some time to be 100% screens down, hands-on, invested in them. Don't get hung up on the fact that these ideas are simple (some more so than others). They are meant to be, so there are less excuses ;) As long as you go into this time together with a little excitement, they will follow. These are all learning opportunities.

childs drawing of a chipmunk

Learning comes in all shapes, sizes and forms, so please don't think for a second that just because your kiddos are not in a typical school setting with desks and ABC's on the wall, that they aren't learning. Life is learning ;) And what better way to experience life than together!

If you have questions about these activity ideas for kids or need a little more help, please don't hesitate to ask.