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Whether it’s the school holidays or a lazy Sunday afternoon, sometimes it’s difficult to think of screen-free, creative and fun activities for kids to do at home. We know that children need stimulation and distraction away from screens to foster their wellbeing and fun activities for kids can help to educate and inspire growth every day. DIY craft, cooking, creative play and outdoor activities such as gardening can be as structured or loose as you and your children like and, while gone are the days of pushing them outside to amuse themselves until the street lights turned on, the key is to mix up ideas for kids to stay engaged.
Help is here! For the next time someone in your house says, “I’m bored!” bookmark our round-up of fun things to do at home that are free and will stimulate their minds, without creating chaos.
Indoor kids’ activities
Easy-to-organise indoor kids’ activities range from cooking to crafts, puzzles to paper dolls. All it takes is a little planning and you can turn a cardboard box into a whole new world! Plan ahead and set things up the night before to spark their interest in things that don’t involve a screen as soon as they wake up. During school holidays, if space and time allow, leave kids activities at home set up overnight so they can come and go from their DIY craft and Lego cities over several days.
Helping around the house
Contributing to the running of the house is something children can learn and should be encouraged to participate in from a young age. Share jobs and teach as you go to make it a fun experience and before you know it, tasks like sorting washing, storing toys, sweeping leaves and emptying the dishwasher will have been passed down to smaller hands. For inspiration, try these 33 jobs kids can do around the home.
Cooking
Cooking is a great way to hold the concentration of your kids and work creatively with them, side-by-side. Depending on the age of your kids, they can constantly improve their skill level, enjoy the outcome and share in a creative activity. Increase the number of ingredients and refine techniques as children’s skill levels improve. Opt for recipes that can be eaten and enjoyed immediately or plan a longer game with more steps like cake decorating and slice baking to be done in stages.
Easy recipes for kids to cook:
- jelly
- DIY playdough
- scones
- sandwiches
- scrambled eggs
- pancakes
- all-in-one-bowl cakes
Craft
Crafts for kids are endless and don’t have to cost a fortune. Beading, scrapbooking, tie dying and paper mache are all free activities for kids to engage in and projects can span several days during school holidays.
More kids’ craft activities:
- Science projects
- Collage
- Tie dye try using an old pillow slip
- Painted rocks
- Block printing – try tea towels
- DIY play dough – add glitter!
- Beading/ jewellery making
- DIY board games
- Lego city – leave it set up for days and keep adding
- Paint furniture for the bedroom
- Scrapbooking
- Paper mache
- Card making
Outdoor kids’ activities
Gardening
Time to really get their hands dirty! Watching things grow is a true awakening for a child and gardening is a wonderful way to educate and stimulate the senses. Little hands can dig for hours and often the outcome is less important than the process itself!
More outdoor kids’ activities:
- Leaf art – painting, stamping, glueing and collecting leaves and seed pods
- Sidewalk chalk – try hopscotch, colouring patterns, counting and skipping games
- Treasure hunts
- Hide and seek
- Castle building
- Local walks
- Park visits
