While kids love rain, it can get too much stuck indoors after a while. Be it a rainy day or a snowstorm or just about any unexpected circumstance, activities for kids indoors is just the right way to brighten the day for everyone.
Since the weather gods or the unavoidable circumstances are not under our control, here is a select list of 80 best Indoor Kids Activities. These handy activities will brighten their sullen moods and add cheer to everyone’s day.
Contents:
Indoor Activities for Preschool
Indoor Activities for Kindergarten
Indoor Activities Older Kids at Home
Indoor Activities for Families
Our list of fun activities for kids indoors include exciting indoor activity ideas, indoor game ideas, educational indoor activities and family board games to keep younger kids as well as older kids entertained and smiling ear to ear.
Indoor Activities for Preschool At Home
1.Toothpick Drop
Give your preschooler at home some fine motor skills practice with this easy indoor activity. All you need is toothpicks and a saltshaker.
Challenge your toddler to drop the toothpicks into the saltshaker through the holes. It is great practice for their budding fine motor skills and also aids concentration.
2. Play With Moon Sand
Let your little children practice their fine motor skills while at play with Moon Sand. Moon sand is soft, moldable and offers a great sensorial experience.
3. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Nothing will get your preschooler and toddlers more excited than this fun idea of scavenger hunt. Specifically meant for young kids, this indoor game for preschool includes a free printable to make organising this indoor activity easy for you.
4. Fizzing Painting
Painting is one of the most loved indoor activities for kids, but it makes it more exciting to turn it into fizzy painting by using simple kitchen science.
How to Make Fizzy Painting:
Step 1: Mix equal parts of baking soda and water.
Step 2: Add food colouring to the mixture to make fizzy paint.
Step 3: Let your child paint a pretty picture on a sheet with the fizzy paint.
Step 4: Now ask your kiddo to add vinegar to the painting with a pipette.
Viola! Your painting is fizzing! Such a creative and exciting way to explore the arts.
5. Oobleck
Sensorial activities are a great hit with toddlers and preschoolers. Oobleck is one of the fun things that is to make on a rainy day to keep kids busy and mindfully engaged.
6. Balloon Tennis
Looking for indoor physical activities for kids to burn off that extra energy? Balloon Tennis or balloon hockey is just the indoor game to keep your kids happily moving. This indoor gross motor game is one of the easiest balloon games to set up and play.
7. Build a DIY Fort
One of the most popular rainy day activities for preschoolers and toddlers is to build a fort with cushions, sofas, chairs and blankets.
Make it cozy by setting up your child’s favourite playthings, stuffed animals, books and healthy snacks inside the tent.
8. Shaving Cream Painting
Add crafts and painting to your list of indoor activities for toddlers and preschoolers with this sensorial shaving foam painting activity.
Set up this fun activity by spreading shaving foam on a sheet of paper. Add a few drops of liquid food colouring or tempera paints to the shaving cream and let your kiddo play.
9. Rainbow Tear Paper Craft
This is such a cute rainy day craft for kids and a wonderful way to practise fine motor skills for preschool.
Related: Love rainbows? Check out these amazing Fun Facts About Rainbows.
10. Play with Fake Snow
Set up a winter themed sensory bin indoors equipped with fake snow. Fake snow is easy and quick to make and so much fun to play with.
11. DIY Bowling Game
Indoor games are a sanity saviour on a rainy day! Make an indoor bowling game by recycling old paper towel rolls or toilet paper rolls to keep kids busy with this fun indoor game.
12. This or That Questions
This or that questions are a perfect rainy day activity for kids. They guarantee silly fun and promise lots of laughs.
These funny guessing questions are just fun and work as a charm to banish boredom that comes with being indoors.
13. Dance Party
Host an indoor dance party and let the whole family join in! It is the most fun way to get kids moving and expelling that energy when outdoors is inaccessible.
14. Pasta Necklace
Let your preschooler practice threading skills by making these pretty pasta necklaces that they can later flaunt as an accessory.
15. Play Hot Potato
This circle time indoor game for young kids never fails to entertain kids. Classic games like this are always fun and much loved by kids as well as adults.
16. Try a Science Experiment
There are loads of simple science experiments for preschool that can double up as rainy day activities for preschoolers and toddlers.
These experiments are great at inculcating curiosity and serve as handy, fun indoor activities for kids at home that both parents and kids enjoy doing.
17. Painting Nails Activity
This is such a fun pretend play activity for little kids. Indoor activities for kids like this one are easy to set-up, quick and always fun.
18. Number Faces
Add a few educational activities for preschool to your list of indoor activities for kids to keep them mindfully busy and playfully learning.
Ask your child to make faces using only math numbers. Give them a head start by drawing a face or two before they get started on their creative math adventure.
Related: Bring math learning home with these Preschool Math Activities for Kids. These activities gamify math and make learning engaging.
19. Treasure Map
This is a simply awesome fine-motor preschool activity for kids at home. Your little one will simply love tracing the treasure map while you take some quiet time for yourself.
20. Sensory Bins
21. Rainbow Tear Paper Craft
This is such a cute rainy day craft for kids and a wonderful way to practice fine motor skills for preschool.
22. Pillow Walking
Kids simply adore such fun indoor physical activities! Simply line up all the cushions and pillows you have on the floor in a straight line and let your toddler run from one end to another.
Though it may sound easy, it is trickier than it appears. Great for practicing gross motor skills!
Indoor Activities for Kindergarten
23. Try Coding
These indoor screen-free coding activities are a hands-on way to keep kids busy at home without increasing their screen time. Such indoor activities for kindergarten at home are not only educational but also playful and fun.
24. Bake A Cake
Don’t let the bad weather spoil the mood! Rather bake a cake when stuck indoors. Baking is an excellent indoor activity to do with kids at home. Lots of hands-on math and science to learn here.
25. Play Board Games
Indulge in a board game session with your kindergartener to sharpen their social skills and build family bonding. These indoor games are sure to entertain everyone.
26. Lava Lamp
Lava lamp is a simple science experiment for kids. It is easy to do and most of the supplies needed for this easy science activity for kids are readily available at home.
A visual treat, it is definitely one of the most exciting indoor activities for kids across all ages.
27. Make Bubbles
No kid can say no to this fun activity. Teach your kids to make bubbles with homemade bubble solution and DIY wands.
You will be surprised how many handy items you have in your kitchen that double up as bubble wands.
28. Try Homemade Kinetic Sand
If your kids are craving to hit the beach to play with sand and build sandcastles, let them try their hands at kinetic sand indoors. It is a wonderful building material that will excite them and get them busy indoors without complaining.
29. Newspaper Collage
Indoor activities for kindergarten at home that help unleash kids’ creative sides and require little to no help from adults are always a great hit for everyone. These newspaper collages are fun, easy and open-ended.
Let your kids cut out shapes or animals or whatever they feel like out of an old newspaper and paste it on a craft sheet to make their own artsy creation.
30. Listen to Podcast
One of the best indoor activities kids can indulge in on a rainy day is to listen to podcasts for kids. Podcasts are a great way to pass time, build vocabulary and polish listening skills.
31. Indoor Treasure Hunt
Indoor activities for kids need to be sedentary. Add some movement-based activities to get your little ones moving while you work on their observation skills with this cool idea of indoor treasure hunt.
Download Indoor Treasure Hunt Free Printable
Simply print our Indoor Treasure Hunt free printable or if you have time, make your own treasure hunt and your kids to get started.
32. Domino Effect
Bust boredom by setting up Jenga tiles to give a live show of domino effect. It is super fun and kids don’t need help setting up their own domino effect versions from Jenga tiles.
33. Make Stickers
Your kindergartener will love making their own stickers with sharpies, markers, glitter pens or whatever their imagination prompts them to use.
Simply hand out office label stickers to your kids and watch them make their very own cute stickers.
34. Sock Puppets
These no sew sock puppets are an excellent way to keep kids stuck indoors busy and having fun. All you need is an old sock, a piece of cardboard, glue and googly eyes to transform a boring sock into a charming sock puppet.
35. Make Popsicles
Summertime is great for popsicles! But instead of the store bought ones, make healthy fresh fruit popsicles with your kids.
These easy, nutritious and hydrating popsicles are a must try!
36. Blindfold Tasting
Blindfold games are a great hit with children and challenge them to use senses other than sight. Set up an easy blindfold tasting game for your kids.
You and your kids will be surprised how tricky it becomes to guess the food without actually seeing it!
38. Make Your Own Crayon
Repurpose and recycle old broken crayons by making your very own crayon.
Let your kids take the cover off the old crayons – it is a great fine motor activity for little fingers and then add the desired color combinations in silicon mold and put them in the oven for 10-15mins at 200 degree Fahrenheit.
Allow them to cool before you pop these crayons out of the mold.
39. Learn About Hygiene
These indoor hygiene activities for kids are an exciting, hands-on way to teach young children about germs and how to keep their hands clean.
40. Make Marshmallow Structures
If your kiddo loves building activities, we recommend making marshmallow structures. Simply use toothpick and marshmallow and let creativity run wild to make marshmallow shapes and structures.
41. Practice Scissor Skills
Let your kindergartener practice their scissors skills with these free printables while they are tucked indoors.
42. Make Ice Lanterns
This is one of the most exciting and fun activities for kids indoors. These ice-lanterns are easy to make and transform a dull boring day into a dreamy, cozy day!
43. Photo Browsing
Take out those old family photographs and albums and revisit family memories with your kids to entertain them. Kids love looking at old photographs and listening to family stories.
This is one indoor activity to do with kids that you will simply love! Cuddle up and open the box of memories.
44. Make Fingerprint Family Tree
This is a perfect indoor activity to club with photo browsing. After you and your kids have had a look at the family albums, encourage them to make this cute family tree craft for kids.
45. T-Shirt Bag
This is a meaningful activity for the whole family. Repurpose old t-shirts into a no sew t-shirt bag and say no to plastic bags.
Your kids will love making these bags and flaunting them to their friends.
46. Make Rain in a Cup
This science experiment for kids is a must try. This weather activity for kids is a great hit with younger kids as well as older children.
47. Plan a Garage Sale
Encourage your children to sort through their toys and school supplies to hold a garage sale. Let them figure out the price tags for items they wish to put on the sale.
This way sorting through unwanted toys becomes fun and the proceeds for garage sale a highly motivating factor.
48. Indoor Obstacle Course
This indoor physical activity for kids is everyone’s favourite. Set up an obstacle course according to your child’s age and your kids burn off that extra energy.
49. Put on a Puppet Show
This is a perfect rainy day activity for the family. Turn off the lights and turn on an entertaining shadow puppet show for your kids and family.
It is easier than you think and will certainly make you a favourite with kids.
50. Dumb Charades
Dumb charades is one of most loved indoor games for kindergarten. Kindergarteners love to act and this guessing game lets them practice their acting skills while having fun.
51. Rock Painting
Let your kindergartener explore their creative side with this easy-peasy art activity for kids. You will be surprised how much fun kids can have with trivial rocks and watercolours.
Indoor Activities Kids at Home – 5 years and above
52. Play Typing Games
While your kids are indoors, why not let them play exciting online typing games for kids that will not only entertain them but also teach them how to touch type!
These exciting games are great at building typing speed and accuracy for young as well as older kids.
53. Make Coin Structures
Replace blocks with coins and challenge your kids to make coin structures. Challenge them to make curved arches, tall towers and whatever they can imagine with coins.
Perfect indoor activity for kids who like construction activities and polishing their budding engineering skills.
Related: Got a little engineer at home? Try Fun engineering activities to hone their skills!
54. Make Popsicle Stick Catapult
Another fun, engineering activity to try when kids are confined indoors. Make a popsicle stick catapult and put on an indoor game of target shooting.
55. Card Games
Bring some learning to your indoor activities for kids at home with these educational card games. They will make learning math fun and easy.
56. Blindfold Letter Game
If you are thinking of adding a fun educational indoor game to your budding reader’s routine, then this one is just for you.
Make letters or words out of lego blocks and let your child guess them blindfolded by running his fingers over them.
57. Learn About Monsoons and Experiment With Water
What could be better than learning about Monsoons on a rainy day? Teach your kids all about rains and monsoon with these rainy day activities for kids that lets them play with water.
58. Play Online Games
These online games are a clever way to sneak in reasoning skills and work on children’s memory skills. Let your kids indulge in them for a while and sharpen those skills. It is one indoor activity your kids will never say no to.
59. Play Truth Or Dare
Make merry of a boring, mundane day with this classic family game of Truth or Dare Questions. With interesting questions for every age, this game promises to be great fun.
60. Tongue Twisters
Play a silly game of tongue twisters with kids to hone their elocution and speech skills. Tongue twisters is one of the most fun indoor activities for kids that always entertain and crack kids up.
61. Make Marble Maze
If your kindergartener loves making things, we highly recommend activities for your budding engineer.
Make a marble maze from an old shoe-box and watch your kiddo’s eyes light up with joy. What’s more, a marble maze is a perfect indoor activity to do on a rainy day! Kids love it!
62. Button Crafts
Button crafts are just the way to keep older children busy indoors. They are cuter, easy and so much fun!
63. Freeze Dance Party
What could be more fun than a freeze dance party with friends? Host a freeze dance party for your kids and let them move and shake their bodies. This physical indoor activity is much loved by kids.
Quick Tip: Learning station has some great freeze dance videos that your kids will enjoy!
64. Organise your Library
One of the favourite indoor activities for kids at home is to organise a home library. Take out all your kiddo’s books to start with and let them organise their own library by author, genre or simply by size.
It is a great learning activity to do on a rainy day with kindergarten and older kids.
65. Make a Terrarium
Don’t let staying indoors prevent your kids and you from gardening. Terrarium is a great indoor project to try with kids and get them to study plant science.
Related: If your kids are interested in plants, make sure you try these fascinating Plant Science Experiments for Kids.
66. Solve Rebus Puzzles
These picture puzzles for kids are a great way to entertain them on a rainy day and keep kids constructively busy indoors. Just the perfect indoor activity for families who wish to add in some learning to their day.
67. Film Making
Indoor activities for children should be interesting and complement your child’s interests. If your child is interested in making videos, allow them to take it up as a hobby and learn tricks of the trade.
Indoor Activities for Families
68. Would You Rather Questions
A fun session of Would You Rather Questions is one of the best fun indoor activities for family. Children as well as adults love these questions and there is never a dull moment when you play this fun game of Would You Rather.
69. Riddle Each Other
Riddles are always a hit with kids as well as adults. Exercise your brain and get thinking with a fun session of riddles. Turn it into a competitive game by setting a time and awarding points.
70. Crack Funny Jokes
Everyone loves jokes. Keep your kids entertained and gigging indoors by cracking some silly classic jokes or the guessing knock-knock jokes.
Make sure to add in a few intelligent Science jokes and Math Puns as well to elevate the fun.
71. Make Toothpick Spinners
These spinners are so much fun to make besides being extremely easy and quick.
Simply cut out cardboard into various shapes like triangle, circle or a square and stick out the toothpick through the center of the shapes so that it is nearly one-third through the shape.
That’s all! Your fun spinner is ready.
Related: Try these fun crafts and STEM activities to see what all you can do with a trivial toothpick.
72. Make a Pom-Pom Shooter
Don’t let cabin fever get your family. Get your kids involved and transform an old disposable plastic water bottle into a Pom-pom shooter.
73. Play Trivia
A game of fun trivia questions is probably one of the best rainy day activities for families to banish boredom and get their brains into action.
Keep your kids busy indoors at home with a fun and exciting question and answer session. It is a great way to pass time when stuck indoors.
74. Play Guessing Games
Guessing games for kids pack in lots of fun! Plus, they are an excellent way to exercise your kiddo’s brain muscles and get them thinking critically and logically.
75. Never Have I Ever Game
A fun game session of Never have I ever questions for kids can never fail to entertain. These questions range from funny to thought provoking and are wonderful way to get chatting and sharing stories.
76. Make An Electromagnet
This is no less than a magic trick. Bring some learning to your indoor activities by making an electromagnet at home. It is a great science project for school as well!
77. Yoga
It can be quite irking to be indoors all day long, even for adults. Calm those nerves and get moving with Yoga at home. Practicing yoga as a family is not only relaxing but also a great way to strengthen family bonding.
78. Make Chicken In a Cup
This is such a fun science project to make with kids! You and your kids will be surprised by the similarity of the sound made by the cup to that of the clucking sound of the chickens. Definitely fun!
79. Make a Time Capsule
Utilise the time spent indoors by making a time capsule. Let each family member make a time capsule for himself and herself.
Certainly one of the most cherished indoor activities to do with kids, you will thank yourself years later when it is the time to open the time capsule.
80. Play Chinese Whisper
Chinese Whisper, also called Telephone, is an excellent game to play as a family. This fun game is perfect to play indoors with as many members as possible. Riots of laughter guaranteed!
81. Make Paper Planes
Make paper planes with your kids, just like you did when you were a kid yourself. To add more fun, host a paper plane race across the hall and see whose paper plane is the fastest.
82. Karaoke
Karaoke is one of the most fun rainy day activities for families. Get everyone singing and dancing by hosting a karaoke party at home.
By the way, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t have a karaoke set as long as you are willing to show up with the right vibes.
83. Play Chess
Chess is an excellent classic indoor game for families to indulge in! It is a great way to sharpen your child’s strategic skills and build their mental muscle.
84. Try Origami
One of the fun things to do with kids inside is to try your hands at origami. This paper folding art is almost calming and there are plenty of things you and your kids can make.
85. Play Hide and Seek
What could be more fun than the whole family playing Hide and Seek? One of the most exciting indoor activities for families, this classic game will challenge you to find the best hiding spot in your very own house.
86. Pen Down Letters
Don’t waste time staying indoors. Instead write heartfelt letters to each other to express your love. It is a wonderful gratitude activity for kids as well as adults.
Think of the times when the other person made you happy or did something special to make your day happier. Now is the time to thank and appreciate them.
87. Play Jigsaw
88. Host Indoor Picnic
You don’t need to rush outdoors for a picnic. Instead, spread a cozy rug on the floor and set up cute paper plates and cutlery to host an indoor picnic for the whole family.
Choose healthy snacks, turn on the music and play a classic game like UNO, Guess Who or your family’s favourite to make your indoor picnic a memorable experience.
89. Read Biographies
Inspire your little readers with biographies for kids. These provoking tales of scientists, sport people, artists and common people who changed the world are sure to positively influence kids and help them find the right inspiration.
90. Watch Movies
Movies are a great way to pass time when stuck inside. Choose from the list of Inspiring STEM Movies for kids that promise wholesome family entertainment.
91. Make Slime
Making slime at home is easy and a fun way to keep children happily occupied. With just a few ingredients, your kids can make slime with this easy recipe within 5 minutes and enjoy hours of sensorial play.
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