Fun Indoor Activities for Children

When it’s necessary to stay indoors, children can become restless. However, there are many ways to keep your child entertained and even teach them a few valuable skills. Here are some fun indoor activities for children and the whole family to enjoy together.

Play games

According to psychologist Sandra Russ, a young child’s imaginative play may be associated with increased creativity in later years – so let your child’s imagination blossom. It’s likely that your child will already have some fun ideas for pretend play, but here are some other games you can play together:

1. Host a picnic with stuffed animals

2. Create a fort with chairs, blankets, and cushions

3. Build a city with blocks and other toys

4. Pretend to be your child’s favorite animal

5. Perform a play or dance with costumes

In addition, gross motor skills can be developed through many fun indoor games. For example:

1. Sing songs that have associated movement or dance, like “I’m a Little Teapot” or “Itsy Bitsy Spider”

2. Set up an obstacle course using household items like couch cushions, stools, and chairs. Help your child to crawl under, climb over, balance on, and pass through these obstacles

3. In a large and safe area, play tag, freeze tag, or hopscotch

Games like this will not only help your child burn off some excess energy, but they’ll help them learn and develop important skills as well.

Do fun STEAM activities together

According to research, there is a positive correlation between early experiences with STEAM concepts and future academic success. At My Place, we believe that by teaching STEAM concepts at an early age in an engaging way, children will more naturally integrate its skills into future learning.

Some examples of STEAM activities you can do as a family include:

1. Building with blocks

2. Playing counting games

3. Painting or drawing pictures

4. Drawing shapes and patterns

5. Hands-on science experiments such as an Air Pressure Experiment or Does it Sink or Float?

Enjoy a good book together

Reading with your child not only develops their literacy, but it encourages creativity and problem-solving too. Set up a cozy space in your home and curl up with some of your child’s favorite books to read together.

Depending on the age of your child, reading may be less focused on the plot of the story and more about exploring the book together. Encourage your child to interact with the book and the story in creative ways. For example, ask your child questions like, “What do you think the cat is looking for?” or “How do you think that baby is feeling?”

Staying indoors can seem frustrating to a young child, but reading books, playing games, and doing fun STEAM activities are some ways to help your child have fun and bond with you during this time.