All these lists of kids activities are great, but what if you don’t have what you need? Can’t really run out to the store as easily right now, so here’s a list of things you can do that you might already have the supplies for:
Make edible chocolate fudge play dough: Every kid has made slime, but did you know you can make EDIBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE DOUGH!? Because you can be the coolest.parent.ever. with just one 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, one chocolate bar, one tbsp cocoa powder (optional: for color), and 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cornstarch, as needed.
Treasure Hunt: This takes a little time to set up, but the kids LOVE it. Hide clues to lead them to a ‘buried treasure’ somewhere in the house. If you want, amp it up by making them solve riddles (or do MATH!) to figure out the location of the next clue! The treasure can be candy, trinkets, or a coupon for extra screen time or one less chore.
Painters Tape Games: There are a ton of crafts and games to create with painters tape. Criss-cross a hallway for a spider web obstacle course. Place tape on a canvas to make word art. Line a floor for hopscotch. Make a stained glass window. Create a course over your furniture to make a ‘the floor is lava’ room. Make a track for cars, or a balance beam, or a giant checkers board!
Bake something from scratch: If you have flour, sugar, milk and eggs, you’re most of the way there! (If you have powdered sugar and food coloring, you’re golden.) (If you have box mix, just use that!) Find an easy recipe for cookies or cupcakes that you can make together, and get baking.
Play a game that requires no board: There are a couple games you can play without having the actual game: charades, pictionary, win lose or draw, trivial pursuit, etc. Work together to come up with a scoring framework, or just play for fun!
Make Pizza: There are several easy ways to do this, because you can use almost anything as the dough: tortillas, crescent dough, pita bread, even half a hot dog bun! Grab some marinara sauce (or tomato sauce + Italian seasoning), a little cheese and let the kids pick any toppings they want to create their own personal pizzas. Pop em in the oven long enough to melt the cheese (if you used raw dough, bake that first), and you’re done!
Play with Science: There are literally thousands, but here are a few VERY EASY ones using things like water, oil, milk, food coloring, baking soda, vinegar, etc.
Balloon Games: Use paper plates as paddles for any back-and-forth game like tennis, or add some rice or cornstarch for indoor “water” balloon toss games, with a target on the floor, or tic tac toe!
Do a Puzzle: Yes, you can buy them, but you can also make your own! Print out a picture and cut it up into pieces according to your kid’s age (huge slices for the younger ones, small pieces for big kids). Or take an already-completed puzzle and draw a picture on the back, break it up and start again! If you’re really crafty, print out an actual picture and glue it to the back of the completed puzzle and take an X-acto knife to it. But that’s hard core.
Craft Challenge! Gather craft supplies like markers, glue, paper, scissors, some cardboard or a box, popsicle sticks, etc. and a few other random items from the junk drawer. Give the kids a problem to solve or a theme, like Mixed-Up Animal or Futuristic Vehicle, and watch their imaginations fire up. (Also works well with Lego or play dough!)
Desperate for an energy buster?
Bring the wheels inside: Clear the track and let them ride their scooters or big wheels inside. If you’ve got the space (and antsy kids on a rainy day), this will be an activity they won’t forget. Bonus fun: hide and throw pillows at them when they least expect it.
