Things to do at home with your kids - 8 ideas to keep them entertained

During times when you can’t go outside, it’s a really good idea to have a number of ideas in the back of your mind for things to do at home. This is especially if you have kids. Indoor, outdoor, or activities confined to the garden – we’ve got you covered!

Whether they’re on a break from school, or you’re looking for ways to keep them busy after they get home, we have a selection of ideas for things to do at home with your kids, including:

• Arts & Crafts
• Dance or Exercise Routines
• Treasure Hunts
• Time Capsules
• Board Games
• Learn a New Skill
• Design a Room
• Cook or bake 

Keep reading for further tips on how you can keep your little ones – and yourselves – entertained at home.

8 Things to Do At Home with Your Kids

1. Arts & Crafts

Exclusive to all ages, arts & crafts are a great way to keep your kids entertained indoors. For younger children, why not get them finger painting or making butterfly symmetry prints? Or, for older kids – give them a challenge. Perhaps they could paint something to proudly frame on one of the walls in your home? Give a child a challenge and they’ll certainly do their best to rise to it, so getting them involved in arts & crafts is a great way to keep them entertained for hours. As you’ll be doing this indoors, make sure you put plenty of mats down to protect your furniture and floors.

2. Dance or Exercise Routines

If you’re facing prolonged periods of time indoors, then one thing that you’ll want to make sure of is that the whole family is keeping fit. It’s very easy for children to get their daily exercise in if they’re running around outside, but if you’re staying inside with your kids, this is something you should still look to implement. Why not encourage your children to make up a dance or exercise routine – perhaps something that the whole family could get involved in? Put on some music and get moving, not only will it benefit your physical health, but your mental wellbeing too.

3. Create A Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunts are fun no matter what age you are, and even better when there’s a prize at the end of the trail. If the weather is glum or if you can’t go outdoors, then hosting an indoors hunt is a fantastic way of keeping boredom at bay. Why not create your own treasure map, or hide clues around your home that your little ones can follow? You can make it as long, or as short, as you’d like.

4. Make A Time Capsule

If you’re lucky enough to have a home with a garden, then why not make a time capsule that you can bury at a later date (and then dig back up at an even later date). Gather some personal mementos, as well as items that are likely to age, such as coins, and box them up to be buried. To extend the fun, you could even decorate the box or ask your children to write a letter to their future selves. A fun idea for all ages!

5. Play Board Games, Or Make Your Own!

A popular activity to do at home with your kids is to play board games – which can be a fun activity for all the family. However, if you’ve exhausted Cluedo, or if Monopoly is causing fallouts, then why not challenge your children to make their own game? Card games can be made inexpensively, or you could really set their imagination alight by joining forces to create a full board game. Fun from the comfort of your home, who can beat it?

6. Learn A New Skill

Children can get bored easily; therefore it’s important to keep their minds stimulated. If you’re stuck inside and motivation seems low, why not encourage your kids to learn a new skill (you could even join in too). Whether that’s learning a language, learning to juggle, learning a musical instrument or even learning some gymnastic moves – there’s an abundance of things you can do from the comfort of your own home. You could even try maths or English apps such as Squeebles to keep those little minds engaged and ticking away!

7. Design A Room Together

If you’re lucky enough to have recently moved into a new home, then you might still have some rooms left to decorate. Have the whole family pick up a paintbrush and get to work! If your house is complete, don’t worry - there are plenty of apps online where you can design your dream home. Or, why not print out some floor plans and ask your children what they’d recommend doing with each room (we can imagine that game rooms and second bedrooms might be popular choices). This is a sure-fire way to keep your kids entertained, no matter their age.

8. Get Cooking... Or Baking

You can keep kids of all ages entertained in the kitchen. Whether you’re prepping your meal for the evening, or have a craving for some tasty treats, getting your aprons on is a great way to spend time with your children, as well as giving them something to do indoors. Want to keep their imaginations rife for even longer? Why not ask your children to write up some recipes to use.

What things are you doing at home with your kids right now? We’d love to see you trying out some of our ideas, send us pictures and don’t forget to tag our socials...

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