Need things to do when stuck at home or you have stuck at home bored kids? Here are unique kids activities and family activities at home, stuck at home resources, ways to entertain kids inside, what to do when stuck at home and bored, fun things to do at home and fun inside activities for kids!
76 Creative Things To Do While Stuck At Home
How To Prepare For Being Stuck At Home with Kids
The best way to prepare for being stuck at home with kids is to start NOW — before you are stuck at home in an emergency situation — whether it be stuck at home kids’ sick day activities, weather emergency, family medical emergency, or… whatever. You’ll want some boredom busters for kids and ideas when stuck indoors. Here are quick ideas on things to do when you’re bored and stuck at home and great ideas for being stuck inside with your kids.
What to do when kids stuck inside?
Free activities for kids to do at home:
- Play board games / play card games
- Cook / bake
- Relax technology rules (allow them to play video games, FaceTime friends, etc.)
- Have movie and pajamas day
- Create a water foam city / bubble city in the bathtub
- Make an indoor fort city in the living room
- Take an online virtual field trip to a museum in a different city (or country!)
- Read aloud to each other (surprise your kids with a new book!)
- Do a TikTok challenge for the whole family (or other social media challenges)
- Make a friend a penpal and surprise them with a handwritten letter (or picture)
- Listen to family audiobooks or podcasts
- Create an indoor obstacle course for a Minute To Win It games (fun physical activity ideas!)
- Play “hotter/colder”
- Put a tent up and have indoor camping (complete with indoor smores!)
- Write letters or draw pictures for relatives/friends (to be mailed later)
- Paint, color, or craft
- Take a hike and have a nature scavenger hunt
- Have a glow dance party with glow sticks or a flashlight dance party with a list of favorite song
- Play dress up and give a play
- Create a bucket list of things to do when you can get out again
- Work on family house projects you’ve been putting off
- Sort toys and clothes to be donated later
- Allow them to get bored (learn about the benefits of boredom!)
- Sleep in /nap / lounge (doing nothing is good for the brain and body!)
DON’T MISS OUR FULL LIST OF FUN THINGS TO DO AT HOME FOR KIDS LATER IN THE POST. KEEP SCROLLING FOR MORE STUCK AT HOME GAME IDEAS AND THINGS TO DO FOR FUN AT HOME WHEN STUCK IN THE HOUSE!
Have little ones cooped up inside, too?
Check out our list of things to do with toddlers and ways to keep kids busy playing when they’re stuck inside.
What to do with toddler stuck at home
Here are 10 unique inside activities for toddlers and games for toddlers stuck indoors:
- Make sensory bins or sensory jars out of things you have at home (always a fun activity for a good time!)
- Read books and make sound effects with musical instruments (we’ve had a lot of fun with this musical set!)
- Play dress up and have a dance party
- Put on old clothes and finger and foot paint on a large roll of art paper
- Print out free coloring pages and color
- Learn about farm animals and created an indoor farm with stuffed animals
- Create a sensory bag with cooked pasta (Super fun things kids do for sensory play – for real!)
- Play with building blocks
- Blow bubble and play with foam soap (bubble foam) inside the bathtub or shower (little kids love this)
- Give them pipecleaners, pom poms, and an egg carton and let them go crazy creating and playing
- Play sorting with different size bowls, big spoons and marshmallows or cotton balls
- Make busy bags (see directions later in the post – one of my most favorite things to do when bored for kids!)
These work well for free activities for preschoolers at home and younger kids, too!
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE FUN FAMILY STUFF TO DO AT HOME:
How To Keep Kids Connected When Stuck At Home
How to Make a Rainy Day Survival Kit / Snow Day Survival Kit
How to Have Power Outage Fun With Kids
OK! Let’s get to our stay at home kid activities, especially with kids bored at home.
These work well for tweens, older kids, as well as things to do with young kids when you’re stuck inside!
Some of these even work if you’re wondering what to do when you are stuck at home as a kid by yourself!
Keep scrolling for fun things to do at home with kids!
Don’t miss a continue list of ideas at the bottom of the post — more good options, fun ideas to do at home, and creative ideas for keeping kids from getting bored while at home!
Indoor Activities for Kids – Stuck At Home Activities for Kids and Fun Indoor Learning Ideas
Stuck At Home Tip #1: Watch documentaries.
Ok. Ok.
I know what you’re thinking.
Documentaries is not on your list of what are fun things to do at home.
I mean, that’s your idea of fun things to do when bored?
::eyeroll::
But, watching a documentary can be fun things to do while you’re stuck at home with kids because they’re are great documentaries on video games, lego bricks and more now!
We often think of documentaries as something that only adults like and watch.
However, there are so many great family documentaries now and kids can learn so much from documentaries (and enjoy them!).
Kids can learn a lot of history, social studies, geography and more from watching documentaries.
These are fun educational activities for the entire family!
Try these kids and family documentaries for interesting digital learning:
- A LEGO Brickumetary
- Big Pacific
- Kratt’s Creatures
- Walking With Dinosaurs
- The Food That Built America
►Great Courses Plus (now Wondrium) has a ton of interesting documentaries and courses. You can try it FREE for 14 days using this link, so add it to your fun things you can do at home!
Also read about if you should watch Hamilton with your kids.
Stuck At Home Tip #2: Use busy bags.
If you need kids- creative activities at home, try busy bags!
(Who needs a new toy when it’s so much fun to make your own new things?!)
Busy bags are great because you can make them for all ages and stages. (Just use different colored bags for each child or age.)
If you’re not familiar with busy bags, they are bags full of different items that are used to keep a kid busy.
Children learn a great deal and use a lot of STEM-based learning and creative learning with busy bags.
The idea behind a busy bag is that there are random items in the bag and the child needs to build or create something from the items. Some people put different games or books that they buy into busy bags.
For my busy bags, I put random items that I mainly find around the house (paper, markers, glue, and random things like a coffee filter and some yarn). I don’t even think about what’s going into the bag because that’s a job for the kids!
I also watch the clearance aisle at stores and use dollar stores to pick up items.
Be sure to make your busy bags ahead of time (like right now!) so that you can have them for emergencies or any time you’re stuck at home.
►READ ABOUT HOW I PUT TOGETHER CHEAP BUSY BAGS HERE
Stuck At Home Tip #3: Play board games to practice basic learning skills.
Board games are so much more than just playing games!
(Bored games?!)
Board games allow kids to:
- Practice teamwork
- Use math skills
- Practice reading and spelling
- Develop strategy
- Learn about topics like geography and history (without really knowing they’re learning!)
- & MUCH MORE!
We like these board games and card games that really don’t feel like you’re learning!
They’re fun stuck at home games and they’re fun family night ideas, too!
Fun things to play at home:
- Scrambled States of America (geography)
- Word Monkeys (spelling/reading)
- Sequence (math, strategy, teamwork)
- Skip Bo and Uno (math)
- Ticket To Ride (geography and history)
- Charades (drama, creativity)
►SEE OUR HUGE LIST OF BOARD GAMES RECOMMENDED BY PARENTS
Stuck At Home Tip #4: Read as a family.
Reading as a family is still a great thing to do — no matter how old your kids are or the span of the age range. It’s also a great thing to do when stuck at home, even if you have no electricity!
We like these family read aloud books to stock up on for these times…
Things to do at home for fun with books:
Also, try Kindle Unlimited where you and the kids can download and read books on a variety of devices (not just Kindle!).
We also like puzzle books like Waldo, Puzzle Challenges, and even Mad Libs — all can help stimulate learning in fun and creative ways!
Stuck At Home Tip #5: Listen and learn.
Listening to audiobooks and podcasts is also a fun way to learn when stuck at home.
(The art of storytelling is alive and well!)
Try podcasts from Wow in the World, Story Pirates, and even podcast stories like The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian.
Don’t forget that audio books an podcasts are great ways to learn and pass the time!
Kids can play quiet games (blocks, drawing, clay, etc.) while listening and learning.
Try a free trial of Audible for a whole library of books. (You can cancel before the trial ends and not pay anything!)
►LEARN ABOUT THE BENEFITS FOR AUDIO BOOKS
Stuck At Home Tip #6: Build or create and learn.
Anytime you see them on sale, stock up on items that I like to call quiet games, quiet activities, or chill things to do at home.
You know the ones, things that kids can sit quietly and play (maybe even while listening to audiobooks).
When you’re stuck at home, it’s only a matter of time before you get on each other’s nerves (no matter how well you get along!).
So, you’ll want to have some things that kids can do quietly to save all your sanity and learn how to keep your kid entertained for hours!
If you have some surprise items, it will help when you’re stuck at home with children and kids activities to do at home!
My favorites indoor games for kids include and fun things for kids to do at home:
- Clay and clay sets
- LEGO bricks
- Craft sets
- Jigsaw Puzzles
- Activity books like this
- Drawing or painting
- Sticker by number books
Don’t forget about inside activities for toddlers too if you have little ones!
How to entertain toddlers at home / what are things to do at home with preschoolers:
Also, don’t forget about subscription boxes!
Subscription boxes are a great way to learn a variety of topics while building and creating.
And, the great thing about this is that most subscription boxes have a buy and try, meaning you can try the first box for a discounted price and then cancel the subscription if you don’t like it!
And, the cheap price on the first box (especially during sales) means you can try a few boxes for a discounted price!
►CHECK CURRENT SALE PRICES ON SUBSCRIPTION BOXES
You may also find sensory toys or fidget toys helpful in reducing anxiety for all of you during this time!
(These are also great ideas of what to do when your stuck in your room!)
Stuck At Home Tip #7: Cook together as a family.
If you are stuck at home but still have electricity, you should spend some time cooking and baking.
It really is one of those super fun things to do as a family at home!
Cooking or baking favorite foods is not only comforting during stressful times, but cooking/baking is also a great way for kids to learn.
Cooking teaches:
- Math
- Reading
- Comprehension
- Teamwork
- & MORE!
►READ MORE ABOUT THE LEARNING BENEFITS OF COOKING WITH YOUR KIDS
Stuck At Home Tip #8: Use tech to connect with others.
In emergency situations or any times you’re stuck at home, stress levels are higher.
You need things to do when stuck at home to reduce that.
During this time, relax any strict rules on screen time and allow a little more technology and TV usage than normal.
(It’s OK! I promise!)
Allow kids to play video games with friends alone for a fun to do at home ideas.
Lift limits on television watching (or movie watching on tablets) and find some fun (educational and non-educational) things to watch together.
Allow them to text, FaceTime and talk to their friends! (Find some cool ways to connect here!)
►READ ABOUT THE BEST TECH GAME WE’VE EVER PURCHASED!
Also, it doesn’t hurt to be armed with some back up batteries that can be used on your tech during emergencies (like if the electricity goes out).
Try this emergency radio with USB charger.
Stuck At Home Tip #9: Have a staycation right at home.
Create a stay-at-home vacation where you do fun things at home or around your own town locally.
Turn your living room, balcony or backyard into a beach party (even in the winter!) with fun summer food and beach balls.
Host a red carpet movie night where you get all dressed up, walk a “red” carpet, and watch favorite movies.
These are really fun things to do for kids at home and you can make it cool things to do at home by getting everyone planning the vacation at home!
Stuck At Home Tip #10: Have a movie party with your friends and family in other locations.
Did you know that you can have a Netflix movie party with people in different locations?
You can all watch the same streaming movie and chat in a chatroom during the movie!
It’s the ultimate in stuck indoors fun (and great if you’re still social distancing!) and fun things to do with friends at home / things to do when stuck in your room.
►LEARN HOW TO HAVE YOUR OWN NETFLIX PARTY
Stuck At Home Tip #11: Let your kids host a virtual sleepover.
If you want things to do when stuck at home with a friend look no further than an online sleepover.
Does a virtual sleepover sound absurd?
Trust me, your kids will love it!
Kids do all the things they do at a sleepover — dress in favorite jammies, play games, have snacks — except everyone connects online and does it from the safety and comfort of their own home.
This is one of those fun things to do while stuck indoors for kids and when they need things to do when stuck at home for kids and friends!
We’ve done a few of these now and they really are fun things to do with friends kids (and there are shockingly a lot of fun things to do on a virtual sleepover!)
Great if you’re looking for fun things to do in your room for teenagers!
►LEARN HOW TO HOST A VIRTUAL SLEEPOVER (list of fun things to do at a sleepover and what to do at home for fun during an online sleepover)
Stuck At Home Tip #12: Get out of the house!
What are some fun things to do at home when you’re going stir crazy?
Being stuck at home doesn’t always mean you just need stuck indoors activities.
If it’s safe during your stuck-at-home time or emergency, spend some time outdoors!
(Even if it’s just on your porch or balcony and you’re stuck in the house need to get out more!)
- Take a hike or a backyard walk. (Read these tips first!)
- Build a snowman or make mud pies.
- Enjoy some outdoor sports or a game of tag.
- Read in the sun.
- Do a nature scavenger hunt (grab this free printable first!).
- Make chalk art on the sidewalk or balcony.
- And, just enjoy the fresh air!
Feeling super stuck?
Even stuck home these will help you have more fun!
List of Even More Ways To Save Your Sanity When Stuck Indoors With Kids
Here are some of the best things for quality time together at home and more fun things to at home / things to do when you’re stuck inside!
Easy Activities for Kids Stuck At Home:
- Use cornstarch, glue, and a little bit of food coloring to make homemade slime
- Have an indoor picnic for fun family activities in the home
- Make paper airplanes and then race them against each other
- Put on a puppet show
- Have an indoor scavenger hunt for fun things to do stuck at home ideas
- Bake cookies from a recipe handed down from grandparents or a family friend
- Make flashlight shadow images with plastic toys (trust me, kids will have a great time with this – not just young children!)
- Create with play dough (bonus points if you make your own homemade playdough with kids!)
- Binge watch a favorite family series (perfect time to bust out family movies and snuggle down for fun things to do when stuck inside!)
- Make video calls to friends and family members (or want to say hi to for the first time in a while!)
- Divide into teams and have a puzzle race (see who puts their puzzle together first) – great for kids of all ages!
- Make paper crowns and pretend play kings and queens
- Use a deck of cards to do magic tricks (plenty of things you can do with one deck of cards!)
- Take turns with each family member telling a story and different ways trying to get each other to laugh (it’s so much fun!)
- Use sidewalk chalk for hopscotch, tic tac toe and other outdoor games (or another fun idea kids have!)
- Play ghosts in the grave yard (flashlight hide and seek)
- Put together a family scrapbook or document funny family stories
- Make a family time capsule (one of those things to do while at home that you’ll really appreciate later!)
- Volunteer at home – Make cards for kids in a children’s hospital or people in a local nursing home (stuck at home is a good place to still help others!)
- Create a city out of empty cardboard boxes
- Paint kindness rocks (love this for parent child activities to do at home and then leave for friends!)
- Have snow days? Make snow ice cream (or homemade popsicles if it’s summer)
- Play question games
- Create a story with the Post It Note story game
- Have a winter camp for kids at your house (even if it’s summer!)
- Do some stuck at home science at grow a snowflake (even in the summer!)
- Make crafts out of all those empty toilet paper rolls you’ve been saving!
- Ahead of time, create a bored jar ideas for tweens, teens, or family of fun stuff to do when you’re bored and stuck at home / stuck in the house all day
Let us know your favorite things to do while stuck inside and we’ll add them to our list!
Now you don’t have to worry about what can kids do when they are bored in the winter or when you’re stuck at home during an emergency, on pouring rain days, or you just can’t get out.
You have a variety of ways to keep kids from getting bored from small children to ideas to keep teens from getting bored!
REMEMBER: The important thing about emergencies is start preparing and create your game plan NOW, before the emergency strikes. It’s a good idea to make a list of things to do and stock up on at-home items now.
What are your tips for things to do when stuck at home?
STARTING HOME SCHOOL? CHECK OUT OUR HOW TO HOMESCHOOL GUIDE
These are all amazing! Thank you so much!! We made a little jar were we would put these ideas inside and when we’re bored we pick a little piece of paper and do whatever it says, but the rule is you can’t say “no”
Love the can’t say no rule! Those end up being the best times!