Need power outage fun with kids ideas? Whether you’re stuck in a winter storm or you find power off for whatever reason, here’s how to stay entertained during a power outage and get your kids’ minds off the emergency situation!
POWER OUTAGE FUN WITH KIDS
One of the best ways to get your family through an emergency power outage is to have fun and take their mind off of the situation (especially for little ones!). So, how do you pass time during a power outage? Here are fun ways to keep kids entertained during power outage and games to play during a power outage (even at night things to do to pass time).
How do I entertain my kids when the power is out?
27+ Things To Do Without Electricity:
- Build indoor blanket forts in the living room… and then pile in the pillows and blankets, and read together!
- Put up a tent… and go indoor camping! (Bonus because it will help retain the heat from your bodies and keep your family warm!)
- Make hot chocolate over sterno or by warming up water on the fireplace or grill. (Always keep the grills outside! DO NOT USE GRILLS FOR HEATING YOUR HOUSE.)
- Listen to calming music while looking for stars out the window.
- Tell kids day you were born or gotcha stories.
- Get out those plastic Easter eggs and have an egg hunt.
- Do an indoor scavenger hunt.
- Play charades.
- Play board games.
- Blow bubbles and have an indoor bubble pop contest.
- Make up trivia for each person to answer.
- Play balloon bounce volleyball.
- Sing songs.
- Read books aloud.
- Listen to audio books (prep ahead of time by downloading one or two onto your tablet or phone)
- Play MadLibs.
- Build a card house or a house of blocks.
- Have a nerf or dart gun battle (bonus points if it’s in the dark!).
- Build an indoor obstacle course.
- Do puzzles.
- Make a paper airplane and race them.
- Have a Lego building contest.
- Winter emergency? Get everyone moving to warm up! Try: jumping jacks, have a “race walk” race around the house, or a good old dance party to get the blood flowing and improve mood.
- Do paper crafts or origami.
- Have a fireplace? Make s’mores!
- Play cards. (See power outage games below!)
- Listen to a funny podcast.
- Watch a movie on your laptop or tablet (This is what we use to keep it charged during outages!).
- Read bedtime stories by flashlight as fun things to do when the power is out at night.
- Put the kids in bed in a tent and have a power outage date night!
Get more power outage ideas later in the post! KEEP SCROLLING for fun things to do during a power outage to help keep kids calm!
Before we get to more entertainment during power outage / what to do when power goes out for fun, let’s cover some important basics to have you prepared for an emergency and what to do when the power goes out during a storm or what to do during brownout (or what to do during blackout)!
They will really help with what to do when you have no electricity / what to do when you have no power.
Things To Have When The Power Goes Out
Power outage tips and tricks:
- Emergency bags for every family member
- Extra water
- Food that you can eat straight from the can (think: Spaghettios) AND a manual can opener
- Other non-perishable food items
- Sterno (will allow you to cook items like a soup can over them and you won’t have to worry what to do without electricity for food!)
- Comforting snacks
- Warm drink powders like coffee, hot chocolate, tea
- Solar chargers (this is our fav set we invested in for emergency prep! so we don’t have to worry about what to do without power / what to do in blackout and charging our phones)
- Batteries
- Light sources (I’m not a fan of candles during power outages because it’s too easy for them to start fires. We prefer oil lamps, or headlamp flashlights, or these pop-up camping lights that you can hang or sit on the table for game time or eating.)
- Emergency crank radio
- Hand and foot warmers
- Wool socks, hats, gloves/mittens for everyone in the family
- RELIABLE Portable charger (like this)
These are just starter emergency prep items for your family. Once your power is back on, you should really spend some time putting an emergency plan in place, including 72-hour bags and an emergency reserve.
Tips for What To Do During A Power Outage For Fun
- Plan ahead for things to do when the power is out. Gather and keep an emergency bag or bin of things to do ahead of time. Once the power is out, it’s too late!
- Plan a stash of stacks that can be eaten without heating up for times when the electricity is out.
- Keep a stash of glow sticks in your emergency bags and at home. Not only will the kids have fun with them, but you can use them to make a path on the floor to follow in the dark and kids can wear them so you can keep track of them easier
- Put together and emergency outage survival basket like this. Be sure to include batteries, chargers, and glow sticks and fun items the kids don’t know about! Store it away until you need it, changing out the items every 6 months or so!
- Think about things to do during a power outage at night. This time can be stressful for kids and they may be scared. If you have fun things to do in a power outage, it will help relieve the stress for all of you.
GET OUR ULTIMATE PARENT’S GUIDE TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS FOR
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IMPORTANT TIP FOR WHAT TO DO WHEN THE ELECTRICITY GOES OUT:
ONE OF OUR FAVORITE COMPANIES FOR PORTABLE EMERGENCY CHARGERS IS JACKERY. WE HAVE THE SMALL PORTABLE CHARGER WITH SOLAR PANELS. (IF YOU JUST WANT THE CHARGER, CHECK IT OUT HERE.)
One of my favorite things is that they are portable, so we can throw them in the car in an emergency (and the small charger has a handle so we can even carry it if we have to walk somewhere). A good charger is definitely something you want to invest in for home emergencies, car emergencies, and even your 72 hour bags then you won’t have to worry about what to do with no power!
CHECK THIS OUT NEXT:
31 Snow Day Activities: Indoor and Outdoor Winter Ideas for Kids
Things To Do With Kids During a Power Outage
Here’s how to have entertainment without electricity, games to play when the power goes out, and what to do in a power outage for fun.
What To Do When There Is No Electricity At Night
Games to play in the dark:
- Flashlight tag
- Make shadow puppets using a flashlight
- Ring toss with glow sticks (funny power outage game for all ages!)
- Flashlight dance party (stock up on these LED gloves for emergencies!)
- Outdoor stargazing
- Flashlight ghost stories
- Hide and Seek (if you can go out, add this to your things to do in the dark outside!)
- Freeze Dance
- Think of some challenges to do at home with siblings
- I’m Going On A Picnic (the A, B, C game)
- Guess In 10
What would you add to this what to do when the power is out list of dark games or things to do when power is out with kids?
More fun things to do when the power goes out for kids after this! Keep scrolling for what to do when the power goes out for fun with just one deck of cards!
MORE EMERGENCY PREP POSTS:
Preparing An Emergency Go Bag for Kids
A GUIDE TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WITH KIDS
Easy Homemade Cleaner Recipes to Disinfect Your House
Helping Kids Cope During Emergencies and Disasters and FREE Coping Skills Worksheet
Social Distancing: 10 Tips Parents Need To Know
Fun Things To Do When Stuck At Home with Kids
48 Weather for Kids Activities
Games To Play When The Power Is Out With One Deck of Cards
You should always keep a deck of cards in your emergency stash because you can play so many games with just one deck! Here are some game ideas for no power at home to play with your brothers and sisters!
If you pick up some of these and keep them on hand, it will make it easier for playing games and won’t leave you wondering what to do during a power outage at night.
By the way, one deck of cards is amazing for timepass things and things to do during power outage…
What games can you play during a power outage?
- Go Fish
- Crazy 8
- Solitaire
- SlapJack
- Old Maid
- War
- Spoons (Ok, a deck of cards plus some spoons)
- Hearts
- Memory game
- Build a card house
Plus, you can do some magic tricks (or learn some if you’re wondering what to do when your power goes out)!
What did we miss on our what can I do at home without electricity / what to do in a blackout lists? Let us know and we’ll add them to the list of what to do when the power is out for fun and things to have if power goes out!
ALSO CHECK OUT: Ultimate Board Games List For When The Power Goes Out
