Power Outage Fun With Kids

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!).

 

Before we get to the entertainment during power outage / what to do when the power goes out during a storm, let’s cover some important basics to have you prepared for an emergency!

Things To Have When The Power Goes Out

• 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 soup over them)
• Comforting snacks
• Warm drink powders like coffee, hot chocolate, tea
• Solar chargers (this is our fav because it can charge phones and tablets!)
• 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

 

EMERGENCY PREP TIP: 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.

 

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.

 

Here’s how to have entertainment without electricity…

What To Do In A Power Outage For Fun

What can I do at home without electricity?

• 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.
• Build indoor blanket forts … and then pile in the pillows and blankets, and read together!
• Put up a tent … and go indoor camping!
• Have a fireplace? Make s’mores!
• 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.
• 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.
• Have an indoor bubble pop contest.
• Make up trivia for each person to answer.
• Play balloon bounce “volleyball.”
• Sing songs.
• Read books.
• 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 and indoor obstacle course.
• Do puzzles.
• Have a Lego building contest.
• Do paper crafts or origami.
• Play cards. (See ideas later in the post! Keep scrolling!)

 

CHECK THIS OUT NEXT:

31 Snow Day Activities: Indoor and Outdoor Winter Ideas for Kids

 

What To Do When There Is No Electricity At Night

Games to play in the dark:

• Flashlight tag
• Listen to audio books (prep ahead of time by downloading one or two onto your tablet or phone)
• Make shadow puppets using a flashlight
• Ring toss with glow sticks
• Flashlight dance party (stock up on these LED gloves for emergencies!)
• Outdoor stargazing
• Flashlight ghost stories
• Read bedtime stories

 

(More fun things to do when the power goes out for kids after this! Keep scrolling!)

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:

• Go Fish
• Crazy 8
• Solitaire
• SlapJack
• Old Maid
• War
• Spoons (Ok, a deck of cards plus some spoons)
• Hearts

Plus, you can do some magic tricks!

ALSO CHECK OUT:

Ultimate Board Games List: 58 Fun Learning Games Recommended By Parents

 

IF YOU’RE SAFE INSIDE, YOU CAN HAVE POWER OUTAGE FUN WITH KIDS!