77 Fun Indoor Activities for Kids

Review some book lists for kids and have each child make a big checklist of titles they'd like to read over the coming weeks and months. Then get started reading! Mom and dad can make their own list of books for adults, too.

Kelly R said:  Have your kids find and peel the paper off of their broken crayons, and melt them down in a mini muffin tin to create recycled crayons. Fill the muffin cups at least half full with small crayon pieces and bake in a 275 degree oven until just melted. It should take 10-15 minutes. After they cool completely, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes so they easily pop out of the pan. Save them to hand out as unique party favors for your child's next birthday, or have fun coloring right away!

There are some great free typing games for kids available online, for a screen time option that teaches an important skill!

Cooking and baking are rewarding and fun indoor activities for kids! Try an easy dessert recipe you can make together.

Kristy Pepping said:  Not only is baking fun, but it provides some great opportunities to practice math!

Kelly R said:  Choose a challenging puzzle that will take at least a couple days (or weeks!) to complete, and set it up on the coffee table or in the dining room to work on a little at a time.

Shila said:  Take a walk down memory lane by watching old family home videos. My school-aged kids think it's hysterical to watch themselves as once bumbling toddlers!

If you're looking for rainy day activities for kids in springtime, try starting your garden! There are some fun indoor garden kits that come with a variety of vegetable seeds, or you can pick and choose your family's favorites from a garden center. The plants will be ready to move outside when they've grown a bit.

Draw, color and fill in a family tree on a big piece of paper. Use your own creativity to design it or find a cute family tree template for inspiration. Call grandma or grandpa to help fill it in and learn more about your relatives!

Alexandra F. said:  The Chicken Dance, the Hokey Pokey, the Macarena, the Electric Slide, the Whip / Nae Nae, the Floss...pick one and get the whole family groovin’ together. And if you need more inspiration, there’s always Tik Tok!

Pull out all of the various sprinkles and dessert decorations you've been hoarding over the years, and decorate a big mess of sugar cookies.

Kelly R said:  When you're stuck at home, you can still broaden your horizons (literally!) by looking to the stars. SkyView Lite, a free app, lets you point your phone to the sky and identify the stars, constellations, galaxies, satellites and planets that are present. You can even use it in daylight. Download it at the App Store and Google Play.

Kristy Pepping said:  If you have tweens this is a fun project for this age group. There is an app called Stop Motion Studio (for iOS and Android) that allows you to create stop-motion movies of things you have around the house. For example, my girls have been taking short videos of their dolls moving around and sharing the videos with their friends.

Rescue a couple big cardboard boxes from the recycling and let your kids go wild transforming them with markers and craft supplies into airplanes, forts, puppet theaters and whatever they can imagine!

Kelly R said:  Play a round of freeze dance with your family's favorite kids music.

From stories to science, there are podcasts for kids to appeal to all interests. Find a new favorite and listen together!