50 Fun Activities For Kids During School Closure
if you’re stuck at home and wondering what to do during this quarantine, then this post is for you. I’m sharing 50 fun activities for kids you can do during your isolation time.
Many parents are rushing around to find fun ways to keep kids engaged during this school closure. If you aren’t new to homeschooling this might be easy for you. But if are new to it, things can be a little tough.
Things were definitely out of order when we heard about school closure. But with some time and effort, things are going good now. Being a SAHM and working from home I need to figure out how to do things in order and according to schedule.
So, I surfed and did my research and came up with some super frugal and fun activities for kids you and I can do at home with kids to keep them busy for hours.
Now some of these activities need set up, but once you make everything ready for them, they can enjoy all by themselves and you can supervise and have time to work as well.
50 Fun Activities For Kids During School Closure
These are some of the best and fun activity ideas I could come up with to do at home during school cancellations and social distancing.
This is not a generic list, plus most of these fun activities are so frugal that you can do it with things you have in your home.
1. Play Board Games
What can be better than family time together? One of the best times kids can remember is the time spent with family.
Family board games can be amazing to play and spend time with each other. If you have multiple kids, you can play with them together.
These games can boost imagination among kids. Some of my favorites are Catan, Guess Who?, Memory Game Despicable Me, Exploding Kittens, and Qwirkle Board Game.
Small kids can be assisted by yourself or older siblings. This is one of the best fun activities at home.
2. Solve Puzzles Together
Solving puzzles can keep kids busy for a long time. Also, it’s fun and entertaining. This is my go-to method for keeping kids busy. There are so many puzzles you can try.
You can buy them from your local dollar store, or make them with cardboard, wooden puzzles, or floor puzzles. Every kid about any age, somehow, gets fascinated with puzzles and it keeps them busy around 20 to 30 minutes.
You set up a table for your kids and let them enjoy playing for some time.
3. Give Them A Cardboard
There are literally so many fun activities for kids to do with simple cardboard boxes. If you’re someone who makes large purchases from Amazon then you must start stacking some cardboard boxes for your kids to get creative with.
Simply give them some crayons, markers or paint. Put a big white sheet or towel down and let them create their own masterpiece. For young kids, you can make a lot of small stuff from those cardboard boxes. For older kids, it can be a piece for art to create something extraordinary.
You can give them ideas or make something for them to play with for hours. You can create a house or a fort.
I remember creating an animal zoo buy painting cardboard and adding some toy animals we had. These totally kept kids busy for a long time. My daughter played “A visit to a zoo” with her dolls all day long.
So next time you order something from Amazon, keep those cardboard boxes. Also, try Amazon Prime 30-day free trial. This is amazing if you have young kids!
4. Learn A New Language
The easy way to keep kids busy but at the same time engage them in lessons, is to teach them a new language.
YouTube is a great source to learn any language, which particularly requires very fewer props except for some advertisements you get on YouTube. There are so many channels for foreign language videos for kids.
There is one more, which is my favorite: Duolingo. This website provides free language instruction for many other languages. Other is Memrise, and LearnLanguage.
This is one great fun activity to do with kids during your time at home. Also, learn how to build your child’s language with these simple tips.
5. Paint Together
If you’re looking for fun activities for kids with family together, how about painting?
I have specifically kept all the art supplies in one place because my daughter is a lover of art. It has been her hobby ever since she was a kid.
My son gets along with his sister pretty well and they both spend a lot of time painting. I hang their art for a while if it’s just on a paper and frame it usually if they do it on a canvas.
You can do the same!
Buy some watercolors for your kids, lay down a newspaper or crafts mat to make clean-up easy. Give them colors and let the artists do their work!!
You can also let their creativity flow by this amazing canvas and paint set, so that you don’t need to buy anything else after this!
Another option is window painting and this one is for little older kids. They can get creative on windows and paint them. It’s one of the great fun activities for adults as well. The window paint markers are washable so you don’t have to worry about any mess up.
6. Do Some Baking
Honestly, I am not so good at baking so I don’t usually involve kids into it. But for someone who has some good baking skills can have kids on board while making some cake or cookies.
This is a terrific activity to keep kids busy during this break. Plus, your kids will have something to learn during this time. And nothing is better than becoming a baker.
You can also invest in some tools and books for little bakers in your house. To level up their cooking experience, take a look at the MasterChef Junior Baking Kitchen Set and MasterChef Junior Baking Kitchen Set which offers top quality tools sized just for them.
7. Give Them Sensory Bins
Another great fun family activity is Sensory bins. These offer kids a chance to use their senses as much as possible in the play. These are absolutely simple to make by simply combining normal toys and kitchen pantry items.
I love these sensory boxes because they are already prepared and you don’t need to gather supplies. But if you want to make your own all you need are bins, beans or rice or oats, and small toys.
A little supervision might be important when you hand over sensory bins to your little ones and they can make a lot of mess. But this is a good fun activity for kids.
8. Read Some Books
Books are my favorite method of keeping kids busy at any time of the day. This is not just one of the fun activities for kids but also a great way to boost their reading and listening skills.
I have set up a small area where I like to keep books either they belong to me or my kids. We often sit together to read and I love how it bonds us with each other. Our nights aren’t complete without reading a bedtime story.
You can do the same!
Try to arrange books in the living room and add some chairs or pillows if you prefer to sit down and read with your kids. It’s the best way to spend time at home. For small kids, picture books are great a choice.
Here’s a good collection of books for preschoolers we love the most: The 26 Best Books For Preschoolers In 2020
9. Do Some Gardening Together
We don’t have a facility to own a garden where we live, so that’s not on our list. But I know most people have a garden outside their homes. This time is the best to get your kids to enjoy and learn gardening with you.
This is a perfect outdoor fun activity for kids. How about making it their science project? Plant a seed in a clear container or outside in the soil and ask them to record daily observations. This will be fun!
You can plant outdoor or indoor seeding and learn about different plants and how they grow. This is pretty educational!
10. Go For A Family Walk
Who said we can’t enjoy and make memories during isolation? Yes, we can!
I know these days it’s not advisable to go out, but we simply can’t banish going out and taking some fresh air. Instead of going somewhere crowded, go for a family walk.
You can take your kid with you too and it will be perfect to spend some quality time with them. The time we spend with them, interact and play with them is the time they will cherish the most in their lives.
Even if it’s a few blocks from your home or having lunch outside together can really relieve you from this whole isolation scenario. Plus, Vitamin D is so important to boost your immune system!
11. Draw A Family Tree
Another great activity to do with kids during quarantine is to make a family tree.
For us, this was our school project so we had to do it either way. But I thought for those who didn’t try it, it will be a great thing to add to your list of fun activities for kids.
It’s pretty simple actually. All you need is a chart and big photographs of family members. Simply stick those pictures on a tree and you are good.
I love this idea because my kids started to recognize family members who live far away and never met us. They even got to find out who was their great-great-great granny :
12. Work out With Kids
For all those parents who workout and keep themselves fit, this is a perfect time to work out peacefully.
How?
By getting your kids involved.
Seriously, when my kid’s home I can never imagine working out! So, what I figured out was, I started doing some HIIT workouts with involving them as a fun activity as a family and they pretty much enjoyed it.
I, on the other hand, was able to exercise. Isn’t it a win-win? If you have a backyard or space around our house somewhere, better to take your workout outdoors and let kids have fun while you work out!
13. Dress Up Game
Younger kids absolutely love to play with a variety of dress-up clothes.
If you have still some festive clothes, take them out and let your kids have fun dressing up.
You can also buy Role Play Clothes which is incredible to add to your list for kids’ dress up activity. It has tons of clothes from Grandma’s closet of old hats and shoes to ball gowns and bridesmaid dresses.
14. Write Letters To Friends And Family
These days due to isolation, it’s so hard to meet and catch up with friends and family.
I bet your kids would be missing their friends as well. How about writing something lovely to them?
Who doesn’t love receiving pretty letters from their loved ones other than bills and junk in the mail?
Ask your kids to take a plain paper or a card and draw a picture or write something sweet to friends and family. This somehow keeps them engaged with other friends and family members as well.
15. Video chat With Friends And Family
Now, this is the perfect time to interact with friends and family for a long time. This way you can connect with them even during isolation.
You can simply talk to one another or do a virtual party and enjoy talking for hours. I simply call my mom and keep working, while she is busy doing her chores.
Somehow it feels like she is with me no matter if I can’t meet her. Plus, there are so many games you can play online with friends and family and have a blast. So what are you waiting for?
Get your kids and family and start enjoying some free time together.
16. Build A Fort
Fort building happens almost daily in our house. So this isn’t something new for me but it’s a fun game to play every time. Basically what we do is simply take sheets, pillows, boxes, whatever we can find and start building our indoor fort. Cheap and super fun!
If you’re looking for something more advanced where you don’t have to ruin your furniture then invest in a fort building kit. What I love is Air Fort, because here all you need is a fan and you have a fort.
Teepees and pillow forts are another way to build a fort. Simply set them up and toss your favorite toy or books and enjoy it. This is perfect when you’re not going out.
17. Make A Playdough
Well, kids love play dough and once you give it to them, please forget them for at least 2 hours!
I might not be a case in your home, but it’s surely in mine! Anytime I provide my kids with playdough it’s a hit. So, try giving your kids some playdough to play with.
You can always buy from outside but here’s a simple recipe to make your own, non-toxic and free from all chemicals.
Ingredients
- Flour (2 cups)
- Salt (1/2 cup)
- Cream of tarter (2 tablespoons)
- Food coloring (optional)
- Vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)
- Boiling water (1 to 1.5 cups)
- Glycerine (few drops)
Procedure:
Mix all flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a saucepan until no clumps. add food coloring to the boiling water and then pour the water into the dry ingredients. Stir continuously until it becomes sticky.
Add glycerine (optional). Allow it to cool down and then knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes. It’s ready!
Note: If it’s sticky still add more flour.
You can use play dough tools, or simply let them play with the dough as it is.
18. Paint Rocks and Decorate
These were pretty much new to me, but they’re a hype now. So, I decided to share and try it myself.
If you have small kids, they definitely would have a rock collection. If not, then you can find some outside. Find some smooth rocks and get your art supplies.
Paint rocks according to your own will and decorates them in your home. This is one of the best fun activities for kids I have seen so far. Plus, it’s so frugal. Check out these super rock painting ideas:
19. Make Popsicles
It’s already hot around where I live, so this is a fun time to make popsicles here. Regular popsicles are high in the amount of sugar and its bad for kids’ health.
How about make it all-natural at home. Get your kids with you and make some homemade popsicles. These days vitamin C is essential for boosting your immune system.
Simply squeeze orange juice and pour it into some popsicle molds. Freeze it for a bit and your all-natural popsicles are ready.
You can try a variety of recipes. Smoothies popsicles are also great to get some nutrients into your kids. All you need are fruits, a good blender, and popsicle molds. You are good to go!!
Start in the morning and they will be ready by the afternoon!
20. Make Bath time Fun
Another way to add fun during these isolation days is to get creative with bath time. What I like is to place add some bubble bath and add some bath toys and let my kids play.
You can also make DIY Bath Paints. Here is a recipe from Morgan at Modernly Morgan about DIY bath paints.
Or you can simply mix shaving cream with food coloring and get creative using paintbrushes. When its bathroom, it’s easier to clean as well.
21. Home Spa For Family
How about turning your house into a salon for a day? Doesn’t it sound awesome?
I know most of the kids, including my daughter, love to pamper their mothers. My daughter usually tries on me everything she buys for herself and her pretty dolls.
So, I can say that this is going to be pretty fun. Simply set up a place in your house and set all the accessories like a hairbrush, nail paint, makeup, and other spa-related stuff.
Take a chair and relax while your kids pamper you. You can get your spouse along, after all, they too deserve some pampering.
This will be an amazing family fun activity!
22. Teach Them New Skills
This downtime isn’t like a random spring or summer break and honestly, we don’t know how long it’s going to last. Our kids need some education on a daily basis during their time off or they will quickly lose their skills.
This is a perfect time to teach them some new skills. Not every skill comes from books. If we look around there are so many things our kids can do.
How about teaching them to do daily chores to keep them engaged and at the same time teach them how things are done every day at home.
If your kids are old enough, teaching them to change a car’s tire, fixing electronics or doing some other household stuff will help levitate their physical and mental skills.
So, try to utilize this time of isolation to get your kids to learn some new and helpful skills.
23. Watch Movies Together
Me and my kids are super excited every night to watch some cartoon series together (well, that’s me).
How about having a big bowl of popcorns and enjoy a night together as a family to watch something. This is a perfect time to get close to one another and enjoy and bond as much as you can.
24. Play Games Online
Now, I know a lot of people want to minimize their children’s screen time. Well, I do too. But sometimes it’s not all bad. There are so many games your kids can play online that will help them in learning.
My kids love to play online games, especially the one that involves puzzles. Our most favorite are Sesame Street, ABCYA, Starfall and Fun Brain.
There are so many others that I am going to list all out in the near future.
So, screen time is bad but if one knows how to handle and give kids a certain amount of screen time with learning something better, it isn’t all bad.
25. Do Laundry Together
As I mentioned earlier, no is a great time to get your kids to learn some new skills. They don’t have to be super complicated. Simple skills like doing laundry together, or teaching them how to remove a stain, start a machine and dryer will do.
You can also teach your older kids how to sort laundry. As for younger kids, you can ask them to count and match socks during their laundry day.
This will be a fun thing for them and a learning skill simultaneously.
26. Have Some Feelings Time With Them
It’s good to talk to your kids about their feelings and let them express themselves. Spending a lot of time together can create good bonding.
These type of activities and engagement has been long forgotten in our busy schedules. So, now’s the time!
Put your phone and everything else away for a bit and sit and talk to kids. You will realize there’s a lot you have to listen to. Trust me!
27. Learn to Knit A Crochet
One of the fun activities for kids to boost their creativity, in my opinion, is teaching them how to sew. I remember how hard it was for me to sew until I learned it myself. Now it’s all fun!
That’s what I wanted to teach my daughter. So, if you have daughters, try knitting with them. This is a perfect activity to do together.
If you’re looking for kid-specific knitting tools, these are some of the great kits for young kids. Alex Toys Craft My Chunky and Funky Scarf and the other one from the same brand is Crochet a Rainbow scarf.
The instructions are simple and needles are provided in the set both shorter and thicker to make it easier for kids to maneuver them.
If you have older children, you can try more grown-ups set like The Ultimate Crochet Kit. This is amazing with supplies for older kids.
28. Make Origami Animals
If you’re searching for activities for keeping kids busy for a long time, then origami is what you should go for. My kids make things out of paper almost every day and spend hours without moving from one spot.
You simply need to direct them on how to make things out of origami and you are good to go! You can visit this site to see step-by-step instructions on how to make different things with origami.
This origami kit is also amazing if you want all the things in one place for your little one.
29. Do A Puppet Show
There was nothing that could really entertain me than a puppet show when I was a kid. Above all, these are pretty simple to make.
Simply find pictures of your favorite characters online and print them to the size of a finger width. Stick them on either you’re on your child’s fingers and play different roles.
You can also print coloring pictures, let your kid color them first and then stick them on your fingers. This activity keeps kids busy for a couple of times.
30. Enjoy Water Play
Is there anything cheaper and frugal than water play? Seriously! And the kids can go crazy for jumping in the water and play for hours.
There are different ways you kids can play with water. One way is to fill the cups with water and add toys to it like these little plastic bugs. Kids will have a blast trying to get these toys out of the ice.
Another way is to fill a bucket with water and let your kids play with their toys in it or make some paper boats and let them enjoy. Or you can let your kids play in the water sprinkler outside in some nice weather. You can let your kids play and water your lawn at the same time 😀
These small activities can keep kids busy for 1 or 2 hours and they are quite entertaining.
31. Blow Some Bubbles
Another fun activity is to let kids enjoy blowing bubbles. Bubbles are always a hit with kids of any age.
If you want to blow bubbles inside the house, they are more fun. You can buy bottles of bubble blow in a bulk and enjoy it for a long time.
If you’re tired of blowing bubbles, try a bubble machine. This is the best and cheapest option to keep kids busy and get your stuff done while they enjoy for a couple of time.
32. Put Mattress On The Floor
Searching for more frugal options of activities for kids to keep them busy? Get your mattress and put it on the floor!
If you have a spring mattress for your kids’ bed than bring it in your living room and put them on the floor. Let your kids do gymnastic moves or simply jump on it to their heart’s content.
You can also invest in a trampoline. The kids can jump and play until they are tired. This is somewhat a more permanent solution to putting a mattress on the floor.
If you have spring mattresses for your kid’s beds, put them on the floor. They can do gymnastics moves or just jump to their little hearts’ content.
33. Try Some Audio Books
As I mentioned, my kids love reading books and so do I. I’m always on a lookout for books, but if you or your kids move around a lot, how about some audiobooks to keep them engaged?
You can get your audiobooks by signing up for a free 30-day trial of Audible membership to get two-audiobooks free. Or you can borrow CD audiobooks or digital version from your local library. You can also purchase them when they’re on sale!
For audiobooks, you can also visit Scribd, as they do have audiobooks and also digital magazines, and research papers. So, this option is good not for kids but for adults as well.
Our favorite is ‘the little house series’, what is yours?
34. Animal’s Show Time
How about setting up some animal show your kids will remember? Try setting up a stage by draping a sheet over your table or chair and let your kids sit hidden behind the chair.
Use stuffed animals and put them to play. You can also record it by using your mobile. You can also put on some sounds in the background.
By recording your kids can watch their show over and over again and enjoy in hours of entertainment.
35. Make Indoor Hopscotch
You can make indoor hopscotch by using simple stuff at your home already and your kids can have a blast.
Simply use painter’s tape to set up a grid for your hopscotch on any non-carpeted floor. Or you can use paper tape on your carpeted floor.
Now give your kids some small blocks or socks balled up and let them have fun. If you plan to create hopscotch outdoors you can use sidewalk chalk and make sight-word hopscotch.
36. Learn How To Cook A Meal
When thinking of some fun and entertaining activities for kids, we should also focus on some good life skills that will be helpful in the future.
Try to engage your kids in activities like cooking a family meal together or something that they like to cook like pizza, cookies, sandwiches, etc.
You can also get them some good cookbooks to experiment with them in the kitchen.
These are some of my favorites: Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love To Make (and Eat!) and The Foodie Kids Cook Book.
37. Watch Educational YouTube Channels
YouTube is a great source to teach kids something apart from keeping them engaged in some random videos. When my kids were young, I liked to make them watch ChuChu Tv and Mother goose club.
They learned a lot quicker through these channels even before they started school.
You can try to engage your kid to watch some educational videos. Here are a few channels:
- Go Noodle – Available in-app and YouTube
- Cosmic Kid Yoga – Yoga for kids to teach them mindfulness and calmness.
- Art for Kids Hub – kid-friendly art lessons
38. Go On A Nature Hunt
If you have a garden or a backyard, why not go on a nature hunt with kids. This is a great activity to levitate their love of science.
Make a list of nature items to look for and go for a nature hunt. If you live in the country or go to a park, some suggestions are a pine cone, a worm, a bug, a white rock, something red, a feather.
You can also click some photos of the things you found with an instant camera and make your own science journal.
39. Make A List And Ask Fun Questions
Another way to keep your family and kids engaged and spend time together in this isolation mode is to create a set of some fun questions for them.
Kids really ask a lot of questions, how about you ask them now? Make a list of your own fun questions to ask your kids. I bet you don’t know a lot about them still that you will know!
40. Do A Science Experiment
Science Experiments is one of the best fun activities for kids for their attention and to levitate kids’ love for science.
You can do a lot of fun science experiments. One of my and kids’ favorite is Elephant toothpaste these days. It’s so fun to do both indoor and outdoor.
For toddlers to preschoolers, you can also buy The Primary Science Lab Set.
These science tools are perfect for little fingers and durable enough. it contains some really good science experiments.
For older kids, the Magic Science for Wizards Kit is amazing to cast an enchanting spell and do experiments with chemical reactions.
41. Mess With Doodling
Doodling isn’t just something your toddlers can do in their notebooks. You might have a lot of scrap paper lying around your house.
This is the perfect time to get rid of the paper clutter but use it for your benefit. It’s time to get your kids out of their shells and let them put their ideas and thoughts on to paper and let them spend their afternoon enjoying.
If you’re stuck for inspiration, check out this YouTube video for some doodling inspo.
42. Make Paper Planes
Again, you can use the scrap paper you have in your house to make some paper planes. This is something my mother used to make for me and my siblings and we used to spend so much time just flying them around.
You and your kids can launch them in your garden, or in the backyard or maybe you can do this activity indoors.
43. Write A Story
Another fun activity for kids during school closure is to engage them in writing something. This can be anything with just using their imagination.
This is simply good literature activity; all you have to do is use your imagination and create a story. It should be realistic, just a fictitious one!
Your kids can then read it out loud! It’s pretty interesting and fun.
44. Play Some Sports
If you are supposed to stay in your homes during the closure, but have a garden, this is a perfect opportunity to play some sports. Cycling is best as it keeps kids healthy apart from just a fun activity.
This is a perfect time to learn a new sport. This is a time to learn loads of opportunities from martial arts to badminton, football to trampolining, swimming to tennis, etc.
45. Make A Miniature Garden
Just like a farm or zoo in cardboard, you can create a miniature garden. Take a foil tray in which ready-made meals come in. they are perfect containers for a mini garden.
You just need a few things to add like rocks and twigs with the help of a glue gun. You can also add toy figures to make the garden more lifelike.
Finally, add some sand to give it a beach scene. Your mini garden is ready.
46. Toilet Paper Roll Maze
We all have toilet papers in our homes. What you have to do now is don’t throw away the cardboard tubes.
We can do a whole lot of stuff with them. Take giant cardboard, cut the tubes and stick them on the cardboard making a maze-like structure. Let your kids play by moving balls around in and out of that maze.
Alternatively, you can stick those tubes on the wall and make a maze. Let your kids roll marbles and pom-poms through them.
47. Magic Color Mixing
This is a perfect activity for young kids. Color mixing is endlessly fascinating and all you need is a container, eyedropper, and food coloring.
Take some containers and add water to each of them. Add different individual colors. Now add one different color to another and see how it changes and to what. Let them record it into a notebook.
It’s totally magic to watch how red and blue turns into purple. Plus, eye dropper is great for practicing fine motor skills.
48. Make A DIY Laser Maze
This is an incredibly fun activity for kids indoors. Using either Crepe paper or Flag tape (holding it using Painter’s tape), create a maze-like structure in the hallway for kids to navigate their bodies through it.
You can put the tape high up, down and low forcing them to step over and crawl at various points to navigate through them.
So, if you’re thinking of fun activities for kids, give this activity a must-try. Here is the demonstration by Brassy Apple.
49. Fingerprint Art
Another fun activity is Fingerprint art. This is a simple activity with requires no parental help!
All your kids need is a piece of paper, paint and their fingers to show some creativity. Dip a finger in the paint and press your finger on a piece of paper. Make different shapes and designs out of it. It can be anything people, animals or any other designs.
Here is a demonstration of how to do fingerprint art.
50. Perler Beads Activity
Perler beads or melty beads are such a great activity if you have older kids. There is so much one can make out of them.
For inspiration check out how these girls have made cool and awesome jewelry from perler beads.
Of course, there is no need to turn them into jewelry, you can create so many more things like animals, designs, flowers and so much more.
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Bottom Line:
I really hope you liked the fun activities for kids in this post. If you have other fun activities you would like to share, comment down below and let me know if I can share it with my audience.
These days are tough but we mothers can make most of them by all the work we put in every day. May you all stay safe and healthy.
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50 Fun Activities For Kids During School Closure
I am the Wife, Mommy, & Blogger behind All Moms Blog learning to run my own home and raise up kids while chasing my dreams. I work to support, inspire, and encourage moms in the journey of motherhood to make their lives easier without losing your sanity.
Lovely blog post. Definitely going to try some of the tips.
Hi, Grace! Thanks a lot. Let me know what you tried and how far did it kept your kids entertained and busy.
It is so true that this time is tough for moms, but I’m so thankful for all the great resources like this blog post, to help me along the way!
Hi, Alexis! Thank you. I am glad you found the post helpful. I try my best to share the advice I personally follow and things I like doing with my kids daily.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing, we need all the help we can get right now!
Hi, Alice! I’m glad you found the post helpful.
Thanks for these. It’s been a difficult time for sure.
It’s for sure, Linda! Just hoping things will get better soon