An energetic child stuck indoors with very little to do is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. Kids are full of energy and they need to move about and play to expend some of that energy. If your little ones are stuck at home, plan a day of fun activities you can do with them to keep them occupied and entertained. In addition to keeping them busy, hands-on activities and games also boost their physical and mental well-being.
Doing hands-on activities and playing games with your kids is also a great way to spend quality time with them. After all, kids don’t stay kids forever. This is the perfect time to show them how much you love and appreciate them. Spending time with them, doing fun things with them will also create great memories for your child. Additionally, it’ll build their confidence and enhance your kids learning of several important skills. You’ll be surprised to know that fun activities and games have many educational benefits. They are a great way to improve your child’s fine motor skills, sharpen their thinking and other cognitive skills.
Here are 15 fun activities and games you can do with your child at home to strengthen your parent-child bond.
15 Fun Things to Do with Kids
- Play hide and seek: This classic game is a great way to spend some time with your kids and also to burn some of their excess energy.
- Hopscotch: Hopscotch is another wonderful game to get your kids moving and to burn energy.
- Dance off: Play some music and show off your dance moves.
- Watch a movie: If your child is bored, make some popcorn, play their favorite movie, and watch it together.
- Crafting: Crafting is a great way to improve your child’s fine motor skills and creativity. So, choose a crafting project and do it together.
- Bake cookies: If your little ones love feasting on cookies, ask them to help you with baking. This fun activity is also a great way to teach them some simple math skills.
- Drawing and coloring: Kids love drawing and coloring. So give them some worksheets like animal coloring pages and pieces of coloring equipment like crayons and coloring pens. This is another great way to boost your child’s imagination and creativity. Additionally, it also enhances their shape and color recognition skills.
- Make edible playdough: Playdough is one of the best tools for kids to play and learn. But instead of buying playdough, make edible playdough with your child at home.
- Read stories: Little children love listening to stories. So, choose their favorite book and read. But instead of you reading to them, help them read so that you can improve their reading skills.
- Play chutes and ladders: Board games like chutes and ladders are a great way to spend quality time with your kids.
- Treasure hunt: This family game night, ditch the trivia and board games and get moving around with a game of treasure hunt.
- Tea party: Dress up and host a tea party with your little ones. This is a great way to boost their social skills.
- Build a terrarium: Involve your little ones in a fun science project and help them learn to build a terrarium of their own.
- Indoor tent: Kids love playing in tents and making their own forts. So, build a tent with your little ones using bed sheets, blankets, cushions, etc.
Marshmallow tower: No child will say no to marshmallows! But in this activity, instead of eating marshmallows, the kids will have to make a tower using marshmallows and skewers. This is a great project to do as a family to test your engineering skills.