Over the past year and a half, Australian families have been faced with lockdown after lockdown. While these lockdowns have been hard on us all, recent studies revealed that the impact they’ve had on our children’s mental health, social development, and education is devastating. 

With kids kept inside and unable to visit with their friends, the statement ‘I’m bored’ has become a part of their everyday vocabulary in a hurry. However, if you’re running out of indoor activities to keep them busy, you’re in luck. 

Whether you’re locked down due to Covid or raining weather has got you stuck inside, we’ve got an idea on this list for every child and family. Follow along to discover 20 fun indoor activities for kids to entertain, educate, and engage your children!

1. Break Out the Cards

Keep it simple and fun with a deck of cards and endless options. Stick to the old ‘go fish’ for young children to teach matching skills or up the ante with a game of cribbage or other maths-based game for older kids. 

Cards are a fantastic way to learn about numbers and maths in a fun and engaging way.

2. Go On a Virtual Excursion 

If your kids have been distance learning this year, they’re likely missing the locational variety that going to class offers. While field trips may be off the cards due to restrictions, there are no rules around virtual excursions! 

Hop on Google maps to explore a new area with your kids or search up museums or other historical buildings they can explore virtually. The best part about a virtual field trip is that they can go anywhere in the world with just the click of a button. 

3. Read a Book

Reading is incredibly beneficial for growing minds. From teaching your kids about the world around them to improving their vocabulary and language skills, reading is an activity every family should take part in on a regular basis. 

Whether your kids can read on their own or enjoy sitting and listening to you at storytime, breaking out a book or two each day is a great way to keep their brains healthy and developing at home. 

4. Write a Book

Bored of reading? Why not challenge your kids to create their own book! Let them become the author, illustrator, and storyteller by helping them make their own imagination come to life. 

This task is sure to keep them entertained for ages while they imagine, create, and illustrate their story.

5. Start a Puzzle

Another engaging task to entertain the mind and keep your kids in a quiet state! Puzzling can be fun for the entire family so choose a puzzle your whole gang can get into. 

From wooden puzzles for infants to 100 to 1,000 piece puzzles for older kids and parents, puzzles are an enjoyable pass time for all. 

6. Get Engaged With Family Board Games

When you spend the whole day together, it can be easy to forget about those bonding activities you and your littles love so much. 

Whether it’s breaking out an old family favourite board game or creating one of your own, board games are a great way to get everyone involved and interacting with ease. 

7. Paint Rocks

Nothing brightens up a day like finding beauty in the mundane. Pick up some boring rocks from your garden or a nearby walk and replace the plain surface with a bright and happy one! 

Unleash your kid’s creativity on this simple and waste-free material and let their happiness shine by displaying the rocks for others to enjoy too!

8. Make Homemade Playdough

Playdough makes for fond childhood memories, in fact, we’re willing to bet you remember some of your own playdough creations from growing up! 

Go back to basics and create your own homemade playdough for endless creations. The recipe is simple and requires things you’ve likely already got in your kitchen. Plus, it’s chemical-free for even the most sensitive of skin!

9. Put on a Play or Concert

Are your kiddos actors and musicians in the making? Let them show off their skills by putting on a concert or play in your living room. Use a story to inspire your script or let them exercise their own imagination with improv and story planning. 

To make it a real event, let your kids put together a poster and email it out to grandparents or other friends for a virtual viewing!

10. Decorate the Walls

Being in the same space day after day can be exhausting. If your walls are beginning to bore you, let your kids loose with the chance to ‘redecorate’. 

Colour on post-it notes, create murals on poster board, and pin it all up for interchangeable decorations. They’ll feel special for having their art displayed on your walls and the fun and innocent drawing are sure to brighten your day too!

11. Learn a New Skill

Your kids are constantly learning skills at school that will benefit their life later on. However, when they are stuck at home, they may not be getting exposure to these skills as easily. 

Supplement your home-learning routine by challenging your kids to learn a new skill. This could be something you do together such as sewing or a task that they can learn all on their own like folding origami. 

12. Write a Letter

Reconnect with the ones you miss by writing letters to brighten their day. This task will keep your kids busy for a while writing meaningful letters to their friends, grandparents, or maybe even a pen pal. 

If your kids are too little to write on their own, have them create a picture to go along with the letter that you compose together. 

13. Organize an Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Whether you put it on for the kids, or they put it on for you, organizing and participating in a scavenger hunt are equally enjoyable!

Create clues and tasks for your littlies to complete or simply set them free to find a plethora of small hidden items – the options are endless. 

14. Build a Fort

Nothing says ‘new environment’ like a good old sheet fort. 

Grab the pillows, blankets, and clear some space to set up the ultimate sheet fort for all-day fun. Your indoor creation can spark games to last the afternoon or serve as a great cozy place to watch a movie. 

15. Go Sock Bowling

Roll up a pair of socks and get ready to rumble! 

If you’ve got a hallway or long space, this game is the perfect way to keep your kiddos entertained. Use empty bottles from your recycling bin and set them up in any shape you like to bowl down with a pair of socks. It’s environmentally friendly and family indoor activities approved!

16. Make a Sensory Box

Indoor activities for kids can be tough when they aren’t big enough to participate in family events. For little ones, consider building a sensory box to stimulate their learning!

Water and sand are a great outdoor option, or you could make themed ones for indoors. A kitchen utensil box filled with spatulas and spoons, or a sparkle one containing some tinsel, pom poms pipe cleaners are fun discovery items to touch, feel, and explore.

17. Get Busy in the Kitchen

These indoor activities are fun and helpful! Put your kids to work in the kitchen by baking a new recipe or organizing your dinner menu. 

Contrary to popular belief, kids love to be a part of the food-prep process. Being a helper in the kitchen makes them feel great and teaches them skills for the future all in one.

18. Launch a Lego Challenge

If your family has been loving the lego masters series, a lego challenge is sure to be a winner. 

Set a timer, plan out your creation, and hit go! For an extra competitive edge, have friends or family judge the competition over facetime at the end of the day. A great chance to get creative and reconnect. 

19. Make a Time Capsule

This time in our lives is nothing short of unique. While it may not feel like it yet, we are sure to miss the days of being home with the kiddos in no time so why not preserve the memories?

Have your kids build a time capsule with letters to their future selves, knickknacks, and even crafts. When they are a bit older, they can look back on this time with fondness as they open up their capsule. 

20. Find Your Zen With Kids Yoga

Getting in exercise can be tricky when you’re stuck inside. If your kids are itching for movement, choose a kids yoga practice and dive in. 

Yoga is great for calming the mind and nurturing the body. Both of these will go a long way to helping your kids cope with staying inside and can even help them get to sleep with ease. 

Indoor Activities for Kids

From quiet entertainers to loud and interactive indoor family activities, we hope this list inspires a whole new take on indoor activities and adventures. 

Want to learn more about engaging and educating your kids? Visit our village to learn all the parenting tips and tricks you need to raise happy, healthy children. 

Please note: This article is designed to provide general advice for parents and guardians, for specific health advice, please consult with your child’s healthcare practitioner.