Twenty enriching indoor activities for kids

Rainy days, screen-free afternoons, and at-home stretches are a constant in family life. When kids are indoors and looking for something to do, you want activities that keep them engaged and actually enrich their learning, build skills, and give you a chance to get things done.

Here are 20 indoor activities for kids that cover math, reading, art, movement, cooking, and coding. Most work for a wide age range or are easy to adjust up or down as needed, and many can be done independently while you work.

Tips for engaging kids with indoor activities

• Plan ahead by making a general arts and crafts kit for each child based on what they are interested in. Stock up on board games, puzzles, puzzle books, and school supplies.
• Pick three of your favorite activities for each of your kids and assemble what they need for each of those activities into a kit including instructions. You can quickly set your kids up with these kits if something unexpected comes up.
• Ideally, pick at least two activities for your kits that are independent and do not require your involvement. These are also great for travel.
• If you're hearing "I'm bored," use this list as an activities menu and let your kids pick what they'd like to do. Offering choices helps eliminate battles. Or, let them choose online classes based on their curiosities.

20 Indoor skill-building activities for kids

Math and science

• Learn the basics of recognizing and counting coins and skip-counting. Use real coins for this activity and once your learner has mastery, build a grocery store and go "shopping" together to practice.
• If you have a child who loves animals, they can learn about a vet's typical day with a multi-week class on veterinary care basics for cats and dogs. All that's required: a plush animal and a bath towel for following along.
• Basic human anatomy is a great way to hook kinesthetic learners and kids who enjoy movement into science. Once they've learned everything from the skeletal system to the lymphatic system, try an activity in the movement section and discuss what their bodies are doing from a scientific standpoint while they move.
• Explore the solar system through song, satellite photos, and discussion complete with links to follow-up activities to do as a family without special equipment.

Art and crafts

• Make masking tape art. Use tape to mask off geometric shapes or lines on poster board or large construction paper, then paint each section and pull up the tape when dry to reveal a stained-glass-like effect.
• Save empty toilet paper rolls to help your kids craft. They come in incredibly handy, along with empty paper towel rolls, in so many creative art projects. Explore 30 recycled art projects for kids to pick your activity by age group.
• Draw. Your home is full of inspiration for your child to work on their drawing skills. Pull out fruits and vegetables to inspire kids to draw their food.

Reading and writing

• Create a slang dictionary. Apply parts of speech to words outside of the dictionary. When your child uses language they enjoy and that is connected to the voice of their generation, grammar and dictionaries become much more fun. Build a small book just like a dictionary with a definition, pronunciation, and parts of speech listed. Let them quiz you after you've studied.
• Practice writing skills with a collection of writing ideas for kids.
• Engage your child's critical thinking skills and discuss different forms of media. Find examples of online news, social media posts, and printed news and discuss how they know what is fact or fiction.

Movement

• Even though you're indoors you can still get your bodies moving. Have each family member create a playlist and then have a dance off, dance show, or dance party to each playlist.
• Hide and seek is a classic game made for indoors and great for young children. To switch it up, play sardines instead where only one person hides and as each family member finds them, they have to join in the hiding spot. It gets pretty comical.
• Older kids can write up a scavenger hunt or other clue hunt to send younger kids around the house on a journey. To make it a little tougher, make each clue a riddle that needs to be solved for the answer.
• Indoor games like board games, cards, and puzzles are great, but when you need movement a homemade obstacle course is a lot of fun. If you've made a blanket fort, you can make an obstacle course. As long as your kids know what is off limits, this is also something they can set up independently. Record race times if you want to get serious.

Culinary

Cook as a family and from the comfort of your home.

• Make butter. Add a pint of heavy cream to a mason jar and shake until the solids separate from the liquids. Squeeze the solids through fine mesh cheesecloth. The solid ball is your fresh butter and the liquid is your fresh buttermilk. Make pancakes together with the buttermilk or incorporate the butter into any number of kid-friendly recipes.
• Create your own pop-up restaurant complete with a theme, menu, and chef. This will require parental involvement but everyone will enjoy the final product.
• Baking is a fun indoor activity that requires some supervision but it's a nice break from screens and very hands on. Kids can share the finished product with family or neighbors.

Coding and tech

• When you teach kids how to code through a game, it's much easier to digest the concepts of algorithms and sequencing. This is a great highly independent activity.
• Make a stop motion animation complete with voiceover, title and credits, sound effects, and theme music using legos, action figures, or other materials. Hold a viewing party with popcorn (ideally in a pillow fort) once your learner completes the class.