Top 19 DIY Indoor Activities for Kids

For a lot of people, the idea of their kids spending some time indoors doesn’t seem that complex. However, what happens when you add the “no electronics” factor into the equation? Suddenly, it’s not so easy, right? Wrong! Fortunately, this statement is quite wrong. Here are 19 indoor activities for kids that don’t require any kind of special equipment.

1. Crafting with Recyclables

There are so many fun things you can make from cardboard, plastic bottles, and even paper rolls. This is both entertaining and educational since it can show your kids that just because something is discarded, it doesn’t make it completely useless. It is one of the best indoor activities for kids and sends a powerful message.

2. DIY Slime

All you need to do is mix glue, baking soda, and contact lens solution. In other words, this is one of those experiments that you won’t even have to leave your home in order to get the ingredients for. Chances are that you have everything from the list in your kitchen and bathroom drawers (or a nightside stand).

3. Painting and Drawing

Drawing is probably one of the indoor activities for kids that you first thought of. However, you could take it up a notch. You could get them one of those paint-by-numbers kits and make them feel like proper artists (with a makeshift easel and a canvas). You can even get a full framed kit to hang on a wall as soon as they’re done.

4. Indoor Scavenger Hunt

All you need for this is one object as a prize and a couple of papers or sticky notes to plant as clues. Now, how poetic and creative you want to be while filling these clues is up to you. Keep in mind that while you want your kids to put in some effort, you don’t want them to have to try too hard. After all, this is supposed to be fun.

5. Homemade Playdough

You can make playdough with flour, salt, water, and some food coloring. Now, kids love playing with playdough by default, but why not make this even more interesting? This is one of those indoor activities for kids at home that you can use to encourage your kids to become more resourceful in their play. They don’t need an expensive toy in order to have fun.

6. Obstacle Course

You can turn your kid’s room, your living room, a garage, a basement, an attic, or any other area that has enough space into an indoor obstacle course. They can jump over toys, crawl beneath chairs, leap from one cushion to another, etc. In other words, it just comes down to your creativity.

7. DIY Science Experiments

You can use baking soda and vinegar to make your own volcano, and you can try out so many different interesting experiments. The best thing about experiments is that they will have a much greater chance of memorizing the lesson. Listening to something and seeing it first-hand are two approaches to science that just cannot be compared.

8. Puppet Making and Shows

One of the key principles of art is that you don’t always have to use a faithful representation for an object to represent something. Having your kids make their own puppets, a makeshift stage, and have them make a play this way can help encourage their imagination and make them more creative as a whole. It’s one of those indoor activities for kids that will encourage their artistic interests the most.

9. Storytelling and Book Creation

Kids need to be taught that there’s really no difference between stories they come up with while they play and stories that famous authors make up for their stories. Sure, storytelling is a skill and a talent, but the principle remains the same. With that in mind, what’s stopping your kid from creating their own book?

10. DIY Musical Instruments

An empty can can easily become a drum, and if you put a bit of rice into a container, it can turn into a shaker. A candy wrap and a glass of water can be an instrument. The bottom line lies in showing your kids that it’s the sound that matters, not the instrument. You can even record this concert and brag about it later on.

11. Indoor Gardening

Plants grow when given the right soil, a bit of water, some seeds, and sun exposure. There’s absolutely no reason why a plant wouldn’t grow indoors if it has access to all of this. Coincidentally, this is one of those indoor activities for kids at home that will provide the most value since explaining both economy and environmentalism starts with understanding agriculture.

12. Baking and Cooking

Playing at baking and cooking is a top-tier parental deception. You’re disguising a basic life skill into a game in order to make your kids have more fun while doing it and in order to make them actually pay attention. This is especially important for a generation where an inability to cook a meal from scratch is at an all-time high.

13. DIY Jewelry Making

This, too, is likely one of the first ideas that crossed your mind. You can make jewelry from beads and a string. What does this do for your kids? Well, it teaches them how to combine different elements into a bigger whole, and it ends up giving them something beautiful and precious that they’ve made with their own two hands.

14. Building Forts

Building a fort gives you hours and days of fun. It’s not just about the act of using blankets, sheets, and pillows to build an indoor fort. It’s about creating a playground where they’ll spend hours and hours of fun. It’s about giving them a feeling that they own a part of your home since they can freely occupy it and personalize it. It’s one of the most meaningful indoor activities for young kids.

15. LEGO Challenges

Following assembly instructions for a Lego set is great, but it’s also a bit restrictive. That’s not where the real creativity lies. Do you think some of the world’s most famous painters and sculptors had instruction manuals? You need to let your kids foster their own creativity, so let them assemble a boat, a spaceship, or a bridge.

16. DIY Board Games

If your kids have played a few board games before, they should be able to come up with a game of their own. Remember, it’s not an actual competitive game, so it doesn’t have to be balanced or fair. You just need something with some loose rules that you can follow and something that your kids will find fun. Over the years, it might evolve into something else entirely.

17. Sensory Bins

This is one of the best indoor activities for your kids since you don’t really need to have anything special. You just take a bin or a pot and place an object into it so that your kids can’t see what it is. Then, by its shape or texture, they should be able to guess what it is. What’s so great about this is the fact that it actually engages all of their senses.

18. Dance Party

So far, other than the obstacle course, most of our suggestions were stationary. Even the obstacle course was more athletic than outright fun. So, why not think outside of the box for a bit and create a great dance party in your home? Chances are that you already have a playlist, so just blast it on the speakers.

19. DIY Masks and Costumes

Anything can be a mask; however, you should probably make a bit more effort this time around. Also, try to add some roleplay into the mix. There’s no reason why your kids should just look like their favorite superhero and not also look like one since they’re already there.

There are so many amazing things to do indoor

Even without electronics, there are so many indoor activities for kids that you should consider. As you can see from the list, there are at least 19 things you could do just with the ingredients and materials you have in your home at this very moment. For example, a simple paint by numbers kit can turn a rainy day into a fun and creative experience. With a quick stop at the store or an order online, the list could grow exponentially.