Indoor Activities to keep your kids entertained!

Do you live in an area where you are stuck inside due to rain or snow? And just need a few new ideas for indoor activities to do with your children, look no further!

We’ve complied a list of 16 great new indoor activities and 1 outdoor to keep your children entertained, some of which our sitters use these indoor activities while babysitting!

Let’s Play Inside

1. Indoor Sandbox-

Filling a shallow bin with sand will create hours of imaginary play for children. Add in their sand toys and trucks! If you lay a blanket down first, most of the sand will wind up there instead of on the floor, making the rest easy to vacuum up.

2. Indoor Hop Scotch-

By creating the outline with painters tape, you’ll make an easy clean-up hop scotch area for the kids. This can be a great way to get their wiggles out indoors.

3. Baking and Mixing-

Children love being able to help mix ingredients and bake yummy treats! Younger children can help decorate cookie or cupcakes.

eCookbook – free download Kids In the Kitchen

Below is a simple, creative recipe for Kool-Aid Play Dough, which is fun to play with, not to eat!

4. Kool-Aid Play Dough-

1. Mix 1c flour, 1/4c salt, 1 packet of Kool-Aid together.
2. Boil 2/3c of water and a tablespoon of oil.
3. Pour some of the water into the dry ingredients slowly and mix thoroughly
4. add water and work the dough until the color is uniform

You’re ready to play!

5. Indoor Volleyball-

By blowing up a balloon and tying a piece of string across two chairs, you have a hazard-free volleyball court! Use a piece of painters tape to create the “net” as well.

6. Flashlight Games-

Flashlight tag has always been a favorite. Who doesn’t love a combination of hide-and-seek with flashlights in the dark? Have you ever thought of using flashlights for a puppet show or capture the flag? Instead of using a flag, use a flashlight and set up boundaries showing where the players can and cannot go.

6. Creating the Best Indoor Fort-

Building forts has been a fun pastime for children- our sitters love building forts with children in their hotel rooms. There are so many household items that can be used to fuel imagination. It’s fun to see what children will do with all their creativity. Great items to use are: pillows, couch cushions, sheets, chairs, empty paper towel rolls, clothes pins, and even sleeping bags.

After the fort is assembled, children can have a picnic inside, a flashlight puppet show, play dress up, or have movie night!

7. Tie-dye T-shirts: actually not difficult to do

8. Film a movie with their phones….and play it for the family.

9. Board Games & Puzzles: Pictionary, Twister, Kerplunk, Sorry, Clue, Candyland, Monopoly, Jenga, Connect 4, Hungry Hungry Hippo, Life, Operation, Master Mind, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, Lincoln logs or Legos and Yahtzee just to name a few classics.

10. Indoor Bowling: best sellers on Amazon

11. Indoor Obstacle course

12. Card Games: Go Fish, Crazy 8’s, Concentration, War, Solitaire, Old Maid, Rummy, Slapjack, Pig, UNO and more

13. Science Experiments: at home a Good Housekeeping link

14. Read or Listen to audio books, or Mad LIbs books

15. Write an old-fashioned letter to a family member (Grandma and Grandpa would love one)

16. Marshmallow and Toothpick Challenge: think like an engineer

For other great rainy day activities, be sure to visit Destination Sitters Pinterest Account!

OUTDOOR FUN

Magic Puddle Jumping-

If your children can go outside, jumping in puddles in their rain boots is every child’s dream!  By adding crushed chalk or dried tempera paint into puddles, you can create magic bubbling puddles! This is a great way to let your children explore through sensory play. Once you mix in the different colored chalk or paint, the water begins to bubble into the different colors! Girls love adding flowers and glitter to make magical fairy puddles, too.

Related links: Fall Outdoor Activities Fun for the Family!