7 Fun Child Activities
If you have kids, then you know just how expensive entertaining them can be. While there’s nothing wrong with treating your children to a pricey toy or two every now and again,
it’s also important to teach them that they don’t need to spend money in order to have fun. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of free, fun activities that we do here at my house.
These indoor games will keep your kids occupied for hours (and keep you from going broke in the process).
Build A Fort And Have A Picnic Inside
You can easily make a fort out of cushions, blankets, and pillows. To help your child get started, you could set up the materials for them or provide a few guidelines.
For example: “You can use these extra pillows to build your own fort.” Or: “We have some blankets in the closet, but there are also more in our other bedroom.
The next step is to have fun picnicking inside! Bring along some healthy snacks that fit with what your child likes to eat. If they’re old enough to help out with preparing food (or if they want to), this would be a good time for them to do so as well.
Make up new animal species
Have a contest to see who can be the silliest. You can make up a new animal, or invent an even sillier one.
You can give your animal a name (I’m partial to “duck-billed platypus” myself), and then you have to start thinking about what it looks like, how big it is, what kind of habitat it lives in, etc. The silliness factor increases exponentially from here:
- Write a story about your animal interacting with another creature (or objects).
- Make up a song about your animal’s life or adventure.
- Create a dance for your new species as if they were at their own wedding reception.
Watch “The Dress Rehearsal – Part 1” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIxLWmXfTQE
Go On A Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a fun way to get your kids to explore the world around them. Make your clues funny, creative and unique—and don’t forget to include the occasional riddle! Here are some examples.
- Find something that’s orange.
- Go on an adventure.
- Ask where I am from. (This one could be anywhere!)
You can make it as easy or difficult as you want by adding or removing extra criteria for each clue. In addition, if there’s something your child really loves doing, such as reading or playing with Legos, try adding that into your scavenger hunt so they have an even bigger incentive to complete it.
Have An Indoor Campout, Complete With Stories, Snacks, And Songs
Make a tent in your living room with sheets and blankets. If you don’t have any, make two forts out of chairs and couches.
Have a campfire with marshmallows and sing songs. You can also roast hot dogs if you want to!
Have an indoor campout with your friends!
Play Hide And Seek With The Whole Family
The basic rules of hide-and-seek can be modified to make it more fun, or just more challenging. For example:
Instead of hiding, you could be the seeker with one other person being “it.” This way everyone gets to be involved in the game from start to finish.
You can create your own “safe zone” by setting up boundaries and rules around it so that if someone is caught outside of those boundaries, they have to go back inside the safe zone before they are allowed to continue playing again!
Hide & Seek is a great opportunity for parents and children alike because there are multiple opportunities for interaction between family members who might not otherwise spend much time together (like grandparents and grandchildren). Your kids will get some exercise while having fun with their friends!
Play Dress-Up
Playing dress-up is a fun way to let your imagination run wild.
- What are some things you can pretend to be? Maybe you’re a princess, or maybe you’re a superhero! Whatever the case may be, it’s up to you.
- How do you feel about fashion? Do you love the latest trends, or do they make your brain hurt? Either way, most kids love being able to wear whatever they want and look cute at the same time!
Play With Sidewalk Chalk
Another great way to have fun outside is with sidewalk chalk. You and your kids can draw lines, shapes, and pictures on the driveway or side of your house using chalk.
You can also write words and messages on it. If you want, you can even use it to draw hopscotch or tic-tac-toe! Just make sure that you don’t use it on the grass because the grass will die if you spill water over it (the water kills off the roots).
Children Don’t Need Expensive Toys To Have Fun
With so many toys available to children, it can be tempting to go overboard when shopping for your little ones. However, don’t feel bad if you’re not able to purchase every single toy they want.
In fact, the most important thing is that you make sure they’re having fun together. Whether it’s a trip to the park or making a home movie on your iPhone, getting out of the house is always going to be more fun for children than staying inside with another toy.
The more time you spend outdoors and enjoying nature (as opposed to staring at screens), the healthier and happier your child will be!
Conclusion
So, there you have it: some fun activities for children to do at home. If you’re stuck for ideas about what to do with your kids, don’t resort to handing them an expensive new toy just yet! Try one of these activities instead and see if they don’t have a great time.
