Simple Things to Do with Kids At Home

Looking for simple ways to connect, play, and spend some quality time with your kiddos at home? I’ve got you covered! Today I’m sharing a big list of my favorite things to do with kids at home. My hope is that it will give you some fresh ideas and get your creative wheels spinning.

Before I share the list and while we’re on the topic of activities, I want to encourage you that boredom is a gift. It is often the launching point for wonder, adventure, and creativity. It’s easy to feel that we need to be constantly entertaining our kids, but often the best and richest childhood memories are born out of boredom. And all the parents let out a big simultaneous exhale!

I love this reminder from one of my favorite books Simplicity Parenting, “Let your kids be bored. Let them be. Outbore their boredom with a single, flat response: “Something to do is right around the corner.”

While I firmly believe that boredom is a gift and something that our children should experience often, sometimes I just want some simple, fun, and creative ways to connect with my kiddos at home. You too? Without further ado, here’s a list to get you started. Be sure to download the printable with all of the ideas at the bottom of this post.

Simple Things to Do with Kids At Home

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1. Make an obstacle course (inside or in your backyard)
2. Play dress up
3. Have a tea party
4. Read aloud books (Here’s some of our favorite picture books)
5. Build a blanket fort
6. Wake up early and watch the sunrise together
7. Build a zoo — Grab stuffed animals, small toys, and maybe a few cardboard boxes to set up your very own zoo
8. Play I spy with my little eye
9. Build a city — Grab some painter’s tape (or masking tape) and use it to make a road on your floor. Gather blocks, magnatiles (our favorite), LEGO’s, or good old fashioned card board boxes to create buildings. Add some cars and your newly built city is all ready to go for an afternoon of fun family imaginative play!
10. Get creative! Color, paint, draw, or build something — We love Art for Kids Hub or Deep Space Sparkle for step-by-step art projects, but I will often throw a random assortment of supplies on the table and let the girls create with what’s there.
11. Draw with chalk
12. Go on a bug hunt — You could do this with a different type of toy that you have. Ex: Calico Critters, cars, action figures, etc.
13. Read the Bible together and write or draw a picture of a verse that spoke to you.
14. Play hide and seek with a stuffed animal — Someone hides the stuffed animal and then everyone has to go and find it. Whoever finds it first re-hides the stuffed animal!
15. Write a story — Have your child tell you a story while you type it up. Leave room at the top of each page for your child to add illustrations. Use a stapler to bind it together.
16. Workout together — My girls really enjoy Cosmic Kids Yoga, but sometimes they will join me while I’m doing one of my at home workouts.
17. At dinner (or the meal of your choice), invite each family member to share a high and a low for the day.
18. Explore Different Textures with Crayon Rubbings — Grab a piece of paper and some crayons and head outside. Show your child how to rub the crayon over the paper to transfer the texture of a surface onto the paper. Try out different surfaces to see what kinds of textures you can find.
19. Make chores fun by creating an epic playlist together
20. Pop some popcorn and listen to an audiobook
21. Have a living room or backyard picnic
22. Play a board game (here’s some of our favorite games)
23. Create a treasure map
24. Bake a special treat
25. Make a card to brighten someone’s day (like this one or this one)
26. Go on a color hunt
27. Play a classic game (Red Light Green Light, Freeze Tag, Hide and Seek, Duck Duck Goose)
28. Line up dominoes and watch them fall
29. Eat breakfast for dinner (waffle bar, anyone?)
30. Put together a puzzle
31. Make a cardboard ramp for toy cars
32. Look at family photos or videos together
33. Play Dots and Boxes (a childhood favorite!)
34. Blow bubbles
35. Stay up late and stargaze — Put your kiddos in pajamas, grab some blankets, and head outside to your back porch or yard and look up at the stars. Be encouraged as you read aloud Isaiah 40:26 together. “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.”
36. Enjoy a science experiment together ( this color walking experiment is an easy one!)
37. Implement PRAISE breaks throughout the day — At random moments of the day say, “Praise break!” and each person has to say something that they are thankful for

Be sure to download the list of Simple Things to Do with Kids At Home by clicking the button below.

I hope that these ideas are helpful for you! If you love these ideas you’ll probably love the free seasonal celebrate and play prints. Here’s some of my favorites to get you started:

Let’s Celebrate Spring
Let’s Celebrate Summer
Let’s Celebrate Fall

Love this list of Simple Things to Do with Kids At Home? Pin the image below for later or share this idea with a friend!