guides

100+ At-Home Activities

Have lots of family fun without ever leaving home!

By By Toni Garcia, Jennifer So, Amy Romback, Karen Elaine and Sarah Boucher - Macaroni Kid Publishers in Michigan April 4, 2022

Being home with the kids is great - until they get bored - and you run out of ideas for entertainment!  Don't worry!  Macaroni Kid to the rescue!  Here's a list of more than 100 things to do to keep your little noodles entertained during the coming weeks!

  1. Build a fort with blankets and pillows - grab your favorite snacks and read some stories inside
  2. Make structures with marshmallows and toothpicks
  3. Stack cardboard boxes and practice your ninja kicks to knock them down
  4. Indoor scavenger hunt
  5. Make Dance Ribbons
  6. Act out scenes from your favorite books or movies. You can even create awards for best lead actor, etc.
  7. Play hide and seek
  8. Learn a new card game
  9. Play Simon Says
  10. Write a story as a family - make it an annual tradition and publish them with a site like Shutterfly or Mixbook
  11. Dance Party!
  12. Put down contact paper and let them stick feathers, pieces of paper and other items to it for a unique art project
  13. Put pillows inside your shirts and sumo wrestle
  14. Dip some fruit and marshmallows in chocolate and have a fondue party
  15. Make bracelets out of yarn or embroidery floss
  16. Pitch your tent in the living room and have a camp-in
  17. Have a home spa day. Nail painting, mud masks, hair styling
  18. Set up an entire room of Barbie dolls/furniture, train tracks, hot wheels tracks, LEGO sets, or any other sets usually in storage or mixed together
  19. Make paper bag puppets and put on a show
  20. Do a blind taste test of various foods and see who can guess the most correct
  21. Make homemade cards. Mail them to friends and family or contact a local nursing home to donate them to residents.
  22. Paint rocks
  23. Let the kids give their toys a bath in the sink
  24. For the toddlers, place them inside of a cardboard box (no, don't shut it) and give them crayons to color the inside of it
  25. Karaoke
  26. Have a picnic on the floor
  27. Make your own explorer binoculars
  28. Play hop-scotch by putting masking tape on the floor for the course
  29. Using masking tape again, you can make a racetrack for toy cars
  30. Start a family photo album... finish it by summer
  31. Use cardboard to make a slide on your staircase 
  32. Download and create your own Family Safety Binder
  33. Have a make-over day with your little ladies. Do her hair, paint her nails, some light make-up and a dress. Then, let her do yours, too! Post selfies on social media and encourage your mom-friends to do the same
  34. Have a tea party
  35. Switch bath-time from night to day and add some extra toys for water play
  36. Make a sensory bin using white rice, marshmallows and maybe some beads (change items based on child's age)
  37. Make paper-plate masks
  38. Look at family photos and reminisce 
  39. Painting party! - Paint themed canvasses for the next holiday to use as decor
  40. Let your kids make their own lunch one day - put out sandwich essentials and let them have at it
  41. Popsicle stick houses
  42. Make your own slime
  43. Hide some "treasure", make a map and send them on a hunt
  44. Play charades 
  45. Using colored cardstock paper, weave some together to make new placemats
  46. Play Baking Show - Using play doh or slime and write down challenges like “cake” “cookie” “confection” and then themes like “under the sea”, “funny face”, “holiday”, “zoo”, etc. and sculpt within a time limit, quick rounds like 2-3 min each
  47. Write your own songs and perform for each other
  48. Dress up stuffed animals with clothes your kids have outgrown
  49. Make your own drive-in theater - Use old cardboard boxes, paint them like cars and sit in them for movie time
  50. Paint with Q-tips
  51. Make your own crayons
  52. Nerf Wars
  53. Make apple or potato stamps
  54. Go through your kids' old clothes and toys to donate 
  55. Play "I-Spy" ... "I spy something little and red..." Let them guess until they figure it out 
  56. Hang donuts on a string and see who can eat them faster without using their hands
  57. Using velcro or sting and empty tissue boxes filled with ping pong balls or large marshmallows, tie them around your kids' waist and watch them wiggle and wiggle until they all come out
  58. Start and finish a puzzle together
  59. Using plastic cups and string, make 'telephones'
  60. Have walky-talkies? Go on a face adventure. Set up animals for the jungle, keep the lights off and really make-believe with your littles
  61. Play balloon tennis (if you don't have rackets, just use your hands!)
  62. Set up a photo booth using a fun backdrop, cute props and maybe some words written on paper plates to enhance the look
  63. Hallway bowling with empty water bottles and a ball
  64. Do jumping jacks - tire them kids out!
  65. Pillow fights
  66. Freeze yogurt with fresh fruit for a unique frozen treat
  67. Make a kid burrito - wrap them up in a sheet or blanket and see how long it takes them to get out
  68. Toilet paper mummies
  69. Learn a new yo-yo trick
  70. Have a staring contest 
  71. Play with shaving cream on the wall by the bathtub
  72. Tie-Dye some shirts 
  73. Egg-toss! (If you're daring, use raw eggs... if you're not... boil them first)
  74. Using a celery stalk, make a stamp that looks like a rose
  75. Make noodle necklaces and bracelets
  76. Thumbprint art
  77. Learn origami
  78. Teach them how to wash the baseboards - make a game out of it and see who can finish their assigned room first (yea, they'll clean for you if it's fun!)
  79. String some popcorn for necklaces or home decor 
  80. Let your kids play drums with pans and wooden spoons (you'll need your ear plugs for this but they'll love it!)
  81. Self portraits
  82. Learn clapping games like 'Miss Mary Mack'
  83. Make black and white crayon resist pictures
  84. Bake some cookies
  85. Make snow-paint - Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Add in food coloring. Pour the liquid into cups in the muffin tin. Repeat the recipe to make more colors
  86. Write letters to first responders to say thank you
  87. Pantry-clean-out. Decide what non-perishable food you don't need or really don't plan on using soon and place them in a box for donation to a local food pantry
  88. Pipe cleaner fun - you can wrap them around pencils for a springy looking thing, add some googly eyes and make wings out of another color, ta-da! You have a butterfly! Use your imagination and make a pipe cleaner zoo
  89. Make your own bookmarks
  90. Make a family time capsule
  91. Bake some bread, let your kids knead the dough
  92. Point a lamp against a wall and make some shadow puppets
  93. Break out some old magazines and make vision-boards or collages
  94. Do some crossword puzzles
  95. Record your own silly movie
  96. Do a blind taste-test with condiments, foods and drinks you have at home
  97. Practice your face-painting skills
  98. Make flowers out of felt and add them to a vase
  99. Hang a map of the world and learn about your top 10 places you'd want to visit - pretend like money isn't part of it!
  100. Start an indoor garden
  101. Create a new recipe
  102. Ask your kids what they want to be when they grow up and research some new 'careers' for them so they know what their dream job entails
  103. Rearrange bedrooms for a fun and new feel
  104. Play hot potato
  105. Make up “house rules” to put a new spin on a classic game like Uno or Go Fish
  106. Create a homemade memory match game. Use favorite family photos or draw your own pictures


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