Winter break is upon us, and many of us are worrying about keeping the kids busy during this time.
If you’re looking for creative ways to keep your kids busy and active indoors, I’ve got you covered!
Whether you have little ones aged 3 or older kids up to 18, this list of fun indoor activities for kids is sure to beat boredom.
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No more boredom! Outschool has a huge variety of classes and activities to keep your child engaged this winter break. Learning fun for ages 3-18. Check out the many classes, camps, and clubs Outschool has to offer!
Creative and Imaginative Activities for Kids (Aged 6+)
All activities listed are for informative and entertainment purposes. Please use discretion and choose age-appropriate activities as well as supervise where necessary.
Virtual Museum Tour
Explore world-class museums online through virtual tours. Choose a museum, visit their website, and follow their virtual tour instructions.
- What you need: A computer or tablet with internet access. Link to websites like Google Arts & Culture offer a variety of museum tours.
Indoor Obstacle Course
Make it a big obstacle course or a mini one, this activity will encourage creativity, problem-solving, and movement.
- What you need: Create an obstacle course using cushions, furniture, and other household items. Set up challenges like crawling under tables and jumping over cushions.
No Oven Cooking Challenge
There are plenty of safe, no-bake recipes available online to create your cooking/baking challenge.
- What you need: Find no-bake recipes that kids can follow. Search for simple recipes like no-bake cookies, crispy rice treats, or fruit salads.
- Materials: Ingredients as per the chosen recipe.
- Links: AllRecipes has a section for no-bake recipes.
Holiday Thank You Card Making
If you are reading this during the holidays, free up some tasks and let your kids make the holiday thank you cards. Keeps them busy and they learn the power of gratitude.
- What you need: Provide craft supplies such as colored paper, markers, stickers, and glue. Have kids create thank you cards for gifts received during the holidays.
- Materials: Craft supplies.
Mystery Box Challenge
Great for young kids, this fun sensory guessing game will entertain your kids for a while.
- What you need: Fill a box with random items that are safe for use with kids.
- Materials: Anything you have at home.
Upcycled Art
Fun for all ages, art projects big and small can be done with upcycling stuff around the house. Old torn jeans, a t-shirt, a side table, packaging—really anything that can be improved and repurposed.
- What you need: Anything around the house that can be repurposed. Collect recyclable materials like bottle caps, cardboard, and magazines. Encourage kids to create art from these materials.
- Materials: Recyclable materials, glue, scissors, markers.
Invent a Game
If your kids love games but are bored of the ones they already have, they can make their board games.
- What you need: Challenge kids to invent their own board or card game. They can design rules, game pieces, and a game board.
- Materials: Paper, markers, game pieces (buttons, beads, etc.).
Create Your Own Comic
Most kids love comics, and it’s surprisingly easy to create one. This can create hours and hours of fun for the child who loves using their creativity and imagination.
- What you need: Provide paper, drawing materials, and inspiration. Encourage kids to create their own comic book or comic strips.
- Materials: Drawing supplies, paper.
Learn a Language
If you have a child who finds foreign languages fascinating, this is a good opportunity to encourage them to learn a new language. With many free resources online, it’s easy to get started.
- What you need: Use language learning apps or online resources to set a daily language learning goal. Practice vocabulary, phrases, and pronunciation.
- Materials: Language learning app or online access.
- Links: Popular language learning platforms like Duolingo and Babbel.
Build a Time Capsule
There’s a good chance you created a time capsule at school or with friends or family. They are a lot of fun and can keep your kids busy planning and preparing for a while.
- What you need: Have your kids create a time capsule with items, letters, or drawings to be opened in the future.
- Materials: A container or box to store items.
Indoor Camping
If you’re a camping family, you might be missing it a lot now that it’s winter. Replicate it indoors. Still fun, but cozier!
- What you need: Set up a tent in the living room and enjoy a night of camping indoors. Tell stories, sing songs, and roast marshmallows over a pretend campfire.
- Materials: Tent, blankets, pillows, pretend campfire supplies.
Home Spa
Creating a spa experience at home can be easy by using what you already have at home.
- What you need: Transform your home into a spa with DIY facials, foot soaks, and relaxation activities.
- Materials: Spa supplies like face masks, essential oils, and soothing music.
Family Photo Collage
If you have many family photos sitting in a box or digitally in a folder, why not let your kids sort through them and create a family photo collage?
- What you need: Compile special holiday moments into a beautiful collage.
- Materials: Photos, glue, scissors, poster board.
Jewelry Making
Jewelry making is a fun activity for little kids and big kids and is a great focus activity to do and can wear when they’re done.
- What you need: Craft unique jewelry pieces using beads, strings, and creative designs.
- Materials: jewelry-making supplies.
DIY Beauty Products
For older children and with supervision, making DIY beauty products is fun and rewarding.
- What you need: Make soaps, lip gloss, and bath bombs together for a spa day at home.
- Materials: Ingredients for beauty products, molds.
STEM Activities for Kids (Aged 5+)
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities are great to do at home and highly beneficial to a child’s development. For many kids, hands-on learning is an effective and fun way to learn. Boost their critical thinking, problem-solving, and exploratory skills with these activities.
DIY Terrarium
Create a mini ecosystem at home with the DIY Terrarium activity. Kids can unleash their creativity as they build a tiny world filled with plants, soil, and imagination, all while learning about nature and ecology.
- What you need:Create a mini indoor garden with glass containers, soil, and small plants.
- Materials: Glass containers, soil, small plants or succulents.
DIY Robotics Kit
Introduce your child to the exciting world of robotics with a DIY Robotics Kit. Can also be purchase with kit ready to build. Projects like building a simple robot that can follow a line, igniting their curiosity and engineering skills. These activities require adult supervision.
- What you need: Microcontroller like Arduino, motors, wheels, batteries, sensors, wires, and/or connectors. Purchase a beginner-friendly robotics kit. Follow the kit’s instructions to build and program a robot.
- Materials: Robotics kit of choice.
- Links: Robotics kits are available from brands like LEGO Mindstorms or Makeblock.
Rubber Egg Experiment
The Rubber Egg Experiment is an exciting activity for kids to explore at home. With just a regular egg, some household items, and a little patience, children can create a fascinating project that demonstrates the science of osmosis, turning a raw egg into a rubbery, bouncy marvel.
- What you need to do: Submerge egg in vinegar, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and sit undisturbed for 24-48 hours.Remove carefully and rinse it under cold water to remove shell bits. Place the egg back into the container, cover and leave for another 24-48 hours. Remove and rinse again. Repeat process until satisfied with the result!
- Materials: A raw egg (not cracked), vinegar, clear glass or plastic container, spoon, some paper towels.
DIY Marble Run or Maze
Enhance your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills with the DIY Marble Run or Maze project. Using simple materials like cardboard and household items, they can easily design and construct a thrilling marble run or maze, providing hours of educational entertainment at home.
What you need: Create intricate marble runs or mazes using cardboard and household items.
- Materials: Cardboard, various household items.
Learn Circuitry
Explore the world of circuitry with your kids at home, an exciting STEM activity that requires just a few basic materials. Start with a simple project like building a working flashlight using a battery, a lightbulb, and some wires to illuminate the fascinating principles of electrical circuits.
- What you need: For ages 8+ and requires supervision. Learn about electricity by building simple circuits with batteries, wires, and light bulbs.
- Materials: Battery, wires, light bulbs.
Build a Bridge
Get ready for an exciting adventure at home with the “Build a Bridge” activity! Using everyday materials like popsicle sticks and glue, kids can design and construct their sturdy bridges, fostering creativity and engineering skills while having fun.
- What you need (Any of the following): Popsicle sticks, glue, tape, cardboard, string, dental floss, scissors, rulers or measuring tape, small weights or objects. You can also purchase lightweight wood like balsa wood to build.
- Materials: Balsa wood, glue.
Learn Coding (Age 6+)
Introduce your child to the world of coding with this engaging STEM activity that requires just a computer or tablet. Start with a simple project like creating a digital greeting card using a beginner-friendly coding platform, sparking their interest in programming and problem-solving.
What you’ll need: A computer, tablet or smartphone. Try any of these free apps:
- code.org
- Khan Academy
- Hour of Code: interactive coding tutorials and activities suitable for various age groups and skill levels.
- Gamestar Mechanic: learn game design and create their own games.
- Crunchzilla: coding tutorials through fun games and challenges.
- Codecademy: free coding courses in various programming languages.
- The Open University: a selection of free online courses in computer science and programming.
Dance and Fitness Activities for Kids (Aged 3+)
Get your kids moving and grooving with these dance and fitness activities designed for children aged 3 and up. They are not only a great way to keep your little ones active but also help improve their coordination, rhythm, and overall physical fitness. From dance-along sessions to imaginative movement games, here’s a list of online resources that will have your kids dancing their way to a happy and healthy winter break.
YouTube channel for fun dance lessons to keep your little ones engaged and moving.
Can be found on YouTube, videos are fun and silly making movement more enjoyable for your kids.
Can be found on YouTube, features kid-friendly versions of popular songs with dance-along videos
JustDance (Ages 13+)
An app that you connect with a Nintendo Switch device. Alternatively, you can follow along for free, however, it’s only the video and does not connect body movements like the game.
FitLara Dance offers easy-to-follow dance workouts for tweens and older.
Mihran TV has fun hip-hop workouts for tweens and older.
Free or Cheap Activities for Kids of All Ages
Fort Building
- What you need: Gather blankets, pillows, chairs, and anything else you can find to build an elaborate fort.
- Materials: Blankets, pillows, chairs, imagination.
Scavenger Hunt
- What you need: Create a scavenger hunt with clues hidden around the house or backyard. Tailor the clues to each child’s age and interests.
- Materials: Paper, pen, hidden items.
Board Games
- What you need: Dust off your old board games or try a new one. Board games are a great way to spend time together as a family and encourage friendly competition.
- Materials: Board games of your choice.
Art Projects
- What you need: Get creative with art projects using materials you already have around the house. Try painting, drawing, sculpting, or making collages.
- Materials: Art supplies like paints, markers, paper, and recyclable materials.
Baking and Cooking
- What you need: Get the kids involved in the kitchen by baking cookies, decorating cupcakes, or making a delicious meal together. This is a fun and educational activity that teaches valuable skills.
- Materials: Ingredients for recipes, utensils, and kitchen supplies.
Play-Doh Fun
- What you need: Let your kids get their creative juices flowing with Play-Doh. They can mold it into different shapes, build structures, or even create their own holiday characters.
- Materials: Play-Doh in various colors and play tools.
Games with a Deck of Cards
- What you need: A deck of cards.
- Games you can play with just a deck of cards: Go Fish, memory, Higher or Lower, card tower, Crazy Eights, Snap and more.
Tape Games
- What you need: Rolls of colorful masking tape, a spacious play area, and a list of game ideas.
- Games that can be played with just tape: Hopscotch, mazes, number line, art, sensory path, tape bridges, tape targets and more.
Balloon Games
- What you need: Variety of balloons, shapes and sizes.
- Games kids can play with balloons: volleyball, relay race, team work challenges, balloon animals, balloon pop and more.
Dice Games
- What you need: Small or large dice.
- Games you can play: Roll and count, bingo, addition and subtraction, matching pairs, race to 100, memory game, and more.
Bean Bag Games
- What you need: Bean bags or sealed bags filled with rice.
- Games to play with bean bags: Toss, balance, relay race, tic-tac-toe, juggling, hopscotch, target practice, memory game and more.
With this list of fun indoor activities for kids, you can keep your kids engaged, active, and learning throughout the season. No more, “Mom, I’m bored!”
Let your kids brainstorm and create their list of activities to do this winter break. They get to explore, and you get to relax.
No more boredom! Outschool has a huge variety of classes and activities to keep your child engaged this winter break. Learning fun for ages 3-18. Check out the many classes, camps, and clubs Outschool has to offer!
Hi, I’m Melanie. I’m the woman behind Mommy Life Strategies. Here you will discover ways to manage your time more efficiently, how to create positive daily habits that stick, mindset exercises that energize, and health & wellness tips that work even for the busiest moms.