Looking For Creative Ways Kids Activities and Things To Do With Kids At Home

Whether you are a new parent or a seasoned mom of four, it can be tough to find ways to keep your kids learning and occupied while you’re trying to get things done. Unfortunately, kids aren’t born with the innate skills they need to entertain themselves - which is why you, Mom and Dad, are left picking up the slack.

It can be tempting to plop your kids down in front of the television to keep them busy and occupied, but that’s not always the best approach. Not only does increased screen time correlate more closely to incidences of learning problems and misbehavior, but it also is only going to serve as a temporary band aid to the problem.

Looking for some novel things to do with kids? Never fear. In this article, we’ll give you some creative ways to keep your kids busy without screen time.

Game Box

One way to keep your children entertained is to create a game box. This is one of the most customizable strategies, letting you mix and match ideas to find the combination that works best for your child.

Simply fill up a box - it can be as big or as small as you’d like! - with fun activities that are meant to be played solo. You might want to fill the box with things like playing cards, coloring books, or even simple puzzles. You can put some toys in the box, too, but you’ll need to remember that you want to choose items that require as little intervention on your part as possible.

Creative toys are best. Any toy that lets your child create something is sure to keep them busy for a while - think of toys like Play Doh, Legos, or puzzles. These will not only keep your child entertained for hours, but they’ll also help build their creativity and spatial reasoning skills, too.

You can fill the box with toys of your own creation, too. For example, if you have younger kids, DIY sensory toys are hugely popular. They’re easy to make, too. All you need to do to make a basic rice bag sensory toy is fill a plastic bag with rice, millet, or dried beans.

You can also add some small toys. Close the bag and tape it shut. Your kids will be able to play with the contents of the bag and discover the new toys.

Give Them A Task / Job

Have a lengthy to-do list that needs tackling? It might seem like the easiest solution is to park your kid in front of the television so you can get some work done, but actually, the opposite is true.

An easier solution might be to give your child his or her own task or small job to complete! The key here is giving your child a task that they can handle - it needs to be one that is appropriate for the age and developmental level of your child.

If you have very young children, for example, you might ask them to set the table while you make dinner. If you have older children, they might be able to sweep the floor, take out the trash, or cut up some vegetables.

Giving your child a task to complete will not only make him or her feel more invested in the day’s work, but it will also keep them entertained. It will also build responsibility and a respect for the work it takes to keep a household up and running!

Another good task to have your children complete? Kill two birds with one stone - “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” by having your kids prepare their own snacks! You can get kid-safe kitchen utensils to make sure everybody stays safe, too.

If you’re feeling bold, you might even try giving your child a super big, important task to accomplish. For example, you might try telling your kids that Grandma’s birthday is coming up, so they need to make a really nice, super special birthday card. If your child feels like the task really matters, they’ll likely spend more time on it and won’t complain about working by themselves.

Create an Idea Box

Again, you can get your child involved in his or her own boredom satiety by coming up with ideas for what to do when they are bored. Often, the problem isn't that there’s nothing to do - it’s that your child can’t think of anything to do.

Bust the boredom by brainstorming ideas for what can be done the next time your child is bored. Make sure this is an active brainstorming session that involves both you and your child, so that they feel as though their suggestions are heard. Write down their ideas, and put them in an empty box.

The next time you hear your children complaining that they are bored, invite them to open up the idea box. Have them pick out a suggestion. Since the suggestion will be one that they created, they’ll be more likely to actually give it a try.

Design a Treasure Hunt

It’s kind of like hide and go seek, but with tokens!

Making your own treasure hunt for your child to try is a great way to keep them entertained. It’s pretty simple, too. All you need to do is hide something valuable, like a chocolate coin, a sticker, or a small toy, somewhere in the house. Give your child a few cues, and let them run around trying to find it.

The harder it is to find (age-appropriate, of course) the better you’ll improve your child’s resilience. It will also help them find things without necessarily calling to you for help - another bonus if you’re trying to instill responsibility!

If you want to make things a little more complicated, a good idea is to create a scavenger hunt. You can make an elaborate list, or you can just give your kids a basic list of items that they need to find.

For example, you could say, “Find me something that is blue.” Your children will have a great time finding all of the items on your list - especially if you attach some kind of reward to finding a certain number of items on the list.

Encourage Outdoor Play

One of the best ways to keep your kids busy is to get them outdoors. After all, that’s how we stayed entertained as kids!

Of course, you’ll want to make sure they stay close enough where you can call them and keep an eye on them, especially if they’re young. Otherwise, let them use their own imagination to keep themselves entertained. Whether that’s with a soccer ball or just a stick, the options are endless!

Don’t forget the value of getting other kids in the mix, either. Hosting a playdate is a wonderful way for you to get some work done - although it sounds like the opposite would be true. After all, wouldn’t having more kids at your house mean you’re going to be even more frazzled?

However, kids that are five or six can easily play together without an adult intervention. As long as you're able to keep a watchful eye on the play date while you’re doing other tasks, you should be able to keep the kids entertained with minimal intervention. Just make sure you set some ground rules so everyone stays safe!

Build a Fort

This is a fun activity to help keep your kids busy, and it can be done both indoors and outside. All you need to do is give your kids a few pillows, a blanket, and perhaps some cardboard boxes. Give them some ground rules, like they can only build a fort on the couch or they can only use the dining room table.

There's no child on earth that will turn down the opportunity to create a super secret, kid-only fort! Plus, they’ll be more likely to play independently once they get inside the fort, so it’s a win-win all around.

Listen to an Audiobook

Kids Learning Activity Listen to Audiobook

If you’re dying for some quiet time but really don’t want to turn on the television set, you might want to give audiobooks a try. Listening to an audiobook is a great way to keep your child entertained without necessarily gluing them to a screen.

Simply pick up a few audio versions of your child’s favorite books. Let them sit down and turn the pages while a friendly voice reads aloud. If you’re having trouble finding recordings of your favorite books, simply use your cell phone to make one yourself.

Exercise

Let’s not overlook the value of a nap! Your kids should be napping until they are at least four years old - and while napping habits change frequently, they offer you a good chunk of time in which you can get things done.

What’s a good way to convince your kids that it’s time to take a nap? Tire them out! While a child that is mentally or emotionally drained might not be willing to take a nap - and will instead act out in frustrating and unpredictable ways - one that is physically exhausted is going to crash eventually.

Make sure your kids get plenty of exercise by encouraging them to play outside and run around. You don't necessarily need to schedule in formal exercise - but if your kids keep complaining that they are bored and have all kinds of extra energy to burn off, maybe the solution to the boredom is to do just that - burn it off!

Have Messy Mixing Time

If you have one of those kids that loves pulling everything out of the kitchen cupboards and making an unholy mess out of it, you might want to give messy mixing time a try. It’s a great way to keep your kids entertained, since they’ll embrace the opportunity to be messy indoors - without even getting in trouble!

All you need to do is lay a tarp or dropcloth down on the floor. Provide your child with some ingredients that they can be mixed together, along with a few mixing bowls. Then let them go wild! That’s all there is to it.

You don’t need to get super messy, leaving your house in shambles, to enjoy arts and crafts, either. There are a few easy ways to keep your children entertained that won’t require you to repaint all of your living room walls!

For example, why not have your children make their own cartoons? All you need to do is give them some paper and crayons and invite them to draw you a story that includes its own heroes and bad guys. When they’re done, they can return to you and tell you how the story goes.

You could also have your child make a sculpture out of things like cardboard, pipe cleaners, or Styrofoam. As long as it’s kid-friendly, it can be used in art!

These sorts of projects not only help to build your child’s fine motor and artistic skills, but it also will allow them to exercise their imagination and creativity.

Grow a Garden

Growing a garden is another great way to get your kids involved in coming up with their own things to do. The best part about growing a garden is that it requires constant attention, so you’ll never have a shortage of potential tasks.

Another benefit of having your kids grow a garden? You won’t have to worry about getting them to eat their vegetables- once they’ve grown their own, they’ll likely pounce on the opportunity to do so!

The key here is to start small. Give your child just one small plant to tend to, or grow a small pizza herb garden. It’s also a great way to explain how plants grow and nature works to your kids, too.

Helpful Kids Learning Tips To Keep Them Entertained During Social Distancing Times

In a perfect world, you’d have a detailed menu of kids learning activities that are not only incredibly exciting, but also mentally enriching. This menu of kids activities and things to do with kids would consume the entire day, leaving both you and your children feeling satisfied and fulfilled by dinnertime.

Unfortunately, that’s not reality. There are plenty of ways you can keep your kids entertained while also allowing them to learn new skills and concepts. You just need to get creative!

Once your kids try one or two of these creative activities, they’ll not only satiate their quick attention spans but they'll also learn new ways to keep themselves busy, too.

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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