10 Exciting Ways to Entertain Kids Indoors
Published 17 May 2024 at 12:51
Tickikids Blog Dubai > After-School Activities > 10 Exciting Ways to Entertain Kids Indoors
There isn't a parent in the world who hasn't faced the question of how to keep their child entertained at home, especially after the recent lockdown experience. Whether it's the weekend, school holidays, or inclement weather keeping you indoors, or perhaps your little one has caught a cold at an inconvenient time, or maybe you've simply decided to enjoy a cosy and unhurried day at home. Alternatively, friends may have come over to visit your child, and you need to come up with activities to keep the lively group occupied. The goal remains the same: channelling boundless children's energy into constructive and peaceful activities! In this article, we'll explore a variety of ways to spend time at home. Fantastic home activities encompass engaging in fun online learning through educational videos, conducting exciting science experiments, and simply enjoying bedtime stories or a cozy movie night with your kids! TickiKids offers another 10 ideas for enjoyable, engaging, and beneficial activities suitable for both the youngest and teenagers!
Obstacle course
Setting up a homemade obstacle course is a fantastic way to help toddlers and young children develop their gross motor skills while also burning off some energy. Set up the obstacle course in as many rooms as you’re comfortable with, to keep things varied and interesting. You can transform cardboard boxes into tunnels for the kids to crawl through and tie strings around furniture to create pretend laser beams that kids have to step over or crawl under. Pool noodles also work great for this! It's also so much fun to use indoor stepping stones, pillows, or cushions and invoke the classic "The Floor Is Lava" game rules.
Set up an obstacle course indoors and you’ll have a real family competition by timing each person as they navigate the course, seeing who has the fastest time, and challenging everyone to beat the record. This activity is not only great for physical development but also brings a lot of fun and excitement to indoor playtime!
Sorting
Have you ever noticed that young children often find more fascination in everyday objects like utensils, tools, or even mom's cosmetics, rather than expensive toys? Here's a simple and engaging indoor activity for infants that you can try: sorting! Sorting is a fundamental Montessori practice that parents can easily incorporate into their home environment to promote development.
At home, parents can introduce sorting activities using everyday objects such as buttons, coins from different countries, or kitchen items. Encourage your child to categorise these objects based on different attributes such as colour, shape, texture, or function. You can also gather various types of pasta, lentils, peas, beans, and so forth, and place them in small containers. Then, offer your child a choice of activities: pouring pasta into a narrow-necked bottle, sorting items into different compartments (you can use a silicone mould for ice or candy), or creating shapes like a person or a sun using large pasta pieces (you can start by drawing a silhouette on paper).
Sorting not only serves as a fantastic finger workout for your little one but also enhances their cognitive skills and provides a fun learning experience, helping children enhance their understanding of various concepts such as colour, shape, size, and classification. Just be sure to supervise closely to prevent any small objects from ending up in your baby's mouth!
Home Theatre
Transforming your home into a theatre can be a delightful family activity that cultivates emotions, skills, and imagination! Start this creative journey with even the youngest members of your family. By introducing children to the enchantment of theatrical performance and the joy of role-playing, you lay the groundwork for future home productions. Babies will delight in finger puppetry—craft simple felt puppets together or with older siblings, and create glove puppets for a full puppet show. Behind the sofa can serve as your stage, complete with an audience and a makeshift buffet during intermission. Opt for a storyline based on a beloved fairy tale, and let one child manage multiple characters with ease.
Image Credit: freepik
Shadow Theatre
Harness the magic of shadow theatre by casting playful silhouettes on your walls. With just your hands and a flashlight, you can bring a host of characters to life! Basic figures are easy to master, and once you've mastered the basics, you and your child can let your imaginations soar as you invent your own whimsical characters. Dive into the endless possibilities of shadow play and watch as your creations dance and frolic across the wall!
Video Credit: Sesame Studios
Karaoke
Karaoke isn't just for adults—children can have a blast belting out their favourite tunes right at home! Creating a home karaoke setup for kids is a fantastic way to encourage creativity, boost confidence, and provide hours of entertainment. Choose a wide variety of songs that are suitable for children of different ages and interests. If singing clicks with your family interests you may want to invest in a karaoke machine specifically designed for children or download a karaoke app onto your smartphone. Provide colourful microphones for your kids and add fun props like sunglasses, hats, or feather boas to enhance their performance experience. Karaoke is a joyful example of indoor activity and a great way to bond as a family!
Cooking
Discover a simple recipe that captures your child's imagination—a baked treat, a vibrant salad, or creatively adorned sandwiches. Together, gather the ingredients and involve the children in various tasks they can handle, such as cutting, mixing, rolling out dough, or using cookie cutters.
Transforming your kitchen into a homemade pizza parlour offers a fantastic opportunity for the whole family to collaborate on crafting a quick, colourful, and delicious meal! Even toddlers can join in the pizza-decorating fun. Cut cheese into playful animal shapes or letters, and use tomatoes to create whimsical ladybugs. Encourage the kids to let their imaginations soar as they adorn their culinary creations with edible art!
You can also prepare banana ice cream: take bananas (better a little overripe), cut into thin slices and put them in the freezer. After a couple of hours, take out the fruit and mix in a blender until the mass does not resemble thick sour cream. Dessert can be eaten immediately! Older children can handle the preparation on their own under your watchful eye!
Image Credit: depositphotos
Pet Care
Taking care of a pet independently, such as a hamster or fish, can be a wonderful indoor activity for a child. Not only does it teach responsibility and empathy, but it also provides a sense of companionship and connection with nature.
Help your child set up a suitable habitat for their pet. This could be a spacious cage with bedding, a wheel for exercise, and hiding spots for privacy or a properly sized aquarium or terrarium. Involve your child in decorating the home for a pet and encourage them to establish a daily routine for feeding, cleaning, and interacting with their pet. This knowledge will empower them to be responsible caregivers!
DIY Crafts
Sewing, knitting, and embroidery offer wonderful opportunities for quality time with children! If you have the skills, sharing them with your child can be a rewarding experience. Alternatively, if you've always wanted to learn but never had the chance, why not embark on this creative journey together? Starting together adds an element of fun and shared accomplishment. With manageable tasks, patience, and a good sense of humour, you can navigate through initial challenges and achieve satisfying results. Begin with simple projects like toy clothes, fruit and vegetable bags, reusable shoppers, or decorative pillows to spark creativity and enjoyment!
Image Credit: freepik
Collage
Engaging in collage-making with your kids is not only a fun and educational indoor activity but also a meaningful way to strengthen family ties. It’s an opportunity to create beautiful art while fostering a sense of togetherness and mutual support.
Creating collages helps children express their thoughts, feelings, and creativity. It’s an excellent way to explore different textures, colours, and patterns. Through collage-making, children can develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, learn about composition and visual storytelling and enhance their ability to focus and complete a project.
Select a sturdy base such as cardstock, poster board, or canvas. Collect a variety of materials like coloured paper, magazines, newspapers, fabric scraps, buttons, ribbons, and natural elements like leaves or twigs. Then discuss with your child the theme or idea for the collage: it could be a favourite scene, an abstract design, or a story they want to tell. Cut out shapes, pictures, and patterns, arrange them on the base without glueing to decide on the final layout, then start glueing! Add finishing touches, using markers, glitter, or paint to enhance your family piece of art!
Home Quest
Hosting a quest at home without professional animators is entirely feasible and can be an incredibly engaging activity for children. For kids up to eight years old who are full of energy and enjoy hands-on activities, consider setting up tasks like knocking down hats with clues hung on trees or searching for specific toys hidden among a variety of objects.
Older children may be intrigued by more complex and logical challenges. A straightforward linear quest can be a great option, where each clue leads to the next until participants uncover the final prize. Another option is a quest with locks, where the initial prize is secured behind a code lock. To crack the code, children must solve puzzles, with each solution revealing a digit of the combination.
For little children, opt for simple puzzles, while junior high students may enjoy mathematical problems. Older kids can tackle more intricate challenges such as rebuses, logic puzzles, graphical tasks, or quizzes. You can even incorporate QR codes into the quest—parents don't need to be programmers to create them! Online generators can easily convert pictures or text into QR codes, leading children to clues or hints hidden on web pages accessible via smartphone scans.
With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can craft an exciting and memorable indoor activity that will keep children entertained and engaged from start to finish!
Create lasting memories by staying at home with the kids and engaging in various activities together: glueing, cutting, knitting, crafting, and storytelling! Transform your space into a theatre or organise a contest—no matter the number of children involved, these moments unite the family and create cherished memories. Turn any occasion into a celebration—a homemade theatre performance, a friendly competition, a balcony picnic, or a pizza-making session. With creativity and enthusiasm, you can find countless interesting things to do without ever leaving your home!