Snow days and rainy days no longer have to feel impossible when it comes to entertaining your kids. These 50+ indoor activities for kids at home will keep them occupied for days on end!
If you’re stuck inside all day, it can feel impossible to keep the entire family entertained and not screaming at one another. But staying indoors doesn’t mean that your day has to be boring or stressful!
These 50+ indoor activities with kids will serve as fantastic boredom busters, great rainy day activities or fun snow day activities for kids. The best part is these are mostly inexpensive or even free indoor activities for kids at home so you don’t have to spend a fortune to get through these long days!
Table of Contents
Indoor Activities for Kids: Games to Play
Play board games
Board games are a classic indoor activity for kids and adults. Depending on the age of your family members, certain board games may be more fitting than others. If you’re looking for family-friendly board games that can work with little kids, a few of our favorites are below:
Play Simon Says
Simon Says is the perfect indoor activity for kids and adults if you have at least 3 people (but the more, the better!) Designate one person as Simon and that person must say commands in two forms:
- “Simon says jump”
- “jump”
If Simon says “Simon says jump”, the other participants must jump. But if Simon just says “jump” without saying “Simon says”, participants should not jump. Participants that do jump are out. And the game continues until everyone is out. Then you can start over with a new Simon.
Play Follow The Leader
If you’re looking for active indoor activities for younger kids, Follow
Play Freeze Dance
Freeze Dance is a fun, active indoor activity for kids. Play a song and when the music stops, you freeze. If you want to make it competitive, add in chairs to the mix. Have one less chair than there are participants (so if five people are playing, then have four chairs) and remove one after each round until there only one chair and two people remain.
Play I Spy
I Spy is a ton of fun outdoors, but you can still make this game fun inside the home. I Spy can be played a variety of ways, but there are two common ways: one spy or alternating spies.
If playing with one spy, all they need to do is say “I spy, with my little eye, something that is…” and then pick an
- Color
- Height
- Weight
- Texture
- The first letter of the object
- A word that rhymes with the object
- How it’s used
From there, the other participant(s) try to guess the item. If no one is guessing the item from the first clue, the spy can say another clue. Here’s an exa
- I spy, with my little eye, something that’s white
- I spy, with my little eye, something that’s round
- I spy, with my little eye, something with numbers on it
And so on until someone guesses it. Then repeat until you switch spies.
Play a card game
Card games are a great activity for families and kids when you’re in need of simple rainy day activities, especially if you’re out camping. Whether it’s Rummy, Go Fish, Spades, or any other variety of card game – you can find the rules to the most common card games online.
Play Red Light, Green Light
Red Light, Green Light is similar to Simon Says and it is a great indoor activity for kids that have a lot of energy. Everyone starts at the starting line and someone goes to what will be the finish line. The person at the finish line says “green light” for participants to go and “red light” for participants to stop. The person that gets to the finish line first wins.
To keep things interesting, saying “red light” a few times in a row can throw people off a bit. You can also say “green light” then “red light” pretty quickly so they don’t make it far.
Play The Floor is Lava
If you haven’t played this fun indoor game, you’re missing out! The simple version of this family-
There is also a board game version to play.
Play don’t let the balloon drop
This indoor game for kids is fun and easy because the name is pretty self-explanatory. Everyone has a balloon and the goal is to not let it hit the ground. Kick it, hit it, knee it – just keep it off the floor. The last one with the balloon in the air wins.
Another twist on this game is a less competitive version that focuses more on cooperation with one balloon. Make it everyone’s job to keep the balloon off the floor so this family-focused game is fun for all!
Do a stuffed animal toss
Ball toss or stuffed animal toss, doesn’t matter. The goal is to simply throw something into something else. Use a clean garbage basket, laundry bin, or cardboard box as the basket and something semi-soft as the
You can keep this fun snow day activity simple or step it up a notch by playing a version of HORSE to make it more interesting for the older kids.
Play indoor bowling
If you’re looking for an inexpensive activity for kids that can be played indoors and outdoors, indoor bowling is a great option. You can get a fun bowling set or make your own with plastic soda bottles (big or small) and a ball. If you need to create gutter rails for the more inexperienced, you can use walls, blankets, or furniture.
Pillowcase races
This super simple indoor game for kids just requires one thing: pillowcases! Just have the kids step in at a starting line, hold the pillowcase up to their waist, and then hop to the finish line. First one there wins!
Play indoor hopscotch
Have some colored masking tape? You’ve got all that you need to play indoor hopscotch! Create the boxes for hopscotch with the tape and set your kids free for this active indoor game. Just be sure they’re clear of anything breakable if their balance isn’t stellar!
Do a scavenger hunt inside the house
Scavenger hunts may traditionally be an outside activity for kids, but it doesn’t mean that they have to stay that way. Compose a list of items in the house for your kids to find and send them on their search. You can make it easy (with things in plain sight) or more difficult (with things you might find in drawers or cabinets.)
You can also use this treasure hunt game both indoors and out!
Play hide and seek
This classic indoor game is perfect for families. It’s free to do and can be played by even the youngest of kids with a little help from an older kid or adult. Decide on one person and the seeker and the rest go hide. Count to 10 and then seek!
Play the flour game
So the flour game can get kind of messy. But the fun that’s had by everyone that plays is SO worth it. It’s also super simple to do so if you’re looking for something quick to put together with a supply you likely already have on hand, this is it.
Play post office
Playing post office is a super fun indoor activity for younger kids. This is a fun play station and can easily take up a whole rainy day if you want it to. You could even have your kids write letters and then actually mail them out when you’re done playing!
Indoor Activities for Kids: Craft Ideas
Make slime
Whether you want to make edible slime or fluffy slime, there is a slime recipe for just about any theme you could imagine. With just a few ingredients (that you probably already have on hand), slime is a great hands-on indoor activity for kids.
Cardboard coloring
Those big cardboard boxes that you get your 1-day shipping in can come in handy for an easy rainy day activity for kids! Pull out the markerts and crayons and set them free to color the cardboard boxes. If they’re in need of inspiration to get started, you can suggest creating a city and using the different boxes for different buildings in the city.
Melt crayons
This is a super fun craft activity for kids to entertain them indoors. Depending on the ages of your kids, parental supervision may be required. Whether you want to melt crayons into different shapes and colors or create an entire art piece with crayons, melting leftover or unused crayons is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Create paper airplanes
This is a fun family indoor activity that doesn’t require many skills or supplies. See all of the different ways to fold a paper airplane and compete to see who chooses the best design for the longest glide.
Finger painting
While this is one of the easier indoor activities with toddlers, you’re never too old to do a little finger painting. Just grab some finger paints, your canvas, and have fun! You can also use these finger painting books for creative ideas to make with paint:
Paintbrushes or cotton balls work for those who don’t want to get their fingers messy, too!
Make air dry clay magnets
I love these air dry clay magnets because kids of all ages can make these personalized crafts. You don’t need very many supplies for this indoor craft project which makes it even better. If you have any air dry clay left, you can make these DIY seed bombs.
Learn a new skill
If you’re in need of fun indoor activities for families, learning a new skill together can be a very memorable one! Did you know there are hundreds of things you can learn on CreativeLive? These courses are great for families to take together! You can learn photography, crafts, and more. Some classes are discounted or free from time to time as well.
Make moon sand
Moon sand is a great snow day activity for kids, especially because it only needs two ingredients. It can be a little bit messy, but a tablecloth or
Make hand puppets
Hand puppets with paper or paper bags are fun rainy day activities for toddlers and even older kids. You can make sock puppets, too. Add in some pom-poms, felt, googly eyes, buttons, or ribbon and you’ve got plenty to accessorize your puppets. Use the cardboard box you colored for a stage and come up with some fun songs or stories to perform.
Coloring books
If you’re looking for a calm indoor activity that is relaxing for kids and adults, coloring is the way to go. There are plenty of coloring books that are kid and adult friendly, especially if you’re a fan of Disney movies.
Learn origami
Origami is an inexpensive rainy day activity for kids. You can find plenty of origami tutorials online and it just requires a bit of paper.
Create a sensory bin
Sensory bins may generally be for smaller kids, but you can make these into an entertaining indoor activity for kids of all ages. Ideas on how to make it fun for older kids include:
- Using blindfolds and making them guess the things within the sensory bin.
- Using food as part of the sensory bin and have them feel, smell, or even taste it to guess what it is.
If you’re in need of sensory bin ideas, consider making this shark sensory bin or beach sensory tray.
Make story stones
Story stones are basically storytelling rocks and they’re a great outdoor and indoor activity with kids. You can use story stones in a variety of ways so that they keep your kids entertained for hours!
You can easily use this rock painting kit to get started with painting your stones.
Make playdough
I think most kids will always say yes to playing with playdough. (I know a lot of adults that won’t turn down molding shapes and crushing out noodle shapes, too.) You can easily make your own playdough, too.
Make a sticky spider web
This spider web activity is fun for kids of all ages and is another great use for that colored masking tape. You can easily put it together or have the kids set it up themselves!
Make personalized marbled mugs
If you’re looking for the perfect snow day activity, these marbled mugs are it. Make your favorite cup of tea or hot cocoa to go along with it!
Indoor Activities for Kids: Build Something
Build with Legos or blocks
I’m a pretty firm believer that the only bad experience people have with Legos is stepping on them. So this indoor activity for kids is pretty high up on my list, especially when you’re looking for something that can occupy kids (and adults!) for hours.
If you want something different to do with Legos, try building a Lego city.
Make a fort
Forts make all of these other indoor activities more fun for kids. Grab your comforters, extra pillows, and even
Double up on the activities and bring one of these other kid-friendly indoor activities into the fort to make it even more enjoyable.
Build an obstacle course
Obstacle courses can be a fun way to entertain kids indoors and can be relatively simple to set up. Use couch cushions, tape lines, stepping stones, hula hoops, tables, chairs, etc to set up your obstacles. Have kids roll, crawl, jump, walk (sideways or
Brain flakes
These might be up there with Legos for engaging indoor activities for kids. Brain Flakes are really engaging to put together to make a huge variety of things. Not only do they come with a sheet of things you can put together, but you can also head to their website to see ideas for other things you can build. They show you the difficulty levels for all of their projects as well.
Picasso Tiles
You’ve tried Legos and the Brain Flakes were cool, but now you’re looking for something magnetic. Picasso Tiles are the answer! If you’re looking for indoor activities with kids that use their imagination, these are it. The possibilities of what you can build are endless with these magnetic building tiles.
Make a ball pit
All you need to buy are the balls! You can use a bathtub, small pool, cardboard box, pack n’ play, and more as the base. Fill it up and let the kids dive in. For added fun, place a slide that ends in the ball pit for them to slide into it.
Cardboard boxes
If you only colored the boxes earlier, now is the time to put these cardboard boxes to
Indoor Activities for Kids: Everything Else
Play dress-up
It doesn’t matter if you have a trunk full of costumes for this kid-friendly indoor activity. You can easily let your kids run wild with some of your clothes! Let them wear your socks as sleeves, shirts as dresses, and more. Don’t forget the shoes, too!
Read books
One of the best rainy-day activities for kids is reading. Need some new books? Head to the local library, check out Libby, subscribe to
Want to do something new with your current books? Pick a theme and only read books around that theme. Then make a craft, activity, or meal related to the theme. It’s a great way to get bigs and littles involved in one easy and inexpensive indoor activity for kids.
Listen to a podcast
Family-friendly or kid-friendly podcasts are a great way to spend a rainy day. Podcasts
Plan a vacation
This indoor activity requires very little other than imagination. Encourage your kids to dream up their perfect vacation. Get serious about it and have them write it down to help you actually plan a vacation in the future. Or get silly with it and have them plan ridiculous things (like vacationing to the moon with a giraffe in a bathtub.)
Watch a movie
This is one of the easiest indoor activities for kids. But if you’re looking to do more than just pop in a movie and be done with it, here are a few ideas:
- Pick a theme and only watch movies around that theme (similar to the reading indoor activity idea)
- Search on Google for movies that have activity guides/sheets for them. Some are free, some cost money. But it can be an educational way to spend the day.
- If you’re up for combining some fun indoor activities for kids, then consider reading a book and watching the movie that goes with it. Some of the same movie activity guides will compare and contrast the book and the movie so you can discuss the differences.
Bake something
Baking is a great way to teach science, but it’s also a delicious way to spend a rainy day. Take suggestions from your kid(s) to see what types of things they would like to make or consider one of these items:
Another fun way to bake is to allow everyone to decorate or add ingredients to their own item. Choose one item, like cupcakes or cookies, and bake a flavor that they would all like. Then let everyone decorate their own.
Play a video game
Video games are great indoor activities for families. You can find plenty of family-friendly video games for a variety of ages from kids to adults.
Put a puzzle together
If you’re looking for an indoor activity to keep kids busy all day long, find a big puzzle from their favorite movie. It’s also a great rainy day activity for families if you want to all work together to put a puzzle together. If you have younger ones that won’t do as well with a larger puzzle, get a smaller wooden puzzle for toddlers that they can do alongside you.
Have a tea party
Real tea or imaginary tea, tea parties can be fun for all ages. Younger kids may love imaginary tea parties that
Have a pillow fight
Pillow fights can be a great way to have fun inside and get out a little frustration, too. Be sure to set some rules for this kid-friendly indoor activity. Soft pillows are a must and you might want to recommend places that are safe to aim for.
Trampoline time
One of our absolute favorite indoor activities with kids is trampoline time. This trampoline for kids can be used inside and outside and doesn’t take up too much room. Put on some music and let them jump until their energy has been expended!
Have a dance party
Dance parties are a great way to liven up a dreary rainy day or cold snowy day. Let everyone take turns putting songs on a playlist and hit play then everyone dances it out.
Sing karaoke
All you need is a makeshift mic and your phone or the TV for this fun kid indoor activity. Either look up the lyrics or find videos on YouTube with the lyrics for your favorite songs and have them on low or mute then sing your heart out.
Go camping indoors
What’s the next best thing to going camping in the great outdoors? Camping in your living room, of course! This family indoor activity is great because it’s free of bugs and the bathrooms aren’t 5+ minutes away.
You can easily make one of these campfire foods in your backyard or on the grill, make some S
If you’ve tried all of these indoor activities for kids and you’re still ready to pull your hair out, here’s a few bonus ways to entertain your kids indoors!
First, check out some of these boredom busters for kids books:
Then you can head over to Google and search “indoor activities for kids near me.” You might find a new museum, indoor play space, or class for kids that you didn’t know about! This is the perfect way to find indoor activities on a rainy day if you’re determined to get out of the house.
Next time you’re stuck inside with the kids, you’ll be able to use these easy indoor activities for kids to maintain a happy home!
Make sure you always have these indoor activity ideas on hand and pin them to your favorite board below!
You might also like: