How to Have Fun When You’re Stuck Inside

Whether it’s a rainy day, a global pandemic, or you just want to spend the day at home inside, there are plenty of fun activities you can use to keep your kids entertained. We know sometimes it can be overwhelming to come up with family activities, but trust us...you don’t have to be Martha Stewart with intricate crafts and organized activities to create a fun, memorable day for your kids! You’re perfectly enough with everything you’ve already got on-hand. 

Here is a collection of some really fun ideas for activities you can do with your family! (Did we mention these will help you keep your sanity??)

Cardboard Box Crafts

Woohoo! All of those leftover boxes from your recent Amazon Prime shipment can be put to good use! Pull out the scissors, heavy tape, and markers and then let your kids get creative! Maybe they want to build a fort, make a robot costume, or a runway stage for their dolls. Let them go wild! 

They’ll be having so much fun, you might even be able to sneak a few minutes in for yourself while they’re busy (winning!) 

Build a fort and tell stories

Grab some blankets and pillows, and set up a fort like you used to as a kid! (Or if you’re really adventurous, pull out the camping tent!) Kids love when their normal environment becomes a little extra special, and they especially love when mom is playing there with them! 

Once you’ve got your fort, grab some snacks and sit together to tell stories. You can read some of your favorite books, take turns telling spooky tales, or even make a game where each person tells part of the story, then the next person continues the story, and so on. This is an especially good activity for slightly older kids to help their creative minds!

DIY Lip Scrubs

Trust us, your kids will LOVE this one (and your lips will too!) You can make an easy homemade lip scrub using equal parts sugar and olive oil (you can substitute the oil if you want with almost any other kind!) Have fun mixing up the ingredients, and experiment adding things like food coloring or essential oils to make your own, personal scrub! 

Just for mama tip: When you're done, swipe on your favorite lip gloss to seal in softness and tell yourself you look gorgeous. You do! 

Make homemade play dough

We love store bought play dough, but sometimes it is just fun to make your own! If you’ve got busy bodies that love to play with their hands, this activity is perfect for them and you can do it with the ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard! 

All you need is flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and olive oil. (tip: food coloring will make it more fun!) You can find the full recipe here. 

Create a galaxy cake (or cupcakes!)

Is anything more fun than baking with mom when you’re a kid? Put a fun twist on a simple cake that’ll make your kids think you’re out of this world! (see what we did there?) 

To make a galaxy cake, just grab a light-colored cake mix (like yellow or white cake), or whip up your own if you want, then split your batter into several bowls. In each bowl, add a few drops of food coloring to create different colors of batter in shades of blue, dark blue, purple, black, or green. You can get creative with your colors! 

Take turns scooping batter from each of the different colors and placing it into a greased pan, and it’s important that you do not mix the colors with each other! Just spoon them in and let them be! Then bake as instructed. Voila! Galaxy cake!

Pro tip: Wear Liplast when eating cake, and no one will have any idea how many slices you’ve had because your lip color will. not. budge. (You’re welcome!)

Break Out The Card Games

Card games are a classic fun activity to break out when you’ve got some time at home! They’re mentally stimulating for little minds and there are so many different games, you can find something suited for all levels. 

Learn About Animals

There are tons of resources to help your kids learn about animals out there, but here are some of our favorite activities to keep your kids entertained!

• Check out the Livecam footage of animals at the San Diego Zoo on their site (many other zoos have this as well!) 
• Google a favorite popular animal, and if it has the option, click “view in 3d” and a 3d model of the animal will appear right in your home on your phone screen for your kids to check out.
• Turn on an animal documentary and ask your kids to give a report about their favorite animal from the show. We recommend Born in China, Great Migrations, and Wild Yellowstone if you’re looking for a program to start!

Create a Scavenger Hunt

This activity is perfect for when you want to help them bust out some energy while keeping them busy so you can take a breather for yourself! Write a list of random items for them to find around the house or the yard, and send them on their way. This is even a great activity for toddlers that can’t read yet, just draw out pictures or have older siblings help them. 

Remember, YOU ARE A COOL, FUN MOM. No matter what your day looks like, you are the best mom for your kids, and they love you. You don’t have to be perfect to be perfect for them. Now go have some fun!