12 awesome activities to try with your kids
/A dozen easy and fun ways to keep your children busy
Fun and easy ideas for kids that will keep them entertained
If you are looking for some awesome (and easy!) activities to do with your kids, or to keep them busy on their own, then you are in the right spot.
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How to keep your kids busy
Isn’t it funny how things change? In a previous post about how to work from home with your kids around, I shared links to six fun activities that our kids are doing online. Now they’ve all but dropped off our radar! We’ve moved on to different things.
Having weekly school activities being sent our way probably has a lot to do with that. And the weather is getting better—though, we built a snowman last Wednesday and on Sunday the kids got a sun burn so what season is it? Either way, we’ve been outside more than we ever have before.
We inherited a bunch of hand-me down lego and puzzles from my nieces that have kept the girls busy as well. Still, when there are hours and days to fill, there are never too many activities to have in mind to keep children busy, engaged, and entertained.
I’ve curated a list of a dozen activities to keep kids busy and entertained and to help the day go by. If you’re in search of ideas, search no more!
BONUS: I have a fun printable download for you! There is a word search proudly made by Anna—from my kid, to yours!
1. Puzzles
We’ve never been a huge puzzle family but the girls got one for Easter. One evening we all sat down to work on it as a family. It was really fun. The girls were so proud and excited that we finished a 100 piece puzzle in ‘just one night.’ We also recently discovered the concept of family-style puzzles. They are made of small, medium, and large pieces so there’s a way for kids of all ages to easily participate and not get frustrated. Then we finished a 400-piece ice cream puzzle. The kids whipped their pieces together and I spent (too much) time over the next three days finishing the rest. Once in a while one of them would walk by, pick up a piece, and slot it right into the correct position.
In HRM, Woozles Children’s Bookstore is offering curb side delivery. They have lots of cute puzzles in stock, like this night time scene that we have. There are many different family-style puzzles available on Amazon.
Find a safe place to lay out a puzzle, wherre the kids can come and go to work on it until it’s complete #kidsathome #creativekids #puzzles
2. Create a colour wheel
I’m stealing this idea from a suggested Sparks activity that came home last week, though we’ve done this before. Have the kids run around and find items of every colour of the rainbow. Group them in order of a colour wheel or an actual rainbow. This sounds simple, but the kids loved doing it. Make it a bigger challenge by setting a timer.
Bonus: we followed this kids activity up by reading How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney, drawing rainbow pictures, and then going for a nature walk in search of rainbows, flowers, and bees.
at home art lessons wiith a DIY colour wheel #DIYcolourwheel #rainbowcolours #coloursoftherainbow #creativekids
3. Colouring
This is a creative activity that we come and go from. The crayons, coloured pencils, and markers are always in reach along with a stack of paper and colouring books. It’s a great activity for when we need to fill in a bit of time (before supper or bed or while I clean up the 747th snack, for example). Other times we crank some tunes and settle in to colour away. It’s a pretty chill and calming activity. I also printed off this Halifax Wanderers colouring book which the girls were pumped about. This also came in handy when decorating for Matt’s birthday!
colouring is a calming activity for kids and adults alike #kidsathome @colouringbooks #stayathomeactivities
4. School work → Scholastic projects
So hear me out. Anna loves schoolwork. “School” is one of her top choices of play on any given day. So we welcome the reading suggestions, videos, spelling games, writing prompts, etc. Don’t worry, she also plays outside and plays pretend and we bake and have screen time too. There are many hours to fill, people!
Anna really loves working her way through these Scholastic projects online. They’re fairly self-directed too. Read the book, see a story, watch the educational video, and then a suggested activity (usually writing or a craft) all packaged together for you. It’s free of charge, with no sign-ups, logins, or passwords required.
a girl after my own heart. Kid loves school and will play it all day #kidsathome #homeschooling #keepkidsbusy #indooractivities
5. DIY play-doh
So I’ve made play-doh before. But the most recent time we made it, there was a disastrous mess! I don’t know what went wrong. We followed the recipe. Then there was a mixer explosion...food dye everywhere… I’m really presenting this activity well aren’t I? So we added a little more of this, a little more of that, until we got the consistency we wanted. I wiped up the mess and the kids had a ton of new blue (all outta food dye!) play-doh to play with. They’ve used it a bunch, to play, sculpt and even to build 3D shapes for math. It’s still in great shape over a month later.
6. Water play
Any kind of water activity is a pretty great solution when things start to go sideways. Put them in the bathtub. You can lurk nearby while they splash and play. Let them bathe their toys. My girls take this the whole nine yards and usually end up setting up an entire salon and spa. Their dolls and favourite stuffed animals are REALLY clean these days.
You could also give them a sink full of dishes to wash, a bucket in the backyard, and soon, hopefully soon, we can break out the sprinklers, hoses and kiddie pools.
“Baths have been key as a mood changer when I need my kid off the iPad, and out of my hair. Snacks and popsicles extend bath time!” -my friend J
when you’re kid is cranky, stick them in water for a fresh start! #bathtime #tubtime #wateractivities #keepkidsbusy
7. Stay connected
I’ve joked to my mom friends that suddenly all the six-year-olds in the land are allowed on the Facebook kids messenger app. I don’t think we would have this app if not for the current circumstances. But one day the requests started coming in fast and furious from other parents, requesting Anna to be a contact of their kids. Children can’t get together to play so we discussed it and thought, if it’s all controlled, why not? It’s all through my Facebook account and everything comes in through my phone. The kids all have their own account. She’s only friends with kids of families we know. It’s been a great way for her to feel connected to her pals and kids from her class. I love listening to their (extremely uneventful) video conversations. They all enjoy playing silly online games together and putting funny filters on their faces and sending nonsense messages back and forth (they can draw a picture and the other guesses what it is.) She can also grow and take care of her own little pet, which totally reminds me of my Tamagotchi from back in the day!
My youngest has taken over my Snapchat, which I never use except to send funny pictures back and forth with one friend. I have a handful of contacts, who are really close friends and family. They love getting her hilarious snaps and narrated videos. She might have to start a youtube channel next…
We’ve also been trying to keep up with video calls to stay in touch with grandparents and other family. And sending little video messages to their friends. It feels like such a futuristic way of life, when their “playdate” is hanging out over a screen. But it’s better than nothing. Anna also has one half hour call with her class once a week and she LOVES it. It’s so nice to see their cute little faces all “together”, as chaotic as it gets, and hear what everyone has to share.
Managing my kids virtual schedule is almost as exhausting as our old one! #kidsonline #kidsactivities #stayconnected #stayhome
8. The Great Outdoors
We are spending more time outside than we ever normally could. Now that parks in Nova Scotia are reopened, get out and explore -- just keep your distance! (Because this has come up in a mom chat: stroller-friendly parks around HRM include Frog Pond, Withrod Lake, Hail Pond, Point Pleasant Park, and Hemlock Ravine.)
We’ve been spending an unprecedented amount of time in the front yard, vying for interaction with anyone who comes by. Drinks and snacks on the front steps are now a thing. The kids have been using the driveway and street in front of our house for chalk, biking, and skateboarding more than ever before. They spend a lot of time playing in the backyard too.
“The kids in our neighbourhood also take turns walking around the neighbourhood and leaving notes and pictures for each other with sidewalk chalk. It is really sweet.” -my friend C
The call of the wild…adventure awaits…oh the places you’ll go…when you GET OUTside! #littleexplorers #creativekids #naturewalks #keepkidsbusy
9. Scavenger hunt
This activity can range from a 0 to a 10 on the effort scale, depending on your mood. On one of our walks I told the girls, at complete random, to look for “something old, something new, something funny, something blue.” IDK ok, but it worked! They both took it seriously and did it. They weren’t allowed to find the same things. It kept them on the lookout and Matt and I were actually able to have a conversation together!
This idea is from back in the day when the girls were younger, but I’ve done a super simple hunt where I mark a row of coloured circles on paper, and they need to find items in each colour. Great for younger kids who can’t read. And one day I drew super basic doodles of things I knew they’d come across in the backyard and sent them off on their mission.
going on a scavenger hunt, gonna find a big one, we’re not scared, what a beautiful day! #kidsactivities #indooractivities #outdooractivities
10. Budding photographers
We have a nice camera collecting dust in a drawer. We really should dig it out again and re-learn how to properly use it. It takes nice photos but of course so does the iPhone, and it’s so much easier to grab the phone and snap a pic. One day we went for a walk and while I carried my phone, I let the girls request use of the camera whenever they wanted. The task was to take pictures of nature. They snapped photos of every flower, shrub, and cool looking tree on our route. This extended our time outside, kept them busy, and they were so proud of their work. They took it very seriously. Now what to do with the 83 images on my camera roll….
11. Structure play
A friend of mine bought a ball pit for her living room. Her girls are quite young (ages 18 months and three) so you can imagine how magical it’s been for them. She says it’s brutal but also the best money she’s spent in awhile. She’d put up a bouncy castle if it would fit. I’ve also seen a rise in newly acquired trampolines and play sets for the backyard. Makes sense, the playgrounds are closed so bring the playground to you!
However, building those play sets can be quite the endeavour. An obstacle course is also quite fun and you can build one using anything you have around. You can make an obstacle course inside or outside.I can’t take any credit but Matt built a fun course for the girls using firewood, wooden boards, rocks, chalk, etc.. He had them hauling stuff back and forth across the lawn, running laps, and he even worked some trivia-style school work into the mix. He won parent-of-the-day!
There’s been a rise in newly acquired backyard trampolines and play sets! DIY obstacle courses are fun too. #backyardadventures #gooutside #kidsactivities
12. Theme days/spirit weeks
We have yet to engage in anything like this, but I’ve seen parents on social media having fun with theme days and spirit weeks. One great idea I’ve seen circulating around is the wear your rainbow challenge, dressing in a different colour of the rainbow each day! Makes for some pretty cute photos. While pyjama days may be pretty standard now, you could switch it up with a dress-up day! Have a costume day, a bad hair day, plaid day, jersey day, twinning day, backwards day. Just don’t worry about take your kids to work day… that’s everyday!
A spirit week may boost their spirits! kids are missing out on an awful lot. Try some school spirit at home. let them make up the themes! fancy dress twinning day anyone? #activitiesforkids #creativekidsactivities #spiritweek
That wraps up my 12 awesome activities to try with your kids. A dozen different ways to keep kids busy and entertained with you, or on their own!
Free download!
Now for the free download I promised you! Anna’s word search. Sure, there are fancy word search game generators online, but this is just a little more personal—and super cute! Print off the image, and give your kids something to do!
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