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Indoor Activities for Kids and Families

Rather it's spring break or quarantine here is a fun list of activities for families and kids who are stuck inside & not in school !

By Misha AlslebenPublished 4 years ago 9 min read
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Well Spring break was upon us, and that was originally what this article was for. However nationwide and globally events , sports and schools are being cancelled. Some for only a week or two and others for extended periods such as my kids who are out for 6 weeks and the NBA who has cancelled the entire season.

Leaving the regular adult woes aside of how to work when your kids need childcare or how to pay bills if you can't work ; I wanted to compile a fun list to make the time inside for everyone more enjoyable.

Hopefully by the end of this we can appreciate that multiple agencies , organizations and states took the steps needed to slow the spread of the infection rate so hospitals are less likely to reach capacity and have overflow issues like Italy and other countries did.

Now I'm not a medical professional though I use to want to be and became very close. So I wont be offering any medical advice , I will however encourage you to remain as calm as you can, especially in front of your kids,and as store shelves start emptying while people are buying due to panic and encourage what most health professionals are encouraging which is wash your hands more often and thoroughly.Take this extra time to remind younger kids of the importance of it as well.

Our kids will be watching us close during this time and we are there security place.

If we are panicking and upset they are going to mirror that panic and be upset as well which makes this time more stressful than it needs to be, so take this time and do what you can. Take it day by day and keep important or upsetting discussions for after they're in bed unless you feel you need to prepare them for upcoming changes.

Enough about the doom and gloom though , lets get to the fun stuff, because let's face it a two week or six week gap off from school wasn't completely planned and a lot of place's including libraries are closed or are closing.

Activity 1 - Think of The Future- Make Your Summer Bucket List.

This is a great activity for Middle and High School Students to do solo but can also be turned into a fun family activity for people with younger kids. Give each child a piece of paper markers crayons or even paint and let them use their imagination to decorate it and add in hopeful bucket list summer adventures for 2020. It doesn't have to be fancy or long it can be short or sweet or encourage them to spend hours on it. Who knows maybe they will get to check it all off .

Summer Bucket list example from Pinterest

Activity 2 Paper Tunnels - Great for Little's

It only takes a few minutes to tape paper tunnels to the floor, then you are ready to start rolling! These are also fun to use with cars and trains. You can also order Road tape from amazon and add in your own racetrack or build a city together !

Image from https://www.toddlerapproved.com

Activity 3 - Bubble Painting

Follow this link to the fun Early Learning Ideas . com and soak up the fun that's called bubble painting. This is honestly a fun project for kids of all ages . Little's that might still need a little help and teenagers who want to make some fun stationary for their personal use!

Activity 4 Something Everyone Needs Right Now- Stress Balls

Follow this creative link to learn how to make the cutest anti stress balloon balls you've ever held. Pick from your favorite emoji or get a black balloon and call it a ninja stress ball. Little kids love to squeeze them and adults definitely need to have one handy at least sometimes. Have fun and make 1 or make all 25 that are in the package.

Activity 5 Shark Bait Ooo A-Ha!

Get some cardboard and cut out a big shark head. Cut out a spot for his mouth and have your kids glue on some vicious looking teeth then let them loose cutting out fish and make a game of it ! How many fish can they sink into the shark ?

Activity 6 Egg Geode's

Why not have a little science with our fun?

Make Egg Geodes ! I don't think this really has a age limit. It might not be enough to keep a 3 year old entertained but it'll be fun !

Crystal Egg Geodes

Materials Needed:

3-4 Raw Eggs

Craft Glue

Epsom Salt

Food Coloring

Small Containers

Small Paint Brush

Toothpick

Water

Small Pot and Stove

Small Screw Driver (optional)

To make your egg geode, carefully crack your egg at the narrow end. It may be easier to do this by tapping the end with a small screw driver.

Slowly widen the hole in the egg until it is a little larger than a quarter.

Empty the contents of the egg into a bowl. You can use it later to bake some fabulous muffin recipes with the kids.

Rinse the egg shell out. Then gently rub your finger around the inside to remove the egg’s membrane.Once the membrane is removed, turn the egg upside down on a paper towel and let it dry completely before the next step.

If you want, you can dye the egg shell before letting it dry. We dyed our eggshells separately and then added a second color for the crystals later.

Once the shells are dry, use a paint brush to coat the entire inside of the shells with a thin layer of craft glue.

Sprinkle Epsom salts onto the glue, shaking off any excess. This will act as a starter to help grow your crystals in your homemade geode.

Let the glue dry completely.

Once the glue is dry, boil 1 cup of water.

Remove the water from the heat source and stir ins 1/2 cup of Epsom salt. Stir it until it s completely dissolved.

Continue stirring in 1-2 tablespoons of salt at a time until it not longer dissolves. Your super-saturated solution should be thicker that water when you stir it. Place each hollow egg in a small container. (You could also use a Styrofoam egg carton for this part.)

Use a small ladle to fill each egg with your super-saturated salt solution.

Add a drop or two of food coloring and stir it with a toothpick.

Place the egg shells somewhere where they won’t be disturbed. (We put ours on top of our refrigerator to keep the cat from messing with them.)

Check your egg experiment daily, and use a toothpick to break any thin solid layers that may form on top. You want the water to be able to evaporate!

After a few days, the water will evaporate, leaving behind beautiful homemade geodes!

Activity 7 Family Movie/Video Game Marathon

Pick a series of movies and have a marathon ! if that doesn't work for mom dad grandma or whoever the adult in charge is give the kids a video game marathon. I guarantee there will be no complaints and may even become their fondest memory.

Activity 8 Self Worth Posters

This is something that you can do anytime with kids that are pretty much any age but I think 6 and up would be the best!

Save these head silhouettes then work with your child or teen and fill the head in with I AM at the top then let them pick words. Examples are ----> I am - resilient, creative, energetic , supportive , kind, a good friend, calm,empowered , worthy and more! Have fun with it and it helps them build self worth and self esteem.

Activity 9 Sharpie Shoes - For the whole family

This ones for everyone! Little's and Big's can do it and Parents can too!

Order white shoes from Walmart or amazon in everyone's sizes get some sharpies too and rubbing alcohol then get to the fun !

You'll find more directions and samples over at funlovingfamilies . com!

Activity 10 - Let's make mistakes to learn from

Have your kids ever done something and immediately afterward said something like " I'm the worst kid ever!" Let's help curve that with this fun activity . A beautiful oops . Simply right click on this image and save it to print out or draw your own and let them color in why a oops is ok . My favorite answer is because we learn from our oops ! This is another activity that's good for both younger and older kids! This activity helps kids feel more secure to tell their parents when they have made a mistake, and also builds a growth mindset !

Activity 10 Bake and Bake some more

Baking and cooking both have a surprising thing involved that most of us don't think about. Math and Science ! They are great ways to keep us busy and have fun while also learning.

This is a great way to teach fractions and they get a tasty reward afterward. Don't limit yourself to desserts either ! Pick up a new recipe and try something else. Like Breakfast cookies ! Our favorite are carrot cake breakfast cookies they are yummy and soft! Science plays a roll because like with breads if we don't add certain ingredients we don't get our desired results great examples for this include breads with yeast , rolls and even cookies, have you ever seen a cookie with no baking soda or rising agent? They don't turn out so great, which is also a wonderful learning experience and relates back to how a oops can be beautiful!

This is more of a resource more than a activity however it contains tons of great information to keep your teens busy without a screen.

Activity 11 Squirt Gun Painting

Buy this bulk package of squirt guns from amazon and grab some paper or canvas and load up the squirt guns with food coloring and water or watered down paint and let them squirt . A fun variance is to print out free silhouette images from google cut them out and tape them down with double sided tape and let them squirt their photo then take off the taped silhouette once dry. Creates gorgeous artwork and even funner memories. You can add even more fun and buy white t shirts and non toxic clothing dye and let them do it to their clothes!

Hopefully this gives everyone some ideas on how to fill this extra time with their kids being home. Like I said in the beginning rather is spring break or you're being effected by the corona virus shut down and quarantines these are fun activity's to fill your time and keep kids busy.

Check back soon for other fun activities, games , recipes and more ! Thanks for reading and if you share double thanks ! Happy 2020 Spring Break and Quarantine!

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About the Creator

Misha Alsleben

Wife & Mom Fueled by ;

Caffeine & Gratitude, when I’m not writing you’ll find me raising awareness about our planet’s needs , in the kitchen ,outside with the family, taking photos or in a bookstore.

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