60 Indoor Activities at Home for Kids, Tweens and Teens

By

If you have been looking for fun and cheap indoor activities at home for kids of all ages then look no further because these 60 indoor activities at home for kids, tweens and, teens are the perfect solution when you are stuck inside. They will keep your kids entertained for hours.

60 Indoor Activities at Home

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.

When kids are stuck indoors for too long, it’s inevitable that you are going to hear-

“I’m bored.”

“There’s nothing to do.”

Whether they are stuck at home because of a sickness, a rainy day, a snow day, or a school closure, finding ways to keep them occupied and have fun in the process can be a challenge.

Especially if you want to limit their screen time so they are not spending their whole day in front of the television, playing video games, or glued to their phones.

These indoor activities at home are perfect for younger children in elementary school, tweens, and teenagers so they are not spending their whole day on electronic devices.

Being prepared ahead of time when they are stuck indoors with inexpensive, fun and engaging activities will keep everyone happy and less stressed. After all, happier moms mean happier kids.

60 Indoor Activities at Home for Kids, Tweens, and Teens

These indoor activities at home include board games, craft projects, science experiments, and many more ideas that I have divided up into younger kids, tweens and teens.

kids playing with legos

Indoor Activities at Home for Younger Kids (ages 5-8)

 

1.  Make crafts

Craft projects are so much fun for kids. They can also help develop and nurture your child’s creativity. Here are some simple craft projects to try:

2. Board games

Board games are a great way to keep kids occupied when they are stuck at home. It can teach them strategy, how to take turns, share and be a good sport. Some games that we love are:

3. Playdoh

Pull out some playdoh and let your kid’s imagination run wild.  Playdoh is an excellent way to help kids with their fine motor skills.

You can also make some homemade playdough.(Living Well Mom)

4. Build with legos

Legos are the perfect toy to encourage creativity in a child. They can have a competition to see who can build the tallest tower before it falls over.

5. Read a story

There are so many wonderful children’s books. Encourage younger children with simple and easy to read stories like Dr. Seuss books. You can have older kids start reading popular series such as the Magic Tree House books or Junie B. Jones books.

6. Play rock, paper scissors

Rock, paper scissors is a simple game that everyone loves.

7.  Simon says

Looking for a way to get your kids off the couch and become more active. How about a game of Simon says?

8. Make paper airplanes

Paper airplanes are easy to make but if you are unsure a quick search on YouTube will help. You can have a competition to see which airplane flies the furthest.

9.  Make slime

Kids love slime, the messier the better it seems. Here is an easy homemade slime recipe to try:

10. Scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt can keep your kids busy for hours. It will take a little time to prepare but will be worth the smiles and laughter as your kids rush around the house looking for items.

If you want to make it even better, have them snap a picture of the items that they find.

11. Bake cookies

Do your kids enjoy baking? Make some yummy chocolate chip cookies or chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.

Baking is the perfect opportunity to start teaching kids about measurements and how to follow recipes.

12. Hide and Seek

Indoors or outdoors, hide and seek is a popular game among kids. To make it easier for younger kids, divide into teams.

13. Play What Time is it, Mr. Fox?

This is a classic children’s game that younger kids absolutely love. One person is the fox and the others stand across the room asking the time. The fox replies with “4 o’clock” for example and the children step forward 4 steps. They keep asking the fox until he yells midnight and then the children have to run back to where they were to be considered safe before the fox tags them.

14. Build a Fort

Grab some chairs, an old sheet, some pillows, and a blanket to make the perfect, coziest fort for your kids. They can read, tell stories, and play games inside their fort.

15. Fingerpaint

What kid doesn’t like to fingerpaint? Fingerpainting is a wonderful way to teach kids about mixing primary colors.

16. Learn something new

Visit National Geographic Kids to encourage your kids to learn about different types of animals. They have games, quizzes, and videos.

17. Play Card games

Play card games such as Uno or Skip-Bo Junior.

18. Coloring Books

Pull out the crayons and coloring books and spend some time coloring. It improves younger children’s coordination and can be relaxing for older kids.

19. Musical chairs

Play a game of musical chairs. Create a playlist of your children’s favorite music and then grab some kitchen chairs and have some fun together.

20. Play Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light is great for teaching listening skills and learning that green means go and red means stop. It’s similar to “What Time is it, Mr. Fox?” as children move forward as someone yells, “Green Light” and then stops when they yell “Red Light”. The goal is to make it across the finish line first.

kids sitting and lying on bed

 

Indoor Activities at Home for Tweens (ages 9-12)

1. Draw

Have your child grab some paper and colored pencils and draw a picture. You can also visit YouTube to find step by step instructions for beginners to learn how to draw animals and different characters.

2. Play charades

Charades are a fun game for any age. You can print out a list or use the charades word generator at (The Game Gal)

3. Science experiments

If you are looking for some cool science experiments to try with your child. Check out, Science Bob.

You will find a wide range of fun and easy experiments such as how to make ice cream in a bag or they can learn to make rock candy.

4. Learn origami

Origami is creating art out of paper-folding that doesn’t include any other tools such as scissors, or glue. You can visit YouTube to learn easy ways to create origami.

5. Have a dance party

Burn off some energy and have a dance party. Turn on your favorite playlist or ask Alexa to play something and start dancing.

6. Make friendship bracelets

Visit YouTube to learn how to make friendship bracelets. A fun activity for your tween.

7. Play Mad Libs

Have you ever played Mad Libs? It’s an entertaining party game that is sure to make you laugh.  You simply fill in the blanks with random words that usually produce hilarious results.

8. Make a paper fortune teller

A paper fortune teller is easy to make but can be enjoyed for hours.

  • Start with a square piece of paper.
  • Fold the paper in half diagonal to create a triangle.
  • Unfold, then fold the paper in half diagonal the opposite way.  (when you open the paper the fold lines will be an X)
  • Then, fold the paper in half, bottom to top then open.
  • Fold left to right and then open again.
  • Lastly, fold all 4 corners to the center of the paper.
  • Turn the paper over and fold all four corners to the center again.
  • Color the triangles in different colors and then write a fortune under the colors.
  • Fold in half from top to bottom. You should be able to insert fingers to open and close.

After your fortune teller is made, then have someone pick a number between 1-10. You simply open and close it that many times. Then, have them pick a color, open the flap, and read the fortune.

9. Board games

There are so many fun board games for tweens. Here are a few of our favorites:

Find more fun board game ideas in this Ultimate List of Family Board Games.

10. Play hangman or tic tac toe

Although they have apps for these games they can also just grab a pen and paper and start guessing or have a little friendly competition.

11. Watch a movie together

Check out Netflix, pop some popcorn, grab some snacks, and enjoy a movie together.

12. Bake brownies or cookies

Encourage your tween to get in the kitchen and start baking. Check out Pinterest for some brownie recipes or make some yummy chocolate chip cookies.

13.  Word search

Puzzle books are great for tweens that love a good challenge. You can pick up word search books at the Dollar Tree or print them out online for an afternoon of fun.

14. Card games

Pull out a deck of cards and teach your kids how to play Rummy, Solitaire, War, or Crazy 8’s.

15. Learn to code

There are a lot of apps and websites that will teach your child how to code.  Coding is a good way to help kids understand the technology that exists today and enhances their problem-solving skills.

16. Blindfold senses game

Your tweens will love the blindfold senses game. You need to have at least two people to play. Start by gathering random items in your home, and then blindfold one person. Have them touch, smell, and listen to objects to guess what they are. They can also taste different types of food and write down their guess.

If your tweens are willing to take this one step further then you can combine foods that don’t normally go together to try such as ketchup and maple syrup and then have them guess the flavor combinations.

17. Alphabet ball toss

This is a simple but fun game. Choose a theme first such as animals, foods or TV shows. Grab a ball and sit in a circle and think of something that starts with the letter A, then toss the ball to someone else who has to think of something that starts with the letter B.  Continue until you make it to Z. If they can’t think of one they can pass after 3 passes they leave the circle.

18. Solve riddles

Does your tween love to solve riddles?  Riddles are a fun way to help kids with reasoning skills. This riddle book will keep them entertained for hours.

19. Play MASH

MASH is a fortune-telling game that is supposed to predict your future. All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper. I used to play this when I was in grade school and when I introduced it to my children they thought it was so much fun.

If you were wondering MASH stands for a mansion, apartment, shack, and house. These are the different places you could live in.  Put this at the top of your paper and then make 4 additional categories, 4 people who you could marry, 4 places you could work, 4 cars you could drive, and then 4 numbers(you choose) that indicate the number of kids that you could have.

Then, you draw a spiral until your tween tells you to stop. You count the number of loops you made.  That is how many times you count to narrow down the categories. When you get to the number, you cross out an item. Once the category has only one item left that is what you get.

20. Learn magic tricks

Tweens love putting on shows. How about trying out some new magic tricks? Most kids are amazed by card and magic tricks. They can visit YouTube for inspiration and then try out what they learned on their family and friends.

tweens listening to music

 

Indoor Activities at Home for Teens (ages 13-17)

 

1. Card games

Playing cards is a great way to connect with your teen. Check out card games like Skip-Bo and Phase 10.

Another card game that we have enjoyed playing with our teens lately is called Trash. It’s an easy game that can be played with 2  or more players.

How to play Trash:

  • Each player is dealt 10 cards placed face down in front of them that they are not allowed to look at.
  • The remaining deck becomes a stockpile that is faced down in the middle.
  • The goal is to get all ten cards displayed in front of you to become Ace (1), 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, and 10 in order.
  • The first player draws a card from the stockpile if they get any of these numbers then they put it in its correct spot. (for example, if a 3 is drawn then it will be placed in the 3rd spot and you will pick up the card that was originally there face down).
  • Look at the card you picked up and place it in the correct spot. (if a 6 is drawn then place it in the 6th spot in front of you).
  • You can’t use Jacks and Queens so if these are drawn from either the stockpile or your cards then your turn is done. Kings are considered wild so they can be used for any number.
  • Keep picking up cards and replacing your facedown cards until there are no more moves left (you get a Jack or Queen) or you pick up a number card that is already been put in its spot.
  • If you have no more moves, you must discard your unplayable card.
  • The player who completes their card order from Ace (1)-10 is the winner.

2. Sing Karaoke

Pull out the Karaoke machine, or check out some karaoke channels on YouTube to sing along to. It’s one of our favorite family activities.

3. Play board games

Think your teens are too old for board games?  Think again. Board games are a great way to bring out some friendly competition among teens.

4. Put together a puzzle

Puzzles are a relaxing activity that most teens can enjoy. They are challenging enough to keep teens interested but can also relieve stress. This puzzle is a wonderful option for teens.

5. Twenty questions

Twenty questions is a great game to play with your teen. Younger kids are an open book, they will generally tell you anything without asking. But, teens tend to keep things to themselves so playing 20 questions is the perfect way to open the lines of communication with your teen. You can make a list yourself or print questions online.

This is also a great icebreaker game for teens to play together so they can get to know each other better.

6. Would you rather

A classic game of this or that. Your teen will have a blast comparing their answers to others.

7. Learn to solve a Rubix’s cube

Teens can compete with their friends to see who can solve the Rubix’s cube first.

8. Have a movie marathon

Teens love binge-watching popular television shows and Netflix original series. All they need is to pop some popcorn and grab some candy to have a relaxing afternoon enjoying their favorite shows.

9. DIY project

DIY projects are a terrific way to keep teens busy and learning.  There are some great DIY bath bomb recipes online for your teen to try.

10. Cook a meal

Many teens love to cook and try out new recipes. Encourage them to plan a meal and prepare it for the family for dinner. You can find some quick, easy, and delicious recipes on Pinterest.

If you are looking for more dinner inspiration, you can check out my 85 Budget-Friendly Meal Ideas to get your teen started in the kitchen.

11. Play Charades

Charades are a hit with all ages. You can make it more challenging for teens by picking a theme such as Blockbuster movies and then take turns acting out their favorite scenes.

12. Paint

Encourage your teen to get creative and start painting.  Get a canvas and visit tutorials on YouTube to have your teen create amazing pieces of art.

13. Write a song

Teens love music so writing a song is the perfect way for them to express themselves.

14. Crossword puzzle

Crossword puzzles are a good way to pass the time for a bored teen looking for something to do and an excellent stress buster.

15. Play Never Have I Ever

Another game similar to “Would you Rather?” A perfect icebreaker game to learn interesting things about others that you didn’t know before.

16. Declutter their room

Teens may roll their eyes at the thought of having to clean their room and declutter. But you can reward them by letting them redecorate or change the paint color of their room when they are finished.

17. Guess the lyrics or song

Grab your smartphone and download a song app or have your teens take turns playing a small part of a song and have them guess the title and artist. To make it more challenging they can try and guess the lyrics.

18. Color in an adult coloring book

Adult coloring books are very popular among teens and a relaxing activity to wind down after a stressful day.

19. Draw

There are so many drawing tutorials on YouTube, have your teen grab some paper and pencils and start sketching.

20.  Bake something

Just like younger kids and tweens, most teens enjoy baking. You can encourage them to try baking a pie or making cheesecake.

If you have an instant pot, there are so many delicious and easy cheesecake recipes you can have your teen try.

Find more fun teen activities: 52 Best Winter Activities for Teens Who Are Bored

There you have it, 60 Indoor Activities at Home for kids, tweens, and teens that will keep them entertained on a rainy, snowy, or sick day when they can’t leave the house. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you and your kids if you are stuck indoors.

You May Like:

 

Follow me on Pinterest for more family fun and indoor activities at home.