Discovery Point Blog

January 6, 2021

5 Fun Indoor Activities

Over the summer and into early fall, it was easy to keep kids entertained even with many of their favorite activities still on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether you went to the park, took a family road trip, or made your own backyard a little patch of paradise, fun was never hard to find.

Now that cooler weather has us all cooped up indoors, you may be on the lookout for some fresh ideas to inspire your children’s creativity and lift their spirits. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at some of our favorite DIY indoor activities below and let the fun and games begin!

Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are super fun, but they often lead around the neighborhood or local park. With this scavenger hunt designed specifically for indoors, your children can be safe and sound at home while using their noggins to decipher creative clues. 

Try these printable cards from Sunny Day Family to get your little detectives using their reading and critical thinking skills while on the hunt. There are even 2 customizable cards included in the pack so you can join in on the mystery making!

Lego® Building Challenges

Kids can spend hours playing with Legos, but when they’ve already built everything they can possibly think of, those magical blocks aren’t quite as inspiring. Sometimes all it takes is a few prompts to spark the imagination and encourage some out-of-the-box thinking.

These Lego Building Challenge printables from Sunshine and Hurricanes will revive the Lego bin and make building fun again. Kids can play individually or work as teams to complete the challenges and see who can most quickly and creatively build the item on each card. There’s even a vocabulary-enriched option for older children to add an educational component to the game!

Balloon Tennis

Too wet and cold outside to break out the tennis rackets? Your children can recreate one of their favorite games inside with a balloon! Ping pong rackets are more appropriate for the indoor environment and size of the “ball.” 

If you don’t have any, an easy DIY alternative is a paper plate hot-glued onto half a paint stick. Or try balloon volleyball—no rackets needed!

Nerf® Gun Target Game

If there’s a Nerf gun in the house, chances are your children’s favorite target is either each other or you. Give them more of a challenge with this points-based target game. Set up lightweight plastic balls on cardboard tubes from different lengths of toilet paper and paper towel rolls as the targets. Then label each target with a point value.

The aim is to shoot each ball off its cardboard tube. Have kids take turns shooting one ball at a time and add up the points to determine the winner. Not only can this activity boost hand-eye coordination and provide practice for math skills, but it will also give you respite from being used for target practice!

Safe & Sweet Finger Painting

You could argue there is nothing children love more than finger painting (except maybe puppies!). But let’s state the truth, if you make an announcement that an afternoon of finger painting awaits, you will become an instant hero. So, save this one for when you really need a win!

These DIY paints are taste-safe and easy to whip up at a moment’s notice with two simple ingredients you may already have on hand: sweetened condensed milk and gel food coloring. 

Divide the sweetened condensed milk into small bowls and add one color to each bowl, then mix the two ingredients together. If the color isn’t bright enough for your liking, simply add more food coloring. Don’t forget to create orange and purple if you only have a basic four-pack of red, blue, yellow, and green coloring.

The paints wash off easily, and you don’t have to worry about the risk of your little ones ingesting any toxic chemicals. While these are awesome as simple finger paints, older children with more developed fine motor skills can also dip brushes into the bowls of paint to create more detailed artwork.

These ideas are just a few of the many ways you can bring the fun indoors during these crazy times. Remember, your children’s imaginations are ready to run wild. They just need a little push in the right direction to see all the potential for adventure in their everyday environment!