Discovery Point Blog

January 20, 2020

Activities For When You’re Stuck Indoors

Is your child’s cabin fever running you up the wall? Some days, we just can’t go outside. Whether you’re dealing with non-stop rain, freezing cold snow, or have a child who’s recovering from an illness but feels as rambunctious as ever, it’s always a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Keep reading for some of our favorite activities to help children get through those days when they’re stuck indoors.

Here are our favorite picks to keep the little ones busy when you start to feel a bit stir crazy:

Classic Arts & Crafts

Arts and crafts are a go-to for a reason—they’re fun and timeless! Craft paper, scissors, and glue are sometimes all that children need to go wild with their imagination. Add in some googly eyes, and they’ll really have a ball.

Crafts like these are all about taking everyday items and turning them into something special. Whether you have some popsicle sticks lying around or have yet to recycle an abundance of cardboard toilet paper or paper towel tubes, chances are your child can transform these throw-away items into something cute and crafty.

Still stuck on ideas? One of our favorite crafts brings a toilet paper tube to life in only a few steps. Check it out.

Tasty Treats

Fun in the kitchen requires a bit more supervision than arts and crafts, but it’s a great way to show children just how exciting cooking can be. While sweet snacks are an easy way to bring a bit of joy into an otherwise gray day, you can also create healthier treats that are just as fun.

For younger children, “ants on a log” is a classic that only requires a couple of ingredients – celery, peanut butter/hummus/cream cheese, and raisins. Older children can test their reading and math skills by following a slightly more complex recipe from a time-tested cookbook or the treasure trove of recipes that await online.   

Looking for something simple using ingredients you already have in the fridge? Try these cinnamon sugar snowflakes, which only require four ingredients and ten minutes of baking time and are a healthier alternative to pre-packaged fried snacks.

Sensory Activities

Children love playing with new textures. Unfortunately, the desire to put their hands on squishy, spongey, sludgy things often results in a big ol’ mess. Anyone who’s cleaned up after a shaving cream blast or silly string party knows this all too well!

Give your child the chance to indulge in a hands-on activity that doesn’t require a ton of clean-up time on your part. This easy-to-make “play snow” is a simple way to keep little ones active and creative. All you need is some hair conditioner and baking soda. Plus, it’s especially good for those winter days when the snow outside looks fun, but is simply too cold to enjoy.

Fun with Water

Bring the outside indoors by making bath time feel like pool time. Get out some of your child’s favorite pool or beach toys, fill up the bathtub with water at a comfortable temperature, and let the fun begin! Goggles, swimsuits, and beach towels really bring on the “pool” factor for a fun experience that’s much more exciting than your everyday bath.

Upgraded Coloring Books

Have a bunch of coloring books lying around that haven’t gotten much use after they’ve been scribbled in a time or two? Make coloring books a 3-D experience with glitter glue, feathers, felt, sequins, googly eyes, and other materials that bring coloring book pictures to life and get those creative juices flowing.

Make-Your-Own Puzzle

Puzzles are a classic rainy day activity. If that old jigsaw puzzle in the closet is a little too complicated for your youngsters, they can always make a puzzle of their own. Printable puzzles abound online, but a printer isn’t a requirement for this easy project. They can also make their own full-page drawings and cut them into puzzle-sized pieces. (Remember: Children should always be supervised when using scissors.) This also works with pages taken out of coloring books or magazines.

Some of the most fun and memorable activities don’t require much forethought or a ton of special materials. Instead, you just need a little creativity and a big imagination. Fortunately, youngsters have a deep well of that from which to draw on! All you have to give them is a bit of inspiration to start with.