Entertaining children is a challenge in any weather, inside or outside of the home and in any circumstances. However, there are fun activities for kids that can challenge them in a variety of ways and entertain them at the same time. If you are stuck for something to do and need an idea fast, keep this list of activities handy to help you distract children in your care. The list covers different scenarios and environments to ensure there is at least one idea that can help in any given situation.
If possible, outdoor activity is the best method to distract children, help them to use up some excess energy and gain the benefits of breathing fresh air and being in the sunlight - which provides Vitamin D. Children who spend more time outside are less likely to be stressed in school and less likely to suffer from illness.
Scooters are a fun activity that help children work on motor skills at the same time. Pack up the kids and scooters and take them to the park or to ride scooters on a smooth trail with pretty scenery. Even if you find an area with a flat sidewalk, you can enjoy the walk and everyone gets exercise and fresh air.
A swingset provides children challenges in activities and motor skill building progress as well. There are numerous benefits to a swingset, including the fact that several children can play at the same time and the different activities can be a way to keep kids entertained for long periods.
skateboarding allows your kid to make more friends in the park. Skateboard also helps your kids bring their creative side out by making new tricks and stunts while ridding. When your kid successfully performs a trick, it boosts their confidence level as well. Your kid can also try riding longboard if he thinks skateboard is not his thing.
Different scavenger hunts can be created to show children varieties of plants, bugs or simply challenge their ability to find items that start with certain letters. They can be done at the park, in the backyard or while driving to a fun destination. With the flexibility of this activity, it is a great idea to have a notebook and pens handy to create a scavenger hunt list anywhere and at any time.
Spending time in nature allows children to learn about trees, plants and animals. It gives everyone a break from technology and the same games and activities. A hike is a great way to connect with nature.
This is another way to learn about plants and get dirty. This allows children to take pride in taking care of living things and seeing them grow as a result.
Sometimes a fun activity that encourages creativity and just enjoying the moment at hand is in order. If that is the case, spending time on a blanket or the warm grass looking at the clouds is the best option.
Exercise is good for everyone. Swimming on a warm day cools everyone down and helps use up energy so more relaxed activities can be pursued later in the day.
This can be done with chalk or different types of washable paint. It can be used to practice writing skills and also to create scenes for stories or other entertainment purposes.
While this one has to be done at night, it can create a unique break in your routine. Encourage your children to see the different constellations and make up new ones, creating stories for each one they see. This opens up conversation, allows children to start learning about the stars and developing a love of astronomy and even encourages creativity.
Using a cheap shower curtain to create a board and several frisbees, you can try to win by landing frisbees of a specific color in a row on the board. This can be done from different distances and using different throws.
This is probably best for outside, but it is a fun science experiment. Using different types of soda, drop in a Mentos and compare the height of the explosion for each soda. This can be done with the children predicting which one will shoot the highest and other potential results of the experiment.
A lot of time is spent indoors, especially when it's a rainy day or during a cold winter. If you are stuck inside and need something to grab the kids' attention and keep them from complaining of boredom or hunger, then try some of the activities below to show them that life goes on even when you are stuck at home or the babysitter's house.
There are many different ways to make slime. Find recipes that involve items you have in your home already, and get to work.
Legos can be used to create scenes, creatures or tracks for cars or trains. Come up with different challenges to complete using the legos.
This is a fun activity with shaving cream and corn starch. Mixed together, a sort of dough is formed. It is fun to see the reaction of the two ingredients mixed together, it can show the kids the potential of mixing things to create something new and it is a fun diversion for a period of time.
Educational and fun at the same time, a lemon volcano is different and fun. Google simple tutorials for this and have them on hand when you need them.
Bingo boards with only letters can be made and used to compete for the first bingo or the best score. This can also be used for letter sounds and words with different endings for older children.
Using a cardboard box, create spaces and number them. Mark matchbox cars with matching numbers, then mix up the cars and encourage the children to match up the car with its space in the "parking lot."
Fine motor skills and spatial awareness are great learning experiences that go with cup towers. Kids have fun building them and then knocking them down afterward.
Stretch the balloons over the cans. The tension will create a great surface that kids can use to make their own music. This educates in music creation and helps to show the children the potential of thinking outside the box.
Kids love straws, to drink from and play with. You can build globes, cars or any other type of structure. Let the kids use their imaginations and compete for the best creation.
Cutting pool noodles in half creates great marble raceways. They are cheap and can be stored away for the future.
This can be done to play out familiar stories, or the kids can write a story to play out with the puppets they create on the stage they create.
This can be done together or separately.
This is a fun alternative when everyone is restless and that floor is getting too dirty to look at anymore.
This is a fun activity anytime.
With a snack, this is a great downtime activity.
Give each child a theme and see what they create and for who.
This is a helpful handwriting activity, and family members love getting mail.
Team Building Activities
Each person can contribute a line or they can brainstorm ideas and write it, whichever they prefer.
This is a fun way to keep the kids busy for awhile. They can work together to create the game and then they can play together.
Each person should be given a different building or area to create with their play doh.
Each person has a job, like taking the pictures or creating the outfits. Make time for the completed project to be shared with loved ones.
With one person blindfolded, encourage the rest of the group to help them get from one side of maze to the other. They can not simply lead them by the hand.
Use tape or string and outline a space in a room. Encourage the entire group to fit into that area however they can.
With this activity, the minefield needs to be crossed as a group with no one stepping on a 'mine.' The mines can be labeled papers or objects that blend into the flooring. If a person steps on a 'mine,' the entire group has to start over.
You can get them some sweet real kids sewing machines so that they can do their own stitching. It also helps them boost creativity and concentration which helps them in other areas of life.
Everyone likes bubbles.
Different music encourages different dances. Learning dances from different cultures is fun, and making up a new dance usually involves silliness and laughter. You can't go wrong.
Kids love this one until a certain age. Still, older kids tend to humor younger ones so it could still work.
Another fun activity that gets people moving and away from technology. Kites are pretty and the wind is fun to see move the kite way up high.
Something simple is best, but sign language or another language can be great options for older children who like to learn and don't want to sit and do nothing during their down time.
Fun in the kitchen is a great time and easy to do. The cleanup can be rough, but it is usually worth it.
This can be a chance to learn about business or just a chance to get out and see if they can talk to people and share cold lemonade on a hot day.
This can be a fun activity to create something to open again at a specified time - the end of the summer or the following year when school lets out. The hard part is putting it somewhere you can find it later. You can always bury it in the backyard.
Jewelry is popular with any child, and it can be a gift for an upcoming holiday as well.
This game does not require any materials and is very easy to learn.
This is a fun activity that can be revisited on another day where boredom sets in. It encourages creativity and lets everyone laugh about funny sounds.
This can be based on a real creature, or they can get extra points if they make up something totally new.
As long as it involves glitter, it is fun for the kids and will make a great 'home' for a fairy. You can even think of names for the fairy that might come to live there.
If this activity is done with your own children, now is a great time to teach them something about a family member. If not, any historical figure who has interesting facts about them to share will be a great conversation starter.
With this, you can see who has the best throw, the most accurate flight or the longest flight. You can have the starting point at different distances or heights and have the kids predict where the airplane might go.
All of these fun activities can be adjusted for children of different ages and for one child versus a small group. Give yourself the chance to cut down on hearing "I'm bored." Everyone will be happier!