Everybody knows that it's only a matter of time before kids inevitably start with I'm boooooored, especially when they're at home. However, now you don't have to worry about kids saying I'm bored on the weekend, school holidays or any other time you may find yourself at home for long periods of time, because I've put together this list of over 100 FREE Indoor and Outdoor Activities for kids to do at home. I've also included some wonderful free online educational resources if you find yourself having to unexpectedly homeschool.
Many parents are currently finding themselves with kids at home full time. For some this may be a very daunting thought, especially if it's been a few years since you've had kids home 24/7. It's even more daunting because lots of free activities like visiting the library, going to a park, a museum, a shopping centre or the movies may also be out of the question for an unknown period of time. It's OK though, all the activities below can be done 100% from home, you don't even need to leave your own backyard.
50+ FREE INDOOR KIDS ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME
If you're housebound try some of these free indoor activities you can do with the kids at home. I guarantee almost all of them will be using items you already have at home and many are family activities so they're also a great way to touch base and bond as a family unit.
A lot of these activities are also great for learning, but they're so fun the kids won't even realise they're learning!
Read a book
If your kids are old enough to read then get them to pick a book and have some quiet time in their rooms reading, either the whole book or just a few chapters. If your children can't read yet then snuggle up on the couch or bed together and read them a story.
Some of our favourite picture books are:
Watch a movie
Make some microwave popcorn and put on your favourite movie. You don't need to wait for night time either, just close all the blinds or curtains to create a cosy at home movie theatre vibe.
Build an indoor fort
Grab the chairs from the dining room, some spare sheets or blankets and some couch cushions and let the kids create a cosy fort. It might take up a bit of space for a few hours, but they'll have so much fun designing, building and playing in their own fort.
Have a pretend tea party
Grab the dolls, teddy bears, transformers, or toy cars and get them together to have a pretend tea party.
Have a dance party
Turn on the radio, or load up your favourite Spotify playlist and get the tunes pumping. Dancing is a great way for children to get the wiggles out and exercise in a fun way, plus it releases endorphins which means everyone will feel happier after.
Play some board games
Draw a picture
Have a family sleep over in the lounge room
Make and fly paper planes
Bake cookies together
Make homemade playdough
Do some salt painting
Write a letter to a pen pal or friend
1. Go on a nature scavenger hunt {collect items of certain colours or type}
2. Have a backyard picnic
3. Paint rocks and leaves
4. Go on a treasure hunt {hide items in the yard and make a treasure map}
5. Look at the shapes the clouds make
6. Draw shadow pictures {put toys in the sun and draw their shadow outline on paper}
7. Make a hopscotch grid with chalk
8. Play tag with siblings
9. Make potions with flowers and water
10. Ride a bike or scooter
11. Play i-spy
12. Blow bubbles {you can make your own bubble mixture with dish soap and water}
13. Catch bugs and study them
14. Set up an obstacle course
15. Paint the fence or driveway with water
16. Look at the stars at night
17. Go camping in the backyard
18. Play piggy in the middle
19. Try these animal movement exercises
20. Build a cubby house using outdoor furniture and sheets
21. Make chalk paint and paint the driveway or footpath
22. Play catch with a ball
23. Make a bird feeder from recyclables and do some bird watching
24. Make a DIY butterfly feeder
25. Make mud pies
26. Climb a tree
27. Paint with flowers
28. Play handball
29. Water play in a tub
30. Make leaf rubbings with crayons
31. Start a rock collection
32. Plant some seeds in an egg carton to start a veggie garden {use dried seeds from fruit and veggies you use for dinner}
33. Have a water balloon fight {if you don't have water balloons, half fill normal balloons with water}
Draw a picture
Have a family sleep over in the lounge room
Make and fly paper planes
Bake cookies together
Make homemade playdough
Do some salt painting
Write a letter to a pen pal or friend
Learn a new dance {follow the moves on Just Dance videos}
Play with old toys
Paint a picture
Make a sticky picture using contact paper and paper/loose parts
Have a colour bath by adding a few drops of food colouring to the water
Decorate a cardboard box with pens, paint or stickers
Write your own picture book or comic strip
Set up a small world for some imaginary play
Play Simon says
Make cardboard crafts using recyclables
Try these playdough invitations to play
Draw a self portrait
Make a sock puppet with old socks
Play with old toys
Paint a picture
Make a sticky picture using contact paper and paper/loose parts
Have a colour bath by adding a few drops of food colouring to the water
Decorate a cardboard box with pens, paint or stickers
Write your own picture book or comic strip
Set up a small world for some imaginary play
Play Simon says
Make cardboard crafts using recyclables
Try these playdough invitations to play
Draw a self portrait
Make a sock puppet with old socks
Play charades
Have a pillow fight
Have a pillow fight
Do some yoga {try Cosmic Kids Yoga for some easy kids yoga}
Set up a sensory tub
Try some of these colour sorting activities
Do a puzzle
Sing songs and put on your own home concert
Make bath paints using cornflour and food colouring
Make a collage using glue and scrap paper/craft items
Set up a sensory tub
Try some of these colour sorting activities
Do a puzzle
Sing songs and put on your own home concert
Make bath paints using cornflour and food colouring
Make a collage using glue and scrap paper/craft items
Make a DIY puzzle by cutting up old photos or magazine pictures
Play dress ups and put on a show
Play with loose parts
Play hide and seek
Make a DIY sensory bottle
Put on a puppet show
Blow up some balloons and have a balloon party
Make a ball run with cardboard tubes
Make an indoor obstacle course with masking tape
Play musical chairs
Build a tower with blocks or magnetic tiles
Play bowling by knocking down paper cups with a ball
Try some simple science experiments using household items
Play card games like snap or memory
Play dress ups and put on a show
Play with loose parts
Play hide and seek
Make a DIY sensory bottle
Put on a puppet show
Blow up some balloons and have a balloon party
Make a ball run with cardboard tubes
Make an indoor obstacle course with masking tape
Play musical chairs
Build a tower with blocks or magnetic tiles
Play bowling by knocking down paper cups with a ball
Try some simple science experiments using household items
Play card games like snap or memory
Freeze some small toys in ice cubes for water play
Thread pasta onto string to make necklaces or bracelets
Watch kids YouTube channels like Blippi, Sesame Street or Disney Junior
Watch kids YouTube channels like Blippi, Sesame Street or Disney Junior
Make a batch of rainbow rice
Dye some raw pasta with food colouring and vinegar for sensory play
Put on a shadow puppet show at night with a torch and hand shadows
Play the floor is lava
Play memory with toys {take one away and guess which one is missing}
Play keepy uppy with a balloon like Bluey {don't let it touch the ground}
Make some magic paintings
30+ FREE OUTDOOR KIDS ACTIVITIES TO DO IN THE BACKYARD
If your kids are anything like mine, they quickly get cabin fever when they're stuck inside, so it's important to have some fun outdoor activities up your sleeve too. Sunshine, fresh air and vitamin D are all essential for our health and development so it's important to get outside and be active often.
Whether you're lucky enough to have a huge backyard or live with a tiny courtyard like us, the following free activities are all perfect for entertaining the kids outside. If you don't have the latest and greatest outdoor play equipment like a trampoline or a climbing frame don't worry, all 30+ of these free outdoor activities can be done with some basic items from around the house and access to mother nature.
1. Go on a nature scavenger hunt {collect items of certain colours or type}
2. Have a backyard picnic
3. Paint rocks and leaves
4. Go on a treasure hunt {hide items in the yard and make a treasure map}
5. Look at the shapes the clouds make
6. Draw shadow pictures {put toys in the sun and draw their shadow outline on paper}
7. Make a hopscotch grid with chalk
8. Play tag with siblings
9. Make potions with flowers and water
10. Ride a bike or scooter
11. Play i-spy
12. Blow bubbles {you can make your own bubble mixture with dish soap and water}
13. Catch bugs and study them
14. Set up an obstacle course
15. Paint the fence or driveway with water
16. Look at the stars at night
17. Go camping in the backyard
18. Play piggy in the middle
19. Try these animal movement exercises
20. Build a cubby house using outdoor furniture and sheets
21. Make chalk paint and paint the driveway or footpath
22. Play catch with a ball
23. Make a bird feeder from recyclables and do some bird watching
24. Make a DIY butterfly feeder
25. Make mud pies
26. Climb a tree
27. Paint with flowers
28. Play handball
29. Water play in a tub
30. Make leaf rubbings with crayons
31. Start a rock collection
32. Plant some seeds in an egg carton to start a veggie garden {use dried seeds from fruit and veggies you use for dinner}
33. Have a water balloon fight {if you don't have water balloons, half fill normal balloons with water}
34. Build balancing towers with rocks, bark or sticks
36. Draw an obstacle course with chalk to jump, walk, run and hop over
37. Count the number of birds that fly over your yard
38. Use a magnifying glass to hunt for ants and other bugs
39. Draw a family portrait with chalk
40. Play What's the time Mr Wolf
41. Do some ball painting
42. Take photos of sunrise or sunset
43. Make oobleck and play with it in a tub outside
GOMA KIDS
The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has an online Children's Art Centre where kids can explore art from around the world. Children can access online games, activities and stories created in collaboration with artists.
MINECRAFT EDUCATION EDITION
Most school age kids are obsessed with Minecraft {yes even my big girl} so why not harness that interest for learning. At the Minecraft Education Edition online you can download lesson plans aligned with the Australian Curriculum. There are also coding lessons and building challenges.
LEARN ABOUT OCEAN ANIMALS
If you can't make it to the beach or an aquarium to do some real life hands on learning, jump online to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where you can find live cam streams of animals to study as well as plenty of free online resources to download. There are games, colouring-in sheets, posters, activities and ebooks to explore.
EDUCATIONAL YOUTUBE CHANNELS
18 FREE ONLINE RESOURCES TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE KIDS AT HOME
With many households currently learning at home, lots of educational resources have been made available online for free. Here's some of our favourite free online resources for kids.
MATHLETICS FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
Mathletics is a super popular online maths program designed to support teachers and students both in the classroom and at home. Many schools include a Mathletics subscription as part of their annual curriculum resources so your child may already have a special log in that can be used at home. If you don't have full access to Mathletics, you can still download free math printable activities here.
TWINKL ONLINE RESOURCES
Twinkl is a comprehensive teaching resource site providing teaching, planning and assessment materials for babies right through to school aged children. The twinkl resources include lesson packs, power point presentations, display materials, worksheets and craft ideas that can be printed off at home. Twinkl is originally UK based, but an Australian curriculum section has been added to support Australian teachers and homeschooling families. There are loads of free resources available to download from Twinkl, with the option of upgrading to a paid account if you want access to even more resources. For a full review of Twinkl resources check out my post here.
SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA
Scholastic have a special online Learn at Home portal where you can find daily activities for kids of all age groups. The activities are split into school learning categories such as Science, Social Studies, Physical Activities with many videos, books and worksheets available to access for free. Each Monday 5 new learning journeys are uploaded.
NASA KIDS CLUB
Did you know Nasa have their own online Nasa kids club? In the kids club children can play different space themed games, listen to storybook time, try Nasa stem activities at home and can look up real Nasa missions. There's also a YouTube channel Story Time from Space where kids can watch astronauts read picture books from space.
STORYLINE ONLINE
If you can't make it to the library you can still catch story time with Storyline Online. Run by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online is a literacy website that features famous actors and actresses reading picture books aloud. There are already over 50 storybook videos uploaded onto the site with more added regularly.
GOMA KIDS
The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has an online Children's Art Centre where kids can explore art from around the world. Children can access online games, activities and stories created in collaboration with artists.
MINECRAFT EDUCATION EDITION
Most school age kids are obsessed with Minecraft {yes even my big girl} so why not harness that interest for learning. At the Minecraft Education Edition online you can download lesson plans aligned with the Australian Curriculum. There are also coding lessons and building challenges.
LEARN ABOUT OCEAN ANIMALS
If you can't make it to the beach or an aquarium to do some real life hands on learning, jump online to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where you can find live cam streams of animals to study as well as plenty of free online resources to download. There are games, colouring-in sheets, posters, activities and ebooks to explore.
EDUCATIONAL YOUTUBE CHANNELS
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