20 Ideas for Entertaining the Kids Indoors
Take a look at our idea starters for summer days when it's too hot or rainy to play outside.
Design: Chango & Co.
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For days when it is too hot or too buggy, or when the rain simply won't go away, here are our favourite family activities to do indoors. Try a few of our favourite old-school, screen-free, super fun family time idea starters for inside play.
Fun with Food
1) Bake cookies, then decorate them.
2) Create salt dough or slime with Borax and water.
3) Assemble sensory bins out of beans, rice, and toys.
4) Make lemonade. Kids love to help juice the ingredients, stir, and pour.
5) Start an experiment with bowls of baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and food colouring.
6) Make homemade ice cream or popsicles.
7) Host a home movie marathon—and don’t forget the popcorn!
Creative Play
8) Paint faces. Have the kids guess which animal you are painting on their faces—no peeking!
9) Read books that you've never read before.
- Paint a chalkboard wall, once the paint is dry you can doodle all day.
- Open a toy car wash with plastic bins, soapy water, and scrub brushes (cleaning made fun!).
- Play dress up with old clothes to act out favourite storeys.
Active Exploration
- Take a swim in the bathtub. Add water marbles for a fun take on everyday bath time.
- Make blocks out of empty boxes and build a fort.
- Throw a dance party.
- Create an indoor hopscotch using painter's tape on the floor.
- Construct an indoor obstacle course with pillows and sofa cushions.
- Indoor scavenger hunt. Leave clues on small pieces of paper. Draw clues or read them aloud for young children, so they can participate.
- Build a giant tent with dining chairs in the living room. Arrange with backs facing each other, cover with sheets, secure with clothespins, and finish with lots of pillows and blankets.
Tip! When you've exhausted the above list, try one of our editors' favourite ideas: clean out old toys and clothes that can be donated to other families.
Design: Lisa Escobar Design
