Indoor, Outdoor, and Educational Quarantine Activities for Kids

We’re about a week into this quarantine thing and I’ve discovered that one of the blessings of being stuck at home is that the kids (and I) are sheltered from a lot of the craziness happening outside where we live. 

I don’t say that to mean we’re living in a bubble. I check news updates each day, see what people are saying on social media, and our kids know that we’re staying safe at home because there is a sickness going around. But I also don’t leave the news running or let on to the kids how apprehensive I feel about the future at times. 

My point is, it’s important for all of us to stay informed, but to live our lives and make the best of the situation we’ve been handed. Which is why I felt inspired to make this list. 

Below I’ve created a list of quarantine activities for younger kids because I know the days can feel especially long when we don’t have school, family and friends, or childcare to help share some of the time. It can also be especially hard to think of new ideas when you’re tired. So I’ve tried to do that for you. And trust me, Josh and I will be referencing this list in the days to come as well. 

Also, let me know what you’d add to this list! What have you already done that I didn’t mention?? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

Indoor activities

• Create weird and quirky alien space ships out of paper plates, toilet paper rolls, foil, and anything else you find around the house!
• Create a not so everyday movie night with popcorn, a dark room, and couches moved closer to the TV.
• Create all the blanket forts and couch cushion tunnels you can possibly imagine!
• Take up some extra time by having kids help around the house and tidy up before moving on to the next activity. You’ll kill some time, keep the kids busy, and stay sane.
• Create your own Candy-land or shoots-and-ladders-like board game by taping together a few sheets of paper or using poster board. Create a path from the start to finish and divide it into small squares. Then color in the squares and make rules for your game ie. if you land on a blue square, go back a space. If you land on green, the player to your left loses a turn.
• Pull up beginner yoga videos on YouTube and have a family yoga sesh. If it’s nice out, take this one outside!
• Write letters and make cards. Many people have suggested writing cards for the elderly who have very high restrictions on visitors right now. You can also sit down and write snail mail to friends and family members (when’s the last time you did that??).
• Create a family photo booth with signs, silly hats, and costumes.
• Dress up.
• Pretend restaurant.
• Create a reading circle where each person reads 2 sentences in a book.
• Create collages or dream/goal boards where kids print out pictures of things they want to do this year, this summer, what they want to be then they grow up, etc.
• Weaving. Check out this fun DIY wall hanging tutorial.
• Decluttering and spring cleaning!
• Legos and puzzels and legos and puzzels.
• At-home spa days and mini makeovers!

Outdoor activities

• Play soccer (or another favorite sport) in the yard. 
• Take a walk around the block.
• Sidewalk chalk. Enough said.
• Family hike or trail walk.
• Bike riding.
• Gardening.
• Scavenger hunts around the yard.
• Pick flowers to dry between wax paper and books.
• Bubble blowing.

Educational activities

• Jumpstart is a great resource of educational activities divided up by age groups up to 5th grade 
• ABC Mouse is an educational app for kids (with no advertisements or external links) and is running a 30-day free trial.
• If you want to support small businesses, makers on Etsy have created educational worksheets for kids similar to what they’d be working on in school!

Cooking and baking activities

• Have the kids help make chili nonperishables from the pantry. 
• Try your hand at homemade bread using this super easy recipe with only 6 ingredients.
• Bake shortbread cookies (lower in sugar than sugar cookies – who needs the extra sugar when you’re cooped up all day). Then create a batch of homemade frosting (ok, maybe a little bit of sugar..), divide into separate bags and mix with different food coloring and let the kids have at it decorating their cookies.
• If you do have fresh food, cut up some veggies like carrots, cucumbers, celery, and green beans. Then, use toothpicks to make your own creations like vegetable robots, dogs, people, and cars!
• Create your own smoothies using a conglomeration of fruits and veggies you have in the house.