75+ Fun Things to do With Kids at Home (updated for self-isolation)
When you find yourself needing to stick closer to home (sick kids, social distancing, terrible weather, etc), it’s time to come up with fun things to do with kids at home to keep them busy. This list of (mostly free) fun things to do at home with kids will beat boredom!
We are living in crazy, unbelievable, and unprecedented times right now. Schools, businesses, gyms, museums, sports leagues….everything except for essential services are all shut down in an effort to keep people healthy.
Related Post: Family Emergency Preparedness Must-Haves
In what feels like the blink of an eye, parents are now responsible for not only keeping their kids busy but also for educating them while still trying to work or keep up with the home. (Are you a SAHM? Working parents aren’t wondering what you do all day long anymore, lol!)
When you need a short break or a few minutes to get something (anything!) done, how do you get that accomplished? Thankfully, there are OODLES of online resources and websites that you can take advantage of to educate and entertain your kids while still keeping them at home and away from other people.
What Are Some Fun Activities to Do at Home?
Every mom wants their children to have fun AND to learn new skills and knowledge at the same time.
The challenge – and the fun – of keeping kids busy while stuck at home are both very real. That’s why I sat down and came up with this huge list of fun things to do with kids at home to help you out!
Looking for outdoor activities? Grab my FREE guide of 30 kid-favorite activities so you don’t have to hear “I’m bored” ever again.
Fun Activities to Do at Home For Kids
Here are 75 activity ideas for kids and families to do during social distancing.
Fun Educational Activities for Kids
- Free Online Books – if you’re needing some grade-appropriate level books for your kiddos, this site is for you!
- Scholastic – my kids regularly come home from school and share interesting facts they learned that day. At least half of those facts come from Scholastic News readers they read at school.
- Oxford Owl Storyteller – short videos that are great for keeping kids entertained while you get a few minutes of a break!
- Story Time – your favorite authors are bringing storytime to you! Join in and listen to amazing stories anytime you want.
- Story Time From Space – Eeeek! Listen to astronauts read amazing, thrilling stories from outer space.
- Brain Pop – Make any room a classroom with this website that’s giving free access while kids are out of school.
- How Stuff Works – the must-have resource for kids who enjoy learning how things work or quickly get bored. This site is intended for kids 10 and older.
- Fun Brain – Pre-k through 8th grade students will enjoy all that this site has to offer in the way of math, reading, games, and videos.
- NumBots – this free app has the goal of helping each and every child become experts at mental addition and subtraction. Practice those math facts in a fun way!
- Times Tables Rock Stars – get free access while kids are out of school. Learn those times tables!
- SparkleBox – here’s a huge list of learning resources free for kids while they’re out of school.
- Education.com – kids preschool through 5th grade can use this site to make learning hands-on and exciting by doing experimental activities.
- Adapted Mind – math worksheets that you can print out and are so well-made that they will keep students learning until school opens.
- ABCya – learn through play all the way up to 6th grade.
- Classroom Secrets – making learning fun, entertaining, and engaging.
- Literacy Trust – Free literacy resources for elementary-aged kids while schools are closed.
- Backpack Sciences – Finally! Teach elementary-aged science to kids with NO overwhelm!
- Listen to a Children’s Book – Josh Cad (actor who plays Olaf in the Frozen movies) is reading a children’s book every day on Twitter.
- Ck-12 Education – incredible resources in every subject.
- Khan Academy – need help with learning resources while the kids are out of school, you need this site!
- Code Wizards HQ – help your kids learn this essential skill even if you don’t know how to do it, thanks to Code Wizards. There are games are geared toward different ages and so every child can learn.
- Time for Kids – expose kids to articles geared towards different grade levels from your favorite trusted news source.
- Very Well Family – If you need even more ideas, check out these 100 free activities you can do right at home.
- Puzzles and Games – From classics to new games, let your child work her brain in different ways playing games and having so much fun that she won’t realize she’s doing “work”!!
Fun Adventure Activities for Kids to Do at Home
These are fun things that you can do with kids at home to take kids on some kind of tour or adventure. Adventure is out there (even if you have to enjoy it from home)!
- National Park virtual tours – explore the wonders of our nation with virtual tours of some of our fabulous parks. You may not be able to travel right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience wondrous sights.
- Space – go from around the world to out of this world
- Cincinnati Zoo – zoos may be closed, but that just means that you can get behind the scenes live streams of amazing animals each day.
- Georgia Aquarium – watch different animals swim around. It’s impossible to be bored watching sea lions up to their antics!
- Mars – check out the Red Planet up close and personal – from your home!
- Monterey Bay Aquarium – experience sharks and many other animals up close and personal with these live cams.
- Planetarium – view the stars and constellations from your computer
- Virtual Farm Tour – let kids experience how to milk cows and make cheese.
- Museum Tours – here are 12 museums that are offering virtual tours of their buildings. You won’t want to miss this!
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Fun Creative Activities For Kids to Do at Home
- Lego Challenge – I love Legos! They inspire creativity, imagination and building skills. Join this 30 day Lego challenge and have a blast.
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems – your favorite funny kids’ book author is hosting daily lunchtime doodle sessions. Catch them!
- Kids Crafts – Free kids craft ideas – so many ideas!
- Free Kids Crafts – so many ideas of all types, all divided into categories so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.
- Live Music – don’t let canceled shows keep you from experiencing the thrill of a live show. Check them out virtually with these different options.
- The Metropolitan Opera – The Met is streaming free operas right now. Whether you love opera or are brand new to it, don’t miss this opportunity.
- Free Online Concerts – top artists from John Legend to Coldplay and more are streaming concerts (and some are taking audience requests).
- The Philadelphia Orchestra – experience classical music from one of the top orchestras right from home.
- Classical Music From Around the World – even more venues around the world are streaming popular pieces of music for you to experience and enjoy.
- Complete Concerts – watch complete concerts from amazing bands while you’re social distancing.
- Magic Duncan – is offering his free magic course to children aged between 7 and 15 years old.
Fun Physical Activities For Kids to Do at Home
How Can I Have Fun at Home With Kids? With physical activity! Here’s how:
- Daily Dose of PE – The Body Coach is giving kids free online PE lessons each day on his YouTube Channel. Get moving to beat that stir crazy feeling.
- Exercise Games – getting moving is FUN, and these activities are so fun that kids just can’t help but want to get moving and active.
- Exercise for the Whole Family – active ideas that kids and parents can do together.
- Workouts – use this huge selection of workouts to help your family keep moving even when stuck at home.
- Blogilates – get a 14-day workout plan from the one and only amazing Blogilates instructor.
- Work Those Legs – whew! These seven killer leg workouts will make you feel the burn as you prep for summer thighs.
Fun Things to Do With Kids at Home: Virtual Field Trips
Go explore splendid places without even leaving your home. Thanks to technology, we can explore the wonders of our world to the fullest extent possible, even when we don’t have the ability to be there in person.
- Great Wall of China – virtually explore this incredible structure that can be seen from space.
- Galapagos Islands – explore from the ship Endeavor II thanks to National Geographic.
- Yellowstone National Park – aaahhh, my happy place. Explore one of my absolute favorite places and see some of the coolest natural wonders.
- Coral Reef – explore the coral reef in the Bahamas right here!
- White House – explore the house of the president and one of our nation’s treasures.
- Easter Island – check out the Moai monolithic statues carved more than 500 years ago.
- Ancient Greece – my son is fascinated by Ancient Greece thanks to his favorite books. Check this out!
- Ellis Island – this virtual tour comes complete with plenty of educational resources too!
- Amazon Resources – experience a world treasure, complete with sights and sounds!
- Antarctica – ever wanted to travel to Antarctica? Get a taste of it on this sailing adventure.
Fantastic Resource! Amazon Audible
Audible is Amazon’s audiobook subscription. Right now they are helping parents everywhere by offering a HUGE number of free and discounted children’s books. Audiobooks are perfect for listening to when bored – or even doing a puzzle! You can download the app for free and then search 1000s of titles to download. Check it out!
- The 17th Century – go back in time to see what it was like to live in a 17th century English village. Eye-opening!
- Go Spelunking – Tour the world’s largest cave, in Vietnam.
- Jerusalem – travel around the world and experience the Dome of the Rock, the Damascus Gate, and learn the history of the city.
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – wow. That’s all I can say about these exhibits.
- Grand Canyon – there’s just nothing like it. See for yourself.
- Galileo Museum – learn about Galileo’s inventions and his genius.
- Egyptian Pyramids – learn about their excavation as you tour through the pyramids.
- US Space and Rocket Center – tour the center in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Buckingham Palace – see how the British royal family lives with this virtual tour.
- Mount St. Helens – I’ve been there in person, and this virtual tour is almost better than the in-person experience.
- Polar Bears – observe them in the tundra of Canada.
- African Safari – go on an African safari in the Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa.
- US Civil War – learn about a huge part of our nation’s history with these resources.
- Empire State Building – See the view from the top deck of the tallest building in the nation.
- The Louvre – there’s nothing else like the famous French art museum.
- Google Expeditions – more than 900 more expeditions, including to the top of Mount Everest!
TV Worth Watching
- Netflix – Netflix is a treasure trove of movies and shows to help you forget about the world for a little while.
- Bingeworthy TV – Who loves bingeing? Try these must-watch series for parents.
- New Release Movies – Universal Studios is releasing new movies to stream so people can still enjoy a new movie even when they can’t go to the theaters.
Note: many internet providers are providing free internet for families for 60 days while we all practice “social distancing”.
When you’re out of ideas for fun things to do with kids at home, grab this list of kid-favorite outdoor activities and head outside to inspire you and breathe some life and fresh air into your day!
Hang in there! This “new normal” will not last forever. Until then, we are ALL in this together…from a nice, safe distance 😘
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