15 Fun and Easy Indoor And Outdoor Kids Activities

Are your children are stuck at home with nothing to do? Don’t despair. You can learn so many things with just a few items around your home. We have listed a few ideas for kids activities for you to try. Maybe these will spark your imagination and get ideas flowing.

10 Indoor Fun Kids Activities

DIY Glow in the Dark Jellyfish

Materials Required

Materials requiredheavy-weight paper bowlswhite yarnglow-in-the-dark acrylic paint paintbrushes and painting suppliesscissorszipper sandwich bagsskewer or sharp pencil

Steps

• Firstly, Begin by painting the bowl inside and out. Be sure to use a couple of coats to make the colour brighter. Then, cut 10 to 12 pieces of yarn at least 36 inches long. Place them in a sandwich bag and pour in some glow in the dark acrylic paint.
• Squish the bag until all the yarn is covered in paint. Then, remove ad dry the pieces of yarn. At the centre of the painted bowl, punch two holes about 0.5 inches apart using a sharp pencil or bamboo skewer.
• Cut another piece of the year about 40 inches long and thread it through the holes. You will use the string to hand the jellyfish your kids create. Tie all your tentacles to make it a single bunch. Then, tie it to the inside of your bowl.
• Lastly, Your glow in dark jellyfish is now ready.

DIY Solar Oven

This is one of the best science kids activities for your children to indulge in. You will need,

Materials Required

Materials requiredCardboard pizza box Box cutter or scissors Aluminium foil Plastic wrap Black construction paper Ruler Cooking ingredients of your choice Any other household items Pen and paper for taking notes

Steps

• Firstly, begin by explaining to your kids what the experiment is all about. Then, ask your kids what they would like to cook in their solar oven. Some ideas include nachos, cookies as well as s’mores.
• Take an empty pizza box and clean it out. Then, using a pencil and a ruler, draw a square on the top of the box one inch from the edges.
• Use a knife or box cutter to cut out three sides of the square. Leave the fourth side intact to create a flap that stands up. Wrap a piece of aluminium foil on the inner side of the cardboard flap and secure it with tape.
• Then, line the base of the pizza box with black construction paper. Cut two bits of plastic wrap. Ensure that they are the same size as the top.
• Use tape to fix the plastic wrap to the inside edges of the window in the box. Roll up some newspaper into tubes and stuff it in the sides of the box this is to insulate it and keep the heat from escaping.
• Finally, it’s time to test your oven.

Chromatography Flowers

This is a full STEM activity. It beautifully explains a scientific technique called chromatography. For this activity, you will need,

Materials Required

Materials requiredCoffee filtersWashable markersPlatesWaterWater dropper or syringeLEDsWireClothespinCR2032 coin batteryScissorsElectrical tape (green)Mini solo cup or mini clay potPipe cleaners

Steps

• Begin by flattening a coffee filter. Then, using a water-based marker draw a thick circle on the filter somewhere halfway between the middle and edge. You can use one or many colours to do so.
• Add a teaspoon of water to the middle of the coffee filter. Watch as the colours spread out as water moves to the edges. Some colours are even separate.
• Then, check if your LED’s are working by slipping a battery between its legs.
• Cut wires approximately 8 inches in length and strip the ends. These are the contact points between the battery and the LED. Grab the coffee filter in the middle and bunch it together, thus forming a flower. You will notice that your flower has a small stalk.
• Push the legs of the LED through the stalk. Then, wrap one wire tightly to the first leg and the second piece to the second leg. Place the legs of the LED on the end of the clothespin such that one leg is on either side. Tape this tightly.
• Tape the stalk to the other end of the clothespin. Wrap the wires around your clothespin. Ensure that the stripped ends are to the inside of the clothespin.
• Slide your battery such that it makes contact with the wires.

Laundry Basket Skee Ball

Materials Required

Materials requiredCardboard boxes, one large, one cerealLaundry baskets 3Ball pit ballsDuct tape

Steps

• Cut the top and one end of a large cardboard box to make the ramp. Then using a cereal box create the curved edge of the ramp and tape it in place.
• Grab three laundry baskets, one to store your balls, one to make the 5 point pit and the other to make the 100 points one. You can further make this difficult by using baskets of different sizes with the smallest one for 100 points and the largest for 10 points.
• Lastly, To play the game, have your children roll the balls up the ramp and into the laundry basket. Tally the points at the end and declare the winner.

Mini Volcano

Another of the kids’ activities on the list is a STEM experiment. Your child will surely learn about acid-base reactions using this experiment.

Materials Required

Materials requiredBaking sodaVinegarFood colouringGlitterPaper cupsA large glass dish

Steps

• Set up a few paper cups with vinegar as the base of your volcano. Place these cups in a large glass dish to make cleaning up a little easier. Then add a few drops of food colouring to each cup and stir till completely mixed.
• Your set-up is now complete. Have your kids add a scoop of baking soda to each up and watch as your volcano bursts spewing colourful and foamy lava.

DIY Foam Paint

Materials Required

Materials requiredFoam shaving creamWhite school glueFood colouring (colours of your choice)

Steps

• In a large ziplock bag, mix in equal parts shaving cream and glue. Then add the food colouring of your choice and squish the bag till the three components are completely mixed.
• Once ready, cut off a corner at the bottom of the bag and use it as a piping bag and have your kids write every message they would like to.

DIY Felt Bookmarks

Materials Required

Materials requiredpatternfelt scraps — red, black, yellow, purple, pink, blue, whitewhite school glueelasticclear tape small googly eyes hot glue gun and glue sticks

Steps

• Firstly, have your kids draw and cut their desired pattern on a piece of felt. Then, glue all the pieces together and let them dry. Cut an elastic to 16 inches long and cut a rectangular piece of felt to fit the back of the bug.
• Fold the elastic such that it forms a circular bang. Then glue the bug over the joint in the elastic. Glue the rectangular piece of felt over the elastic to cover the ends.
• You kids can also use this as a headband.

Originally posted on Indoor And Outdoor Kids Activities!