| ACTIVITY
ideas |
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| Arts
& crafts - assemble a box that you can pull out that has all of these
goodies readily available. String beads, water color, make collages, finger
paint, make a diorama |
|
Sensory play -
use rice, beans, dirt, cornmeal, corn starch & water …place in a box/bin
on a table cloth or lay out a big sheet on the floor. Cook spaghetti and toss
with olive oil. |
| Assemble a "rainy day" bag that has stickers, color
books, playdough, gluestics, glitter, slime, etc… |
|
Put
sugar in a pan to play with cookie cutters, little toys, etc. |
| Bathtime - even if it isn't needed! Play with glowsticks
(available at Dollar Stores) |
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Glue
marshmallows on paper for a snowman / snow craft |
| Blow up an air mattress for an inflatable trampoline |
|
Put
on a play |
| Blanket forts & caves |
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Science
experiments: Baking soda & vinegar |
| Bean bag toss |
|
Jump
on couch cushions on the floor |
| Bring outdoor plastic slides, trampolines, etc inside |
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Indoor
picnic for lunch |
| Cardboard boxes - use big ones to make houses, boats, rockets,
puppet theaters, robots, etc |
|
Bubbles!
Recipe: 6 cups water + 2 cups dish soap + 1 cup corn syrup |
| Paint in a gallon ziplock for "clean" painting |
|
Make
homemade pizza |
| Clean up & sing the "clean up" song, play with
sponges, broom, mop, dusters |
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Color
- books, color pages, tape a big piece of paper to the kitchen floor… |
| Make a bird feeder |
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Make
snowglobes with jars & glitter |
| Build things |
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Play
blocks |
| Make cereal necklaces |
|
Cupcake
wars between kiddos & parents |
| Create a toy drawer in each room |
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Have
a pretend football game |
| Create an obstacle course in your house or in the back yard |
|
Fun
laundry folding: Hide candy in a sock (e.g. starburst), must fold before
eating! |
| Dance parties - have a basket of scarves or mini-instruments
ready for your kids to play with while you're boogie-ing, play "freeze
dance" |
|
Bathtub
paint party - check out Pinterest for tub paint recipe, finger paint on the shower curtain |
| Cuddle up and read bunches of books |
|
Tea
party with stuffed animals |
| Do dishes together & let kiddos play in the sink |
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Finger
paint - Crayola |
| Go ahead and watch a movie or a show…and don't feel so guilty
!! |
|
Veggie
play! Tear apart a head of lettuce, use a child-safe knife for cutting
mushrooms, etc. |
| Egg run - use a toy shaker egg, place on a big spoon, & run
room to room |
|
Video
record - interview, performance, puppet show |
| Use painter's tape to make roads, hop scotch, 4 square |
|
Make
cards for family and friends, put in envelopes and mail. Kids love the mail
box! |
| Garden - pick weeds, plant seeds, plant flowers |
|
Have
friends over for a play date! |
| Dress up parties |
|
Sidewalk
chalk |
| Go out in the rain - bring umbrellas & puddle jump |
|
Hide
& seek |
| Paint finger & toenails |
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Holiday
specific crafts |
| Paint with water outside - get a bucket and paint
rollers,"paint" the sidewalk, deck, etc… |
|
Ice
flow game - place pillows around the living room floor |
| Painting with fly swatters, feathers, leaves, sponges…different
objects |
|
Go
to a different room in the house to play…change of scenery helps
everyone! |
| Listen to kid music: Pandora station ideas: Jim Gill,
Veggietales, Toddler tunes, Caspar Babypants |
|
Kitchen
table fort: Place a blanket or sheet over the table, get some flashlights, go
inside and have story time |
| Pinterest - great recipes for bath paint, moon dough, etc |
|
Pasta
- glue it as a collage, string it onto some yarn |
| Make smoothies and have fun with different veggies & fruits
- get creative! Kale, spinach, ginger, etc… |
|
Magazine
scavenger hunt - e.g. find 10 red things, find something that starts with
A-B-C…etc |
| Draw something using only the letters of your name |
|
Make
a box with tiny toys from the $1 section at Target…kids can
count/sort/play |
| Play card games or board games
- UNO, Memory, Go Fish, Old Maid |
|
Craft
kits: Available at JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, Target |
| Play dominoes |
|
Make
mosaics |
| Play Finders Keepers: Hide little presents around the house…say
"warmer", "colder"… |
|
Make
musical instruments out of oatmeal canisters, tp rolls, milk gallon jug,
rubberbands, etc |
| Play follow the leader |
|
Pipe
cleaners in a collander |
| Play puzzles |
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Play
trains |
| Play Simon says |
|
Acrylic
paints on canvas |
| Paint a wall with chalkboard or magnetic paint in your
house |
|
Create
a stuffed animal zoo and make "habitats" in different rooms |
| Play two truths & a lie (when kids are old enough) |
|
Fill
and decorate a time capsule in a shoe box |
| Play with flash lights - hide & seek, under blankets |
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Adorn
your bike with streamers & stickers |
| Play with rubberband looms |
|
Play
hot potato |
| Play with shadow puppets |
|
Jump
in a pile of leaves & make leaf angels |
| Playdough! |
|
Draw
a map of your neighborhood |
| Roll out bubble wrap, tape it down, & jump and play! |
|
Wash
windows with a spray bottle and squeegee |
| Set up a water tub indoors (with towels on the floor ) |
|
Put
on some music and have a parade! |
| Cook or bake - make trail mix, put a beach towel on the floor if
needed! Let them mix ingredients (flour, sugar…pour sprinkles, etc) |
|
Go
fishing indoors with paper fish and paper clips attached. Make a rod with a
magnet on one end to catch your "fish" |
| Tie dye coffee filters with food coloring and hang them from a
window like stained glass |
|
Play
archaeologist: Bury "fossils" (plastic dinos or toys) and excavate |
| Shaving cream in the bathtub - easy to clean up! |
|
Make
tin can or paper cup string telephones |
| Silly string fights in the basement |
|
Make
sock or lunch bag puppets |
| Fold airplanes - check out parents.com/ airplanes for
how-tos |
|
Put
on a concert & record it - check out The Little Fox Music Box app - $3 on
itunes |
| Play "store" at home, or "coffee shop" |
|
Fly
a kite! |
| Use moss, twigs, leaves etc to make a terrarium |
|
Draw
a make believe animal and describe it! |
| See who can build the highest block tower |
|
Toss
ping pong balls into an egg carton |
| Listen to audio books for kids |
|
Trace
your shadow on the sidewalk with chalk |
| Empty a matchbox and take turns filling it with tiny
objects |
|
Press
flowers and leaves between sheets of wax paper & iron |
| Blow up 10 or so balloons and play ! |
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