What to Do When You’re Stuck at Home With Kids

So you’re stuck at home with kids. It sounds like the plot of a horror movie. Maybe the kids are sick. Maybe you’re sick. Maybe the car croaked. Maybe you have to wait all day for a delivery or a service. Maybe you’re broke. Whatever the reason is, you’re stuck at home… with kids. But it doesn’t have to be a miserable nightmare! I’ve put together an extensive list of fun things to do together. So until you’re out of home quarantine, rest easy. I’ve got you taken care of.

Of course if you’re sick – having a fever of more than 101.4, vomiting, or any green mucus – you and your children need to stay home until you’re well. I know it’s lame, but it’s part of living in a community. You stay home until you are sure you’re not contagious! Trust me, it’s one of the major pillars of my Playgroup Etiquette recommendations.

And if you need help finding the right thermometer for your family, check here.

I actually started making this list on my office’s dry erase board because I was getting so exasperated with boredom at our house! Being stuck at home with kids can be tedious and nonending, but I wanted to change that. So here’s my list of things that I love to do when I’m home with kids. Hopefully a few of these will resonate with you too!

• Beads help your child practice fine motor skills and patience.
• Playdoh (or make your own – search Pinterest)
  • We like to use our plastic dinosaurs and make different “dino tracks” in the dough, or roll up dino eggs and nests!
• Watercolors are beautiful and fun when stuck at home with kids.
• Cook something new with your child – look for child-friendly recipes, or just let them help with something simple like spreading peanut butter on bread.
• Puzzles – cut up pictures or photos to make a custom one!
• Duplos or Legos – everything from building a city, to a robot, to a stable for My Little Ponies.
• Build a Hot Wheels track or race them on different surfaces.
• Watch TV – I know it sounds like a copout but I have your educational suggestions right here!
• YouTube yoga is something my kids adore – check out Cosmic Yoga! We love to do this even if not stuck at home with kids.
• Nature documentaries are also a great choice, if you’ve screened them first (when in doubt, anything with Sir David Attenborough is good!)
• Wii game time can get the kids moving.

• Practice a language like ASL or Spanish – there are free apps like Duolingo, you could look up videos, or make up your own!
• Notecards can help with everything from shapes and colors, to letters and sight words.
• We have a music box with kids’ Orff instruments, or you could make your own!
• Cleaning up, like dusting and mopping, is productive and burns energy, and my kids actually love it!
• Disinfecting toys is another useful way to pass the time. Make a solution or use germ wipes and let your kids go crazy!
• Workout together! We do Yoga with Adrienne, or small free weights, or jump around, or make an obstacle course in the living room.
• Camp in the living room – with a real tent! Push the furniture out of the way and drag out the sleeping bags.
• Make bird feeders with peanut butter and bird seed on a toilet paper roll.
• Practice with scissors, cutting various lines and shapes.
• Write to soldiers – look up where you can send cards and notes to our deployed military.
• FaceTime a loved one.
• Do a random lesson like playing with magnets, making a telescope, tasting different seasonings, or making Jello.
• Build a fort with blankets, pillows, chairs, the works! S’mores are optional but highly recommended.
• Read a new book together.
• Write a new book!
• Got a ruler or a scale? Go around the house and measure things! We did this last week when I was stuck at home with kids and it ended up being really entertaining.
• Pictionary/sherades is a hilarious thing to do if you’re stuck at home with kids.
• iPad time can be educational too if you get some apps together. I have recommendations in the KidloLand franchise.
• Make a yummy treat like air-popped popcorn, smores, smoothies, or quesadillas.
• Get some sunshine by blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, or having a picnic outside!
• Grab some leaves outside and do a leaf rubbing by using the long end of a crayon.
• Drink some tea or fruit-infused water to help you feel better! Kids can have caffeine-free teas like ginger, peppermint, lavender, or chamomile (just check to be sure it’s all right for their age).
• Paint your nails a silly color, and let your kids participate too!
• Redecorate a room by moving furniture or hanging new paintings.
• Dress-up is so fun when you’re home with kids! Let them use their silly dress-up box if you have one, or let them browse each other’s closets… or maybe even the kitchen! (King Strainer-Head, anyone?)
• Make stamps with leaves, toy feet, or cut up sponges, and dip into washable paint.
• The ultimate “stuck at home with kids” game: Hide and Seek!

Viola! Has that given you some ideas of what to do when you’re stuck at home with kids? I hope so! I’ll continue to add onto this list as I think of more activities, and feel free to send me your own in the comments!