35+ Fun Indoor Activities for Kids That They Will Love

I’m always looking for fun indoor activities to do with my daughters on those days we’re at home for a long time. Over the years, we’ve tried so many fun activities together, so I’ve rounded up 35 of our favorites. These are kid-approved by my little girls, and low-stress and easy enough for parents to enjoy too!

Here’s our favorite indoor activities for kids:

Creative & Crafty Activities

1. Sticker Storybooks – Give your kids a blank notebook and a sheet of stickers. (If you don’t have any, you can get some inexpensive ones at your local dollar store.) Ask them to create a story using the stickers and draw or write alongside.
2. Salt & Glue Painting – Draw a design on thick paper using white glue, then sprinkle salt over the glue while it’s still wet. Shake off the excess salt, then gently touch watercolor paint to the salted glue lines — the color will magically spread along the salt! Let dry completely.
3. Water bucket (pictured above) — Fill a large bowl or storage container with water, add some glitter and a few drops of food coloring and grab some plastic toys that can get wet. Let your child play with their toys in the colorful water. My daughter enjoyed setting up her tea set toys and using the water as “tea.”
4. Water-Resistant Art – This is one of our personal favorites. You need blank paper, a white crayon and watercolor paint. Draw designs on the white paper with the white crayon. (The thicker and harder you push with the crayon, the better you can see the design in the end.) Once you’ve done your designs, use watercolor to paint the paper and watch the designs come to life!
5. DIY Puppets + Puppet Show – Use socks, paper bags, or even spoons to make puppets, then put on a show behind the couch.
6. Build a Cardboard City – Gather some boxes, markers, stickers and tape and create a mini city or castle.
7. Make Your Own Playdough – Mix 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, ½ cup water, and food coloring for a fun DIY version.
8. Paint the Windows – With washable tempera paint and sponges or brushes, let your kids paint the windows. It wipes off easily and feels like magic.

For a list of our family’s favorite board games to play together, check out our list of the BEST Family Board Games of All Time!

Learning Through Play

1. Stuffed Animal Vet Clinic – Set up a pretend vet station with bandages (toilet paper or gauze), toy thermometers, and a clipboard. Let your child “examine” and “treat” their stuffed animals. Add labels, “x-rays” drawn on paper, or appointment cards for extra fun.
2. Build with LEGOs or Blocks – Challenge them to build a zoo, a spaceship, or even their dream house.
3. Play Restaurant – Our daughters always love to take our order and use their play food to make and serve our meal.
4. Make a Menu – Have them make a creative menu for their restaurant.
5. Play a Board Game – Check out this list for our family’s all-time favorites.
6. Play “I Spy” – Pick something in the room and use shapes, colors, numbers and letter sounds to give a clue. For example, “I spy something that’s a circle,” and then the other person tries to guess what that person sees.
7. Kitchen Science – Try baking soda + vinegar experiments or make oobleck (cornstarch + water).
8. Write a Letter – Let them write or draw a letter to a friend or family member and decorate it.
9. “Store” Role Play – Set up a pretend store with any toy cash registers and play food you have. If you don’t have that, that’s okay! Make some play money and grab real household items instead.

Quiet Time Fun

1. Scavenger Hunt – Make a list of items to find around the house or in a specific room. You can also check Pinterest for fun premade lists!
2. Would You Rather? – Look up some fun questions on Pinterest and have fun asking each other.
3. Story Time Fort – Build a blanket fort, bring flashlights and books, and enjoy story time in a cozy spot.
4. Sensory Bin – Use dry rice, beans, pasta or oats with little scoops, cups, and toys.
5. Puzzle Race – Set a timer and see how fast your kids can complete a puzzle.
6. Color-by-Number or Dot Art Pages – Great for focus and creativity, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. You can find lots of free Color-by-Number pages on Pinterest.
7. Secret Code Messages – Create a basic code sheet (like A = 1, B = 2) and write secret messages for each other to decode. You can even leave “spy” clues around the house for a mini, indoor treasure hunt.

Active & Physical Games

1. Indoor Obstacle Course – Use pillows, chairs, blankets, and string to create a course to crawl, hop, and climb through.
2. Balloon Volleyball – String up a ribbon across the room and use a balloon for safe, bouncy fun.
3. Freeze Dance – Crank up the music and pause it randomly — kids freeze in place when the music stops!
4. Build a Fort – Have your child build a fort and then serve them lunch or a snack in it.
5. Hallway Bowling – Use empty water bottles as pins and a soft ball to knock them down.

Bonus Ideas Just for Fun

1. Indoor Picnic – Spread a blanket on the floor and eat lunch or snack together in the living room.
2. Play Guess Who – Someone thinks of a character and the other people ask that person questions to guess who it is. We like to play Disney editions with younger kids.
3. Dress-Up Fashion Show – Let them raid the costume bin or old clothes and walk the “runway.”
4. DIY Instrument Jam – Pots, pans, beans in containers — anything can become a band.
5. Guess the Sound Game – Take turns making mystery sounds (snapping, crinkling paper, pouring water) and guess what they are.
6. Freeze Toys in Ice – Freeze small toys in a container of water, then let your kids “excavate” them with tools and warm water.

These indoor activities for kids are meant to spark imagination, movement, and creativity — all while keeping things easy for you. Most of these require items you already have around the house, which is a huge win on days when you’re running low on energy or time.

If you try any of these with your kids, I’d love to hear how it went! Talk to me in the comments below.