These days, the threat of the pandemic and getting sick is one of the many reasons children stay at home. Because of the immense threat of the virus, children are often stuck at home for almost all their activities. Though having fun indoors may be fun at first, staying at home for a long time can make people, including children, feel trapped at home. There is a limit to the TV shows and movies you can watch with them. So here are a few activities to have some indoor family fun!

1. Board Games

There are so many board games to choose from in the market. The most common games are a monopoly, chinese checkers, snakes and ladders, clue, battleships, and scrabble. Depending on which board game you choose, you often encourage your child to learn different skills like strategizing for battleships, the value of money and business for monopoly, anagrams for scrabble, and many more.

2. Dance Party

Bust out those dance moves and feel the beat with a dance party! This is not only a great way to bond with your family and friends, and it can also help your child boost confidence by dancing in front of other people. Who knows, maybe you have another Michael Jackson at home! Just pick the perfect track according to your family’s preferences and get dancing!

3. Reading

Though most of us think that reading is only for one person, it can be an activity done for the family. The truth is, children never get too old to enjoy reading. Reading books like Good Night by Natalia Padilla may be a fun way to get your children to read. You may even let your child practice their pronunciation and diction by letting them read the story out loud.

4. Baking

For those children who love sweets and baked goods, this would be a fun activity to make with the family. With the vast amount of recipes online, there are many baked goods to choose from, ranging from cakes, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, bread, and so much more. This is an interactive and fun-filled activity for children. It is safer for younger children than cooking, especially since older children can use the oven.

5. Forts and Tents

Bring the outdoors inside by setting up a tiny tent or fort at home. You may even use different pillows, blankets, or pop-up tents to give it the cozy feeling completely. This will give your home the “camping feel” without all the mosquitoes and mud that your children may enjoy. You could even top it off with making some s’mores at home.

6. Mad Libs and Word Games

Mad libs are a fun and entertaining game for children, especially young ones. Moreover, it also helps your child develop language and grammar since they will be asked for familiar words they know, specifically nouns, pronouns, verbs, numbers, adjectives, and so much more! 

To play mad libs, get any paragraph from a book, newspaper, or magazine, and crush out some words in the paragraph. After that, ask a partner to fill in the crushed-out words with adjectives, nouns, exclamations, colors, adverbs, and more. Afterward, you could read out the new paragraph created, but no one is allowed to laugh! This is often really fun to play with the family since some of the hilarious paragraphs can be made out of them.

7. Puzzle

Puzzles may take a long time, but it is often very fulfilling for a young child. When choosing puzzles, it is good to consider your child’s age and the size of the family solving the puzzle. Bigger families often need bigger puzzles with more pieces, while smaller families with young children prefer having puzzles with fewer pieces. Puzzles often help children develop patience and improve cooperation skills with others.

8. Science Experiments

Science experiments are some of the most fun ways to impress kids at home. Moreover, it could also help teach children some basic science facts. For example, baking soda and vinegar to make a “mini volcano” at home could teach children the basics of acids and bases and what happens when they mix.

There are a variety of science experiments online; just make sure that the experiment you choose is age-appropriate, understandable for a child of a particular age, and safe (especially for families with younger children who put things in their mouth). Beware of fire and “exploding” experiments like elephant toothpaste experiments since these could be messy or be hazardous if large amounts are made.