As any caregiver knows, life moves fast. From swimming lessons to science fairs, you and your little one can likely count the daily list of things to do on all ten fingers. When the plates stop spinning, you may wonder, what to do with my kids today?
Whether you opt for indoor activities or outdoor adventures, devoting a day to play can build children’s confidence, encourage creative problem-solving, strengthen connections, and fortify healthy attachments.
Do you and your child finally have free time and are brainstorming what to do? Look no further—we will prep you with various rainy-day resources and fair-weather ways to entertain children of all ages.
How to Entertain Kids for the Day
Pinning down the perfect play day depends on your child’s needs and interests. Each child is unique, and what delights one may wrinkle the nose of another. A helpful list that excites every child’s interests beats boredom and adds a dash of adventure and enrichment to an otherwise empty agenda.
What Fun Activities Do Children Enjoy?
Think back to when you were young. What type of play and pastimes did you enjoy? Not much has changed today—Younger kids still enjoy fun activities that allow them to explore, invent, laugh, and learn. Luckily, you can check all of these boxes with with indoor and outdoor games for kids.
Indoor Games
For some children, home can feel like a second classroom, where they learn lessons in stability and routine, such as brushing their teeth, tidying up after themselves, and diligently (or reluctantly) finishing all their homework.
Engaging your children in indoor games turns your home into a playhouse where they can redefine home boundaries through unstructured play. Let’s look at some activities that inspire any indoor space.
#1 Creative Crafts
Don’t bother with a trip to the craft store. A few at-home items can double as ready materials for creative crafting. Coffee filters and food coloring make excellent flowers. Use cupcake liners to craft a sea of fish. Buttons and stray pennies serve as DIY centerpieces and eyes.
#2 Indoor Games
With chairs, couch cushions, and pillows, you can make an indoor obstacle course as winding and complex as you please. Setting the stage can add a little intrigue and imagination to this simple structure—maybe your kids are traversing through the jungle or on their way to fight a fire-breathing dragon.
#3 Baking and Cooking
Making easy meals from scratch, like pasta, or whipping up simple sugar cookies involves ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Sharing the kitchen with your kid encourages them to build life skills early and allows you to devote predetermined time for productive bonding. The finished result won’t only be tasty but can generate a sense of pride and accomplishment in your child.
Indoor games can transform the familiar space of your kitchen or living room into a haven of invention, imagination, and play for your younger kids. But what about when the sun peeks out after a rainy day? Let’s explore equally intriguing outdoor games to keep your kids entertained.
Outdoor Games
Whether at your local park or in your backyard, studies show outdoor play builds healthy bodies, inspires a positive mindset, and lets your child safely test the boundaries of the world around them. Plus, outdoor games can be the perfect physical activity for some summer fun!
#4 Nature Exploration
Draw up a list of outdoor items for your little one to collect, like leaves, flowers, rocks, and sticks either in a park or nature center. Play with size and color by asking them to find something small, large, pink, or green. Encourage them to point out different critters and creatures like butterflies or squirrels and check them off as they go.
#5 Sports and Physical Activities
Introducing sports or physical activity to an open-ended day is not only an ideal way for your child to release pent-up energy—activities that challenge the body and mind can build determination and resilience and develop coordination and critical thinking.
One of our favorite outdoor games is also easy. Blow up 1–3 balloons and watch (or join in) as your kids work against gravity to keep the balloon from touching the ground. A boundless patch of grass lets kids dart and dash in all directions.
#6 Gardening and Planting
What kid doesn’t love getting their hands dirty? Gardening and planting reduce stress, inspire environmental care, and allow them to see how plants grow. You can start seeds in an empty egg carton with some soil and water or venture out to community gardens to weed whack and pick up trash. Gardening is not only a fun thing for kids to participate in, but it also provides a way for kids to learn through play as well.
#7 Learning and Discovery
Educational outdoor games are mentally stimulating and enjoyable outlets to keep your child’s mind sharp and the knowledge flowing. Making a sundial clock from paper plates and pencils simplifies complex science and illuminates how our world works.
#8 Science Experiments
Science doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it can be exhilarating and messy. Teach your kids how different materials react to each other by making a vinegar and baking soda volcano. Any container can serve as your Vesuvius.
#9 Educational Games
This game will surely get your kids squealing and can be played with two or more people. Shout out a letter and toss the ball back and forth to anyone in a circle. Whoever holds the ball shouts back a word that begins with that letter. Work up difficulty levels by limiting repetitive words and introducing alliterations or words that rhyme.
#10 Reading and Storytelling
Grab a blanket and soak up some sun rays as you read from your child’s latest favorite social-emotional learning book. Turn the tables and encourage your child to tell you a story by pointing out details in your environment. Narratives about a buzzing bee or a bird in the nearest tree is a fun game to help spark imagination in kids as well.
What to Do with Kids Today: Creating the Best Plan
Every caregiver knows the commitment of a packed schedule. When you and your child have a chance to slow down and redefine routine, you may be wondering what to do.
Whether your child prefers indoor games or outdoor adventures, incorporating engaging and exciting play methods assists physical, mental, and emotional development.
At Slumberkins, we offer a variety of play kits, tools, and resources to foster emotional intelligence and growth. While you and your child laugh and learn through intentional playtime, Slumberkins empowers caregivers and children to make memories that last a lifetime.
Sources:
American Psychological Association. The many wondrous benefits of unstructured play. https://www.apa.org/topics/children/kids-unstructured-play-benefits
The Growing Room. Kids in the Kitchen: The Benefits of Cooking with Children. https://thegrowingroom.org/announcements/kids-in-the-kitchen-the-benefits-of-cooking-with-children
Harvard Health Publishing. 6 reasons children need to play outside. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-reasons-children-need-to-play-outside-2018052213880
PCSFN Science Board. Benefits of Youth Sports. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf
