As wonderful as it is to be outside, there are days when that's just not feasible. But have no fear!
Here are 9 simple and fun indoor activities that preschoolers and kids love!
Activity 1: Cup and Card Building
This activity is the best because it requires no prep (besides bringing out the supplies). It's open-ended, there's no right or wrong way to play, and it promotes so many STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and math) for early childhood. What could be better?
Supplies:
- playing cards (or Pokemon cards)
- lots of plastic cups (all mini cups or all regular sized cups)
- small animal figures or bear counters
Instructions:
Lay out the supplies for your kids and let them play however they wish. They can build, create, explore, and play. They can create bridges, towers, start imaginative playing, and more.
Activity 2: Tape and Pom Poms
This activity is great for fine motor skills and early math skills. It takes less than a minute to set up too!
Supplies:
- colored painter's tape
- pom poms (these can be a choking hazard so keep that in mind when choosing sizes for your child. Alternatives to pom poms can be Cheerios)
Instructions:
Place a strip of tape going from the top of a table or counter all the way to the ground. Use small pieces of tape to secure the ends. Give your child pom poms and let them place the pom poms onto the sticky side of the tape. They can make patterns with colors or shapes too.
Activity 3: Alphabet Run
Get some energy out and work on letter recognition together! This activity is so fun and is great for siblings as well.
Supplies:
- A big piece of paper (we love keeping a roll of Kraft paper at home)
- Marker
- A set of letters (magnetic, wooden, etc.) Here's the letters we used.
- A big spoon
Instructions:
On a piece of paper, write out all the letters A-Z. You can choose if you want to write the letters in uppercase or lowercase. Place this piece of paper on the floor. About 10-15 feet away from the paper, place a set of letters. Mix them up so they aren't in alphabetical order or put them in a bowl. Have your child scoop up a letter with the spoon and run to the paper as fast as they can without dropping the letter. Place the letter on the same letter written on the paper. Repeat until all the letters are done. You can time your kids to see how fast they can do all the letters in and have them try a second time to see if they can beat their time.
Activity 4: Tape Parking Lot
If you have a car-loving child, this activity is definitely for you! And even if you don't- my daughter loves this activity with little princess figurines too. No matter what you choose to use for the tape parking lot, it will be a hit!
Supplies:
- colored painters tape
- toy cars
Instructions:
Test your floors first to make sure the tape won't ruin them. If you can't do this on your floors, you can do this on carpet, on a big piece of paper, or on a big piece of cardboard.
Place strips of tape on the ground a few inches apart from each other, creating parking spots.
Give your child toy cars and let them park the cars. When they are done, encourage imaginative play!
Activity 5: Cardboard Box Town
Keep the next big box you get at your house because boxes are great for imaginative play. I like to joke that my kids play with the boxes more than the actual toy that comes in the box at times!
Supplies:
- A cardboard box
- Scissors or an X-acto knife
- colored tape (optional)
- toy cars, figures, or any other toys you want to use
Instructions:
Help your child create a town by cutting out holes on the box for tunnels, using tape as roads, etc. Use your imagination and get creative! When it's set up, give your child some toys and let them play however they wish. We love to keep this out for a couple of days before recycling it and waiting for another great box to come in the mail.
Activity 6: Cup Bowling
The amount of joy this activity brings my 3 year old is amazing! If you have a little one that loves throwing things, this is the activity for you. It also promotes early math skills, which I love.
Supplies:
- red cups
- lightweight animal figures (this is a great set that doubles as bath toys)
- a tennis ball (or socks rolled into a ball)
Instructions:
Set up "bowling" for your child by placing red cups upside down on the ground in a bowling formation. Place an animal figure on top of each cup. Have your child sit a few feet back and throw the ball to try and knock down the cups and animals.
The most commonly asked question I get with this activity is who sets the game up each time? The answer is both of us! I usually set it up the first couple of times. After that, my child knows what to do and if he wants to continue playing, he can set it up himself. It doesn't have to be perfect- he just wants to throw the ball and knock stuff down!
Activity 7: DIY Playdough Kit
While themed playdough kits are adorable and great (we've purchased many over the years), you don't need to spend lots of money on themed playdough kits for your kids to have fun. You can simply make your own using random items you have at home.
Supplies:
- playdough
- anything that can go on/with playdough!
Ideas: silicone cupcake liners, gems, pom poms, pipe cleaners, tools
Instructions:
Lay out all the supplies and let your child create and play however they wish!
Activity 8: Tape Bridge
Supplies:
- colored painters tape
- craft sticks (regular or jumbo size)
- bear counters or something similar
Instructions:
Find two surfaces that are the same height a few feet apart. A kitchen island to kitchen counter work great. The seats of two chairs could also work. Place two strips of tape (sticky side down) across the surfaces. They should be close enough that craft sticks can balance across on the two strips. Give your child the craft sticks and let them balance the craft sticks on top of the two tape strips. Once the "bridge" is created, they can balance bear counters on top of the bridge. This STEM activity is so fun, great for motor skills, problem-solving, taking risks, and more!
Activity 9: Tape Color Hunt
Any time we do an activity that includes some sort of "hunt", I know my kids will love it! This activity is no different. Even my older kids that aren't working on colors anymore love to play this activity- it's that fun!
Supplies:
- colored painters tape
Instructions:
On a vertical surface like a wall, place a long strip (about a foot) of each color of tape you're going to use.
Rip off smaller pieces (about an inch each) of each color and hide these pieces around the house (on walls, furniture, etc.). Let your child run around the house and find the smaller pieces of tape. When they find a piece, have them run back to the longer strips of tape and place the smaller pieces of tape directly on top of the longer strip of the same color. Continue until all the small tape pieces are found.
For extra learning, you can write letters or numbers on the smaller strips and have your child call out the letters/numbers as they find each strip.
I hope these 9 indoor activities are helpful and that you try them!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, Stay at Home Activity Mom, LLC. may earn commissions.
