Why Indoor Activities?
Finding indoor activities for kids is a unique challenge for parents, teachers, and nanny’s alike!
To make this a little bit easier for you, we’ve created an organized place where you can find tons of indoor activities all at a glance, WITH pictures. Because well…it’s hard to know what the activity is without them.
The activities are organized by their category below, in a way that allows you to see them all at the same time without having to click back and forth between categories.
Too many sites are just plain hard to navigate.
Having a go-to list of indoor activities is an absolute must-have.. It’s hard enough to keep your kids entertained when they have free-reign of the indoors and outdoors.
But when Mother Nature says “YOU WILL STAY INSIDE,” your activity options can disappear in a hurry if you’re not prepared.
We want you to be ready for anything, even if you have to stay inside ALL DAY.
Or “gulp.” ALL WEEK. (Will it ever stop raining…or snowing…or warm up!?)
If that makes you shudder, you’re not alone. We remember feeling that way, too, before we found all these awesome ideas to keep our kids active and entertained.
But not anymore!
Our Favorite Types of Indoor Activities for Kids
Sensory PLAY
If it feels like your toddler is running wild, sensory bins are a great way to start calming them down again.
Just keep some clear plastic bins on hand, and fill it with a base filler (like rice, or popcorn seeds, or whatever you have!).
Add some other items of interest and you can adapt it for kids of all ages. I always have one of these ready and waiting to pull out when I’m in a pinch. see sensory play activities
Arts and Crafts
The most classic of all the indoor activities, and for good reason. All you need is construction paper, scissors, and glue and you can do some basic arts and crafts.
My favorite part is that these activities usually keep kids occupied for a long time. see arts and crafts activities
Gross Motor Activities
One of the hardest things to do when you’re stuck inside is to burn off some of that endless energy all kids. You need to have some high-octane, high-protein, get-up and get-moving activity ideas ready to go. see gross motor activities
Science and Learning Activities
Just because you’re stuck indoors, doesn’t mean you can’t learn something, too!
Play-based learning is the best way for kids to learn. I love using games to introduce letters, shapes, numbers, and colors to kids.
And science activities just seem to have that exciting WOW factor you don’t get with anything else. These activities fizz, pop, and even explode as you aim to keep kids entertained. see science and learning activities
Dramatic Play Activities
I think one of the most fascinating things in life is seeing a young child’s imagination at work.
That shift from just repeating what they’ve seen and heard to creating their own unique stories and songs is incredible to me!
Dramatic play gives them the opportunities to create and imagine. see dramatic play activities
All Indoor Activities for Kids Posts
This is a complete list of posts I’ve written on indoor activities for kids, organized by category. Rainy days don’t stand a chance!
Sensory Indoor Activities
Arts and Crafts Indoor Activities
Gross Motor Skill Indoor Activities
Science and Learning Indoor Activities
Fine Motor Skill Indoor Activities
Dramatic Play Indoor Activities
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BONUS: 2 Simple Ways to ALWAYS Be Ready for a Rainy Day with Indoor Activities
1. Have some activity ideas in mind before you’re stuck indoors
Now that you’ve found this site, you won’t have this problem anymore! But just like with many things in life, with a little preparation, a crisis can be no more than an inconvenience. Take a look through the activities below and get some ideas, so you’re never caught off guard again.
2. Keep commonly used supplies on hand
If you keep some of these things around, with a little imagination, you can come up with hundreds of things to do. Here are 10 things I always keep on hand for activities:
- Construction paper
- Dot stickers
- Cotton Balls or Pom Poms
- Popsicle sticks
- Shaving cream
- Painter’s tape
- Small plastic bowls
- Food coloring
- Crayons
- Measuring cups and spoons
Tap to find a complete list of my most-used activity supplies.
Comment below which activity you tried and how it went!
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
