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Monday, March 23, 2020

100+ Free Kids Activities to do at home: Indoor & Outdoor Ideas + Free Educational Resources

Everybody knows that it's only a matter of time before kids inevitably start with I'm boooooored, especially when they're at home. However, now you don't have to worry about kids saying I'm bored on the weekend, school holidays or any other time you may find yourself at home for long periods of time, because I've put together this list of over 100 FREE Indoor and Outdoor Activities for kids to do at home. I've also included some wonderful free online educational resources if you find yourself having to unexpectedly homeschool.

Many parents are currently finding themselves with kids at home full time. For some this may be a very daunting thought, especially if it's been a few years since you've had kids home 24/7. It's even more daunting because lots of free activities like visiting the library, going to a park, a museum, a shopping centre or the movies may also be out of the question for an unknown period of time. It's OK though, all the activities below can be done 100% from home, you don't even need to leave your own backyard.


Child with paint on her face




50+ FREE INDOOR KIDS ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME


If you're housebound try some of these free indoor activities you can do with the kids at home. I guarantee almost all of them will be using items you already have at home and many are family activities so they're also a great way to touch base and bond as a family unit. 

A lot of these activities are also great for learning, but they're so fun the kids won't even realise they're learning! If you want even more educational activities to do, scroll down the the bottom of this post for a huge list of free online educational resources you can access from home.

Dad reading book with baby



1. Read a book {if the kids can't read yet have family story time}
2. Have a dance party listening to the radio
3. Watch a movie or have a family movie night
4. Build a fort using furniture and sheets
5. Have a pretend tea party with toys
6. Play some board games
7. Draw a picture 
8. Have a family sleep over in the lounge room
9. Make and fly paper planes
10. Bake cookies together
11. Make homemade playdough
12. Do some salt painting
13. Write a letter to a pen pal or friend
14. Learn a new dance {follow the moves on Just Dance videos}
15. Play with old toys
16. Paint a picture
17. Make a sticky picture using contact paper and paper/loose parts
18. Have a colour bath by adding a few drops of food colouring to the water
19. Decorate a cardboard box with pens, paint or stickers
20. Write your own picture book or comic strip
21. Set up a small world for some imaginary play
22. Play Simon says
23. Make cardboard crafts using recyclables 
24. Try these playdough invitations to play
25. Draw a self portrait
26. Make a sock puppet with old socks
27. Play charades 
28. Have a pillow fight
29. Do some yoga {try Cosmic Kids Yoga for some easy kids yoga}

30. Set up a sensory tub
31. Try some of these colour sorting activities
32. Do a puzzle
33. Sing songs and put on your own home concert
34. Make bath paints using cornflour and food colouring
35. Make a collage using glue and scrap paper/craft items
36. Make a DIY puzzle by cutting up old photos or magazine pictures
37. Play dress ups and put on a show
38. Play with loose parts
39. Play hide and seek
40. Make a DIY sensory bottle
41. Put on a puppet show
42. Blow up some balloons and have a balloon party
43. Make a ball run with cardboard tubes
44. Make an indoor obstacle course with masking tape
45. Play musical chairs
46. Build a tower with blocks or magnetic tiles
47. Play bowling by knocking down paper cups with a ball
48. Try some simple science experiments using household items
49. Play card games like snap or memory
50. Freeze some small toys in ice cubes for water play
51. Thread pasta onto string to make necklaces or bracelets
52. Watch kids YouTube channels like Blippi, Sesame Street or Disney Junior
53. Make a batch of rainbow rice
54. Dye some raw pasta with food colouring and vinegar for sensory play
55. Put on a shadow puppet show at night with a torch and hand shadows
56. Play the floor is lava
57. Play memory with toys {take one away and guess which one is missing}
58. Play keepy uppy with a balloon like Bluey {don't let it touch the ground}
59. Make some magic paintings



List of 50 free indoor activities for kids from finding myself young



30+ FREE OUTDOOR KIDS ACTIVITIES TO DO IN THE BACKYARD


If your kids are anything like mine, they quickly get cabin fever when they're stuck inside, so it's important to have some fun outdoor activities up your sleeve too. Sunshine, fresh air and vitamin D are all essential for our health and development so it's important to get outside and be active often. 

Whether you're lucky enough to have a huge backyard or live with a tiny courtyard like us, the following free activities are all perfect for entertaining the kids outside. If you don't have the latest and greatest outdoor play equipment like a trampoline or a climbing frame don't worry, all 30+ of these free outdoor activities can be done with some basic items from around the house and access to mother nature.

Girl blowing bubbles in the backyard

1. Go on a nature scavenger hunt {collect items of certain colours or type}
2. Have a backyard picnic
3. Paint rocks and leaves
4. Go on a treasure hunt {hide items in the yard and make a treasure map}
5. Look at the shapes the clouds make
6. Draw shadow pictures {put toys in the sun and draw their shadow outline on paper}
7. Make a hopscotch grid with chalk
8. Play tag with siblings
9. Make potions with flowers and water
10. Ride a bike or scooter
11. Play i-spy
12. Blow bubbles {you can make your own bubble mixture with dish soap and water}
13. Catch bugs and study them
14. Set up an obstacle course
15. Paint the fence or driveway with water
16. Look at the stars at night
17. Go camping in the backyard
18. Play piggy in the middle
19. Try these animal movement exercises
20. Build a cubby house using outdoor furniture and sheets
21. Make chalk paint and paint the driveway or footpath
22. Play catch with a ball
23. 
Make a bird feeder from recyclables and do some bird watching
24. Make a DIY butterfly feeder
25. Make mud pies
26. Climb a tree
27. Paint with flowers
28. Play handball
29. Water play in a tub
30. Make leaf rubbings with crayons
31. Start a rock collection
32. Plant some seeds in an egg carton to start a veggie garden {use dried seeds from fruit and veggies you use for dinner}
33. Have a water balloon fight {if you don't have water balloons, half fill normal balloons with water}
34. Build balancing towers with rocks, bark or sticks
36. Draw an obstacle course with chalk to jump, walk, run and hop over
37. Count the number of birds that fly over your yard
38. Use a magnifying glass to hunt for ants and other bugs
39. Draw a family portrait with chalk
40. Play What's the time Mr Wolf
41. Do some ball painting
42. Take photos of sunrise or sunset
43. Make oobleck and play with it in a tub outside

30 free activities for kids to do outdoors in the backyard.



18 FREE ONLINE RESOURCES TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE KIDS AT HOME


With many households currently learning at home, lots of educational resources have been made available online for free. Here's some of our favourite free online resources for kids.

Child learning at home with online educational resources.

MATHLETICS FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

Mathletics is a super popular online maths program  designed to support teachers and students both in the classroom and at home. Many schools include a Mathletics subscription as part of their annual curriculum resources so your child may already have a special log in that can be used at home. If you don't have full access to Mathletics, you can still download free math printable activities here.

TWINKL ONLINE RESOURCES

Twinkl is a comprehensive teaching resource site providing teaching, planning and assessment materials for babies right through to school aged children. The twinkl resources include lesson packs, power point presentations, display materials, worksheets and craft ideas that can be printed off at home. Twinkl is originally UK based, but an Australian curriculum section has been added to support Australian teachers and homeschooling families. There are loads of free resources available to download from Twinkl, with the option of upgrading to a paid account if you want access to even more resources. For a full review of Twinkl resources check out my post here.

SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA

Scholastic have a special online Learn at Home portal where you can find daily activities for kids of all age groups. The activities are split into school learning categories such as Science, Social Studies, Physical Activities with many videos, books and worksheets available to access for free. Each Monday 5 new learning journeys are uploaded.

NASA KIDS CLUB

Did you know Nasa have their own online Nasa kids club? In the kids club children can play different space themed games, listen to storybook time, try Nasa stem activities at home and can look up real Nasa missions. There's also a YouTube channel Story Time from Space where kids can watch astronauts read picture books from space.

STORYLINE ONLINE

If you can't make it to the library you can still catch story time with Storyline Online. Run by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online is a literacy website that features famous actors and actresses reading picture books aloud. There are already over 50 storybook videos uploaded onto the site with more added regularly. 



GOMA KIDS

The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has an online Children's Art Centre where kids can explore art from around the world. Children can access online games, activities and stories created in collaboration with artists.

MINECRAFT EDUCATION EDITION

Most school age kids are obsessed with Minecraft {yes even my big girl} so why not harness that interest for learning. At the Minecraft Education Edition online you can download lesson plans aligned with the Australian Curriculum. There are also coding lessons and building challenges.

LEARN ABOUT OCEAN ANIMALS

If you can't make it to the beach or an aquarium to do some real life hands on learning, jump online to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where you can find live cam streams of animals to study as well as plenty of free online resources to download. There are games, colouring-in sheets, posters, activities and ebooks to explore.


EDUCATIONAL YOUTUBE CHANNELS




100 free indoor and outdoor activities for children of all ages to do at home.

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