37 Mostly Wholesome Activities For Kids Stuck At Home

I was what we affectionately call "straight-up homeschooled." Loosely translated, it means that until high school, my mother and father taught me all subjects. Back in the 1990s, people had this idea that homeschoolers were freakish, inbred hermits who ate nothing but raw veggies and sported the latest line of handmade mumus. Can we blame them? The "homeschool mom dress" is totally a thing. But I am proud to say my mom looked remarkably normal. Incognito, we shocked waitresses and nurses left and right. "So where do you go to school, hun?" "I'm home educated." "Oh. Um, okay well...but you don't look homeschooled." "Thanks?" 

In high school we branched out to co-ops for the upper-level sciences and literature courses; however, my parents remained my primary educators. In fact, the rigors of high school called for my parents to be more deeply involved in my education than ever. They would never say they were slaves to my education. Not once did I hear my mom complain. But believe me when I say their work was and is sacrificial, unrelenting investment in the life-long task of molding whole souls. Truth is, home education done right is exhausting. But what greater treasure than to see your children thrive in this world and "rise up and call you blessed"? My parents are my most cherished gift from God and I will never - not in a thousand years - be able to repay them for their loving investment in my life. I only hope to have the grace to continue their legacy by sowing into my own children.

I share this with you to offer a glimpse into how impactful your time at home with your children can be in these days. Seize the opportunity to sow into them. You may never have this much time together again.

That being said, mom and dad need their sanity. 

So here are some mostly indoor, mostly wholesome, definitely Netflix-free ways for kids to entertain themselves.  

1. Play in the rain. We’ve had a ton of rain in Nashville. Capitalize on it. Enjoy the puddles. Play “Pooh Sticks” (aka racing sticks down gutters and streams), make boats out of leaves or bark, and sail them. Make paper boats, fill them with plastic toy soldiers, set them afloat, and then have a “war.” Try to capsize them or shoot them down with rocks. Take out your G.I. Joe's or modern-day equivalent, and play marshlands. There is so much scope for the imagination in the rain beyond mud pies. I was never a mud pie kid. Where I was raised, rain was rare, so we cherished each rainy day like it was a holiday.

2. Play pioneers. Got a couch? Okay you’re set. The couch is your wagon. The arms are the horses or oxen pulling your wagon. Pack up a bunch of supplies - even consider packing a picnic lunch - and pile it into your wagon. Make saddles out of blankets and bridles out of belts to ride your horses. All sorts of perilous adventures await you on the trail ahead.

3. Have a dance party. Movement is so important.

4. Learn a new hand game and rhyme. Mya's is a classic.

5. Play Chinese jump rope. Order one if you don’t have one on hand. Here is a brand made in the USA.

6. Write letters to friends and grandparents. Drawing pictures for them is always a great idea.

7. Play office. A Travel Agency is loads of fun.

8. Play trading. Kids need to find stuff they’d be willing to trade with their siblings or parent (if parent is playing then parent needs to find stuff he/she would be willing to trade). You lay it all out in front of you, displaying your wares, and then trade with one another. Kids get to practice their bargaining skills.

9. Play fishing. Similar game to trading, but instead of trading you make a fishing line out of a pole, twine, and a little bag or basket on the end. The fisherman will sit on the bed, close his eyes, throw the line to the floor or over the bed, and “wish” aloud for something that his sibling has. It’s up to said sibling to decide whether or not he will grant his wish or give him something different. Kids get to practice generosity and learn to bless one another.

10. Have a Very Merry Unbirthday Party, complete with tea, little gifts for one another, games, and a pin the pocket watch on the rabbit.

11. Make up your own card game. Design your own cards and make your own rules.

12. Design and make a monopoly game with your own theme. One of the most fun themes is your own life. Properties can be places that are significant to your family. (Ex. Grandma’s House, Disneyland, Dollywood, Radnor Lake, Yosemite, Dad’s workplace, school, etc.)

13. Play marbles. It’s a classic. 

14. Write and practice an original play. Encourage kids to put on a theatrical production. Parents are the audience.

15. Make puppets out of paper bags. Encourage kids to produce a puppet show for you. Tutorial here.

16. Allow one hour of video/computer games. We weren’t allowed to have video games when I was a kid. We had some computer games, mostly educational. Loved them. But my parents limited the amount of time we could spend playing. It was healthy for our brains and preserved their novelty. Unfortunately many kids these days are allowed an inordinate amount of video game play. They’re overstimulated. Attention spans are shortened. Addictions are formed. If this is the case for your child, quarantine might be a good time to reset and set some healthy boundaries.

17. Allow time for boredom. Boredom is necessary for a child’s cognitive, specifically imaginative, development. Children do not require 24/7 entertainment. Let them get creative about how they will entertain themselves.

18. Read chapter books aloud to them. Take about an hour in the evening to work your way through a chapter book with your kids. During this time they may listen quietly or quietly draw, color, sew, embroider, crochet, etc, while listening. Doing something with their hands - and in a relatively still position - often aids their listening skills. Encourage controlled movement that will not be distracting.

19. Playmobil. They’re life-changing.

20. LEGO bricks. Duh.

21. Bob Ross paint day. Get some acrylics. Brushes. Canvases. Pick an episode and follow along with Bob Ross.

22. Make soap bubbles. Here's an option for the hard core at heart. Here's a slightly simplified, and much more adorable, version.

23. Pretend the floor is lava. This is highly interactive and requires kids to climb on all sorts of furniture, so if this is too much for you, I understand.

24. Make a fort. Transform a room using only bed sheets. Add twinkly lights for extra magic. 

25. Allow movies as an earned treat rather than an everyday thing. For example: “If you get your schoolwork done by noon, you can watch one episode of ___________.”

26. Make homemade play dough. Check out this recipe, or check out YouTube for some quick how-to's.

27. Put random items into a paper bag, and then challenge your kids to make a story using all of those mystery items. Let them illustrate their own book and write the story. Or allow them to dramatize their story, using said items as props. Story must include: 1) hero 2) conflict 3) resolution

28. Build your own theme park complete with attractions and carnival games. Definitely an outdoor activity.

29. Play pirates on the high seas. Includes candles, painted beards, eye patches, dressing up, making treasure maps, drinking “rum” in mugs, going on a quest, and talking like pirates the. whole. day.

30. Make a movie. Most phone cameras are up to the task. Encourage creative use of lighting, sound effects, backdrops, etc.

31. Build a puzzle while listening to music or a radio theater. Focus on the Family has some really stellar options. They've produced the entire Chronicles of Narnia.

32. Make catapults. Here's a quick tutorial. I've made these with my elementary history class. Pro tip: they work much better if you simply substitute a plastic spoon for the top popsicle stick. Set up army or LEGO men and have a race to see who can knock down the opposing army first. Rules: You can only use your catapult and marshmallows (as rocks).

33. Have a pepperoncini eating contest...okay just kidding. But my sister and I were competitive children, alright? We took out the Costco pepperoncini jar that was as big as my head and just went to town. Glorious.

34. Make crafts out of all those empty toilet paper rolls you’re accumulating. This idea is brilliant. Check out Art Camp's blog  for all your aesthetically pleasing artsy needs.

35. Play Wink Murder. Requires house and at least 4 enthusiastic participants. Rules here.

36. Play animal shelter and adoption. Stuffed animals preferable. Don't get any ideas, kiddos. Mom doesn't need another puppy.

37. Play grocery store. Requires play money. Monopoly money works great. Set up a little grocery store in your kitchen with all those boxes of cereal and cans of beans you stocked up on and let the kids take turns being grocer and shopper. If you don’t have a play cash register, let them use a calculator. Teaches them how to handle money.