Really Simple & Fun Things to Do At Home with Kids

Need some fun things to do at home with kids? 

You'll love these ideas, activities, and challenges for kids to boost learning fun at home.

And what you'll really love is that you won't have to spend a dime on any of these ways to make life and learning fun 🙂 ALL of these things use only common household materials!

Make the Most of Opportunities to Have Fun At Home with Your Kids

As a homeschool soccer mom of 5 boys, I love to create and enjoy delightful experiences to boost learning fun with my boys. And I know that I'm not the only one. Hey there!

When you want to enjoy fun at home with kids, my #1 tip is to KEEP IT SIMPLE. (Sorry to use all caps but this is important stuff!)

You don't need a bunch of fancy materials or spend a ton of hours putting together complicated activities.

Your kids just want to spend time with you. Quality time that involves eye contact, talking, and a bit of silliness.

But maybe you find it hard to focus because of distractions like dirty dishes or social media? I completely understand 😉  Here's my FREE guide with 5 Quick & Easy Ways to Be a Focused & FUN MOM Today! (I can be a total hyper squirrel so these tips are my tried-and-true ways of keeping it together.)

Great Times for Finding & Enjoying Fun Things to Do At Home With Kids

There are so many reasons why you might find yourself at home and searching for fun ways to enjoy special time with your kids.

If you find yourself in any of these situations or just want to be that #funmom, these simple activities and challenges using common household materials are fantastic for:

• School break (of any sort-Holiday, Spring, crisis,or pandemic)
• Summer fun activities (especially when it's hot outside)
• Winter fun activities (especially when the weather is yucky)
• Rainy day fun
• Homeschool brain breaks
• Striving to be a fun mom
• Stay-at-home vacation

All of these reasons for valid and awesome! (Well, not the crisis or pandemic part. Eek! That's no fun-but you CAN make the most of that time.)

I applaud you for taking the time to discover and use creative and fun things to do at home with kids.

But, maybe you're kinda freaking out about trying to enjoy fun things at home?

I totally get it! Fun is often equated with chaos and destruction-especially when it includes kids.

The good news is that you can create and implement fun expectations {look at these helpful ideas and free printable worksheet to help you get it all sorted out HERE}. Plus, use semi-structured activities and challenges (like the ones you find here) to keep it cool.

Or maybe you're concerned about spending money? Oh my stars! I SO get that one, too!

I'm always looking for free and frugal ways to make life and learning fun. And when I find a great idea that my boys love and is easy on my pocket and sanity, I make sure to share it with you 🙂

Fantastic Easy, Free, & Fun Things to Do At Home With Kids

I hope that you get ideas and inspiration from these hands-on crafts, activities, and challenges.

If one of these suggestions don't quite fit your family, I encourage you to tweak as necessary. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fun things to do at home.

For each activity, you'll find:

• Simple materials list (I bet you already have all of this stuff at home!)
• Step-by-Step tutorial (when applicable)
• Pictures featuring my boys and me enjoying these activities

1. Silent Ball

All you need for this simple game is a small, soft ball (or wadded up piece of paper or newspaper).

The object of this game is to toss the ball around.

Doesn't sound hard, does it? Well, the challenge is to NOT talk! 

You silently count how many times the "ball" gets thrown around.

Oh, and don't drop the ball or you're out. (It's so hard not to say something when that happens 😉 )

Tip:  Sit in a circle on the floor. Or stand up if you have room.

2. Dancing Crayons

For this fun challenge, you need crayons (markers or color pencils work well, too) and paper.

Each participant has one piece of paper and a writing utensil for each hand.

Oh, and music is a great option. (If you don't have a way to play music, no worries! Just hum or sing a song.)

Let the music play and let your crayons dance!

To make it more of a challenge, designate one person as "d.j." to pause the music. When the music stops, switch colors to add a variety to your creation.

Make sure to sign your artwork and put on display for all to see.

3. Magic Microphone

This activity is an awesome way to practice communication skills, like taking turns when a group of people is talking. Or you can use this DIY play microphone to just have some performance fun 😉

It's super easy to make the microphone! The materials you need include:

• Empty TP (toilet paper) roll
• Black construction paper (or any color you'd like your microphone to be!)
• Scissors
• Newspaper or scrap paper
• Glue or glue stick
• Aluminum foil
• Optional:  washi tape

Cut a strip of construction paper long enough to cover the toilet paper roll.

Use glue or glue stick to adhere the paper to the toilet paper roll.

Optional:  Use washi tape (or regular tape) to secure the seam of the paper.

Wad up a piece of newspaper or scrap paper and place it in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil.

Bring all four corners of the sheet of aluminum foil to meet in the center, wrapping the paper. Condense into a ball that will fit into the top of decorated toilet paper roll.

You may need to use glue or tape to make sure the top of "microphone" sticks.

To play the "Magic Microphone" game, gather in a circle or around a table. The only person who may speak is the holder of the microphone.

If the person is speaking too softly, encourage them to "turn up the microphone".

If you have a few participants who like to hold on to the microphone too long ;), set a timer.

Need fun topics to chat about as you play this game? Our FREE printable prompts of conversation starters with a variety of seasonal and fun holiday themes are great for just such occasions!

4. DIY Treasure Box

Your kids will have a blast with this hands-on craft that can be used in so many creative ways.

All you need is a lunch paper bag. The following materials are all optional but do make the activity extra easy and fun:

• Scissors
• Tape or washi tape
• Stickers
• Crayons
• Markers
• Color pencils
• Dot-a-Dot Markers (bingo daubers)
• Kwik Stix
• Tiny trinkets and treasures to store (*Bonus: you can up your fun status with a scavenger hunt of these items that your kids can put in their custom treasure box!)

To make your DIY treasure box, gently open your paper bag.

Carefully tear down (or use scissors to cut) the edge of all four corners down to the folded line.

With care, tuck both sides down into the sack.

Tuck the front section down in the sack.

Use the back section as a lid. Fold it in approximate thirds.

You can use washi tape or a sticker to keep your treasures safe and secure.

What treasures will your kids keep in their special DIY box? 

5. Exciting Envelope Bookmarks

Well, as exciting as you make it 😉

This craft is a great way to boost reading fun. And the only materials you need are:

• Envelopes (Got junk mail? Who doesn't?!? Save and recycle those envelopes for this creative project.)
• Scissors (You can get fancy and use decorative scissors.)
• Pencil
• Crayons
• Markers
• Color Pencils
• Watercolor paints
• Kwik Stix
• Stickers
• Anything you'd like to use to decorate your bookmark!

You can make two bookmarks out of each envelope. Cut one corner off. (I put the edge of the envelope over the page to make sure it would fit.)

Decorate! The boys and I wanted to make bookmarks for one of our favorite series, The Green Ember. (If you haven't read this one, add it to your list!

**Make Exciting Envelope Bookmarks to give a special loved one a surprise gift. You can use any theme or pick their favorite book.

So, which of these really simple and fun things to do at home with common household materials will you do first with your kids? 

I'll be adding new activities and challenges to this list very soon. My boys are helping me with the idea and creation process.

Here's to making the most of special time at home with our loved ones.
And cheers to you for putting forth the effort for making life and learning fun!

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