Wondering how to keep kids busy? Need a list of indoor games for kids time pass? These 10 fun activities for kids at home and kids entertainment ideas will give you many things to do with kids at home.
Parenting in the days of coronavirus quarantine is not an easy task. With schools and tuition classes closed, we’re all wondering how to keep kids busy at home while we get our work done in lockdown.
If you’re looking for fun, creative activities to do at home with kids, you’ve come to the right place. With the monsoons approaching, our kids will soon be wondering what to do on a rainy day and parents will also be wondering how to entertain kids at home.
Most parents, especially those who now work remotely, would love to have a list of indoor games and things to do with kids at home just so they can get some peace and get their own work done too.
This list of indoor games for kids will provide you with the best kids entertainment ideas and show you how to keep kids busy at home.
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10 Indoor Games & Fun Activities For Kids At Home
If you’re wondering what to do with kids at home and need some kids ‘time pass’ activities or learning activities for kids, this list of fun things to do with kids at home will help you preserve your sanity and bond with your kids too.
1. Easy card games for kids
Would you like to teach your kids about Indian mythology and other life skills while having fun? Positively Perfect makes some of the best card games for families to play together.
Epically Ramayana is a memory card game for kids that will help them learn all about this much-loved Indian mythological epic. This popular card game for kids was created by Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s favourite mythologist, to make learning Ramayana fun for kids.
The Epically Ramayana educational board game for kids comes with 64 memory game cards for kids made with sturdy and thick high-quality paper packed in a sturdy and compact box perfect to carry for travel and vacation.
If you want table games for kids to help your kids enjoy hours of indoor fun and enrich their story time with tales from Indian Mythology, this fun and educational indoor game for kids is one of the best card games to play with family.
Another fun learning activity for kids that teach them important life skills such as managing money, the Epically Money Indian Money Game is a fun way to help children cultivate good decision-making skills around money.
This fun card game to play with kids was developed in collaboration with many successful entrepreneurs from different fields, child psychologists, trainers, experienced teachers and financial consultants.
Designed to be played by 2 to 4 players of ages from 10 to 99 years it is one of the most fun games to play with cards and will prepare your kids to live a happy and successful life by making good decisions about saving and investing money.
From taking care of monthly expenses to saving and investing money, and using the money for the right purposes, this is one of the most kid-friendly card games where children make their own decisions at every step.
Enjoy hours of fun and laughter punctuated by interesting conversations around money with the Epically Money Game.
2. Storytelling and reading to kids
Storytelling is one of the earliest forms of helping kids explore and expand their imagination. The stories you tell your child will stay with them for life.
The genius, Albert Einstein, is thought to have said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Studies have found that reading has many positive effects on young children, like teaching the rules of syntax, expanding children’s vocabulary and helping children bond with their parents.
Reading to your children in the earliest months stimulates the part of the brain that allows them to understand the meaning of language and helps build key language, literacy and social skills.
Reading stories to your child or telling them stories that you know seeds their creativity and imagination with new ideas. Whether you choose classic fairy tales or stories that teach them life lessons, storytelling is an art that will never die.
But what could be more inspiring than a story that your child is the hero of? A customized Zoomin Storybook will make your child the hero of their own story. Zoomin storybooks are available in 2 sizes – 5.5” and 8″ – that are suitable for kids aged from one to eight years.
When you place your order for your Zoomin Storybook, you’ll get a set of six books with six different stories where the animation character changes according to your child’s gender.
These sturdy books are perfect for little hands as they’re made from thick, high-quality cardboard that even your tiny tornado cannot damage. They also have rounded edges so your precious one won’t get hurt.
So make your child the hero of their own story with a set of Zoomin Storybooks and introduce them to the pleasure of reading.
3. Sing-along indoor games
Singing Hindi songs is an activity that has been popular for generations in Indian homes. With television programs like Chitrahaar, sing-along babysitting games and indoor games like Antakshari, our parents never had to wonder how to keep kids entertained.
A sing-along is one of the best indoor games for children as it helps boost your child’s memory by teaching them to memorise the lyrics of the songs. They also learn rhythm and music which boosts intelligence and mathematical ability.
Sing-alongs are interactive indoor games for kids that help your child’s brain learn to multi-task and, introducing a fun element like body percussion or dance can help them learn motor skills as well.
4. Listening and learning to play classical music
Learning music or playing a musical instrument is one of the best creative kids activities to do at home. Studies show that students who spent time involved in a musical pursuit tested higher on SATs and reading proficiency exams than those with no instruction in music.
Scientists have found that music improves our ability to be intelligent, and that music that’s not highly emotional or overly rhythmic has a multilayered influence on the individual, from modulating mood to alleviating stress.
Playing classical music such as Beethoven and Mozart to young children boosts their concentration and self-discipline. Youngsters can also improve their general listening and social skills by being exposed to music by composers like Ravel, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn.
But the best way to raise intelligence, according to researchers, is by putting a musical instrument into the hands of a youngster and teaching them to play music rather than passively listening to it.
Mastering instruments such as the piano, flute, or violin improves their ability to pick up mistakes and fix them quickly. Musicians also have sharper minds and are less likely to suffer a mental decline.
5. Origami and crafts workshops
Kids love the magic of turning a piece of paper into something useful or a toy or a pretty decoration. If you’re wondering how to keep kids engaged with fun games to play indoors, you can register them for an online Origami and craft workshop.
Origami can be one of the most fun indoor activities for kids, especially if you’re looking for paper crafts to do when you’re bored, that require no scissors and no glue.
Origami is one of the most fun indoor activities to keep preschoolers busy as it helps kids develop fine motor skills and mental concentration, eye-hand coordination, sequencing skills, maths reasoning, spatial skills, memory, and also patience and attention skills.
6. Yoga for kids
The benefits of yoga are well-known and if you need active indoor games for kids at home, you can teach your kids to enjoy yoga. For hyperactive kids who need some physical exertion to be able to focus and concentrate, yoga is one of the best kids activity ideas.
If you want to teach a child how to calm their mind, teach them yoga and meditation. It can help kids boost self-esteem and confidence, help them become more resilient and emotionally stable.
Yoga is one of the best indoor activities for children. The physical movement of yogasanas will help them strengthen their mind-body connection and build balance and coordination.
If your child is very young, you can even do post-natal yoga with baby or mom and baby yoga to help you bond and have fun together.
7. Finger painting
If you’re looking for rainy-day activities for toddlers at home, finger painting is the way to go. Finger painting has many developmental, educational and creative benefits.
Research has shown that art activities such as sensory play are important for brain development in early childhood. Sensory integration is a developmental process where touch, taste, hearing and vision are part of brain development for later spatial, math and language concepts.
Messy play like finger painting not only helps their creative development but also stimulates their brain, helps the body and brain integrate information and is a relaxing and creative way to express feelings.
If you want to use these indoor game ideas for kids who tend to put everything in their mouths, you can even make safe, edible finger paint at home using turmeric and other colourful foods.
8. Baking and cooking
With shows like Masterchef Junior becoming hugely popular, even little kids are taking an interest in baking and cooking and learning to cook amazing dishes, with a little help from their parents.
If you’re looking for indoor activities for 10-year-olds or 12-year-olds, teaching them how to cook is a great way to help them acquire basic life skills and get them to chip in whenever you need help in the kitchen.
From teaching them to bake a cake in the microwave to cooking daily staples like rice, dal and chapattis, baking and cooking are the best and most productive activities for kids at home.
9. Dramatic or pretend play
Do your kids love dressing up as superheroes or playing doctor-doctor? Fantasy play, imaginative play, pretend play or dramatic play helps the child to engage in and interact with the world better and also use their creativity and cognitive skills to develop an emotional response to any given scenario.
The significance of role-playing or dramatic play for children is grossly underestimated, ignoring evidence that proves the remarkable importance of play-based learning for children’s cognitive development. Dramatic play or pretend play can help kids deal with real-life situations.
Make-believe or pretend play also helps increase creativity and confidence in toddlers and enhances their risk-taking abilities. Further, social skills role-play activities aid them in countering regressive practices like child labour, child abuse and of course, bullying.
10. Computer games
When all else fails and you run out of games to play with kids inside, there’s no harm in letting them spend a few hours playing computer games or exploring educational websites for kids.
Contrary to the traditional belief that gaming is merely an addictive source of entertainment and diversion, research has proved that gaming has numerous benefits including the development of cognitive skills in both children and adults.
Just as physical exercise helps in improving and strengthening your muscles, cognitive games help to indulge one’s brain in constant stimulation, thus improving the brain’s performance.
So, when your kids need fun games to play inside or things to do on a rainy day, just refer to this indoor games list for children and learn how to keep your child busy with fun activities at home.
With this list of indoor activities and indoor games for kids at home, you’ll never be left wondering how to keep kids busy or at a loss to find easy activities for kids at home.
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About the author:
Nithya David is the founder of Upstream, a recruitment firm and a co-founder of Hullabaloo, a children’s activity-based firm. She has 20 yrs of experience and has worked in eminent firms like Thompson Connect, Ogilvy advertising, Landmark group.
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Also read:
- 51 Stories To Read Aloud From The Best Children’s Books For Kids
- 5 Creative Kids Activities And Creative Things To Do At Home
- Top 10 Educational Websites For Kids And Games For Students
- Dramatic Play Ideas: How To Use Pretend Play Games To Help Kids Learn And Grow
- Unschooling Tips: How To Start Homeschooling Your Kids In India
- 8 Inspirational Movies That Inspire Kids To Look Beyond Their Limitations
- Study Skills for Children: How to Help Them Learn and Prepare For Exams
- 7 Reasons Why Online Courses Are The Future of Education
- How To Start A Home Tuition Service Or Get Home Tutoring Jobs
- How To Become A Music Tutor And Work At Home
- 7 Self-Care Ideas For Moms Balancing Motherhood And Self
- 5 Tips For Women To Reduce Stress And Reclaim Their Sanity
- Eco-Friendly Mom: Green Parenting Tips To Raise A Healthy Baby
