5 Indoor Activities For You and Your Kids

Looking for ways to keep your kids busy and you from going insane?  Here are 5 indoor activities you can do in the comforts of your own home!

1. Play Indoor Volleyball

So maybe this isn’t a calm, quiet way to keep the kids busy, but it’s a great way to burn off some energy!  When we were kids, my siblings and I would blow up a balloon, place a table or pillow cushions in the middle of the living room and divide into teams.  Then we would hit the balloon back and forth, enforcing basic volleyball rules.  No matter how hard we hit it, I can honestly say, we never broke anything in the house!  In fact, I did this with my two nephews only a few weeks ago in my small living room and they thought it was the best thing ever!

2. Build a Fortress

Again, it may not be the quietest activity, but pull out the sheets and blankets and let the kids creative juices flow.  If you want to go beyond the average fortress, find large cardboard boxes from a local business or grocery store and let your kids use them when they build.  My daughter who is 1 ½ years old has been asking my husband and I to build a tent every night for the last week.  With a  cardboard box that we had cut windows out in and a blanket, she spends the majority of her time going in and out with all of her favorite stuffed animals.

3. Bake and Decorate Cookies

Remember, Christmas is not the only time to bake and decorate cookies!  There are literally hundreds of different cookie cutter options available.  Find something that interest your kids and make your favorite sugar cookie recipe.  Let them decorate the cookies and plate a selection for a neighbor, grandparent, pastor, coach or whoever!  Who doesn’t like a plate of homemade cookies?

4. Make Homemade Playdough

You don’t have to have to run to the store to buy playdough to give your children hours of entertainment.  You can whip up a batch of homemade playdough for pennies!  All you need is flour, salt and food coloring.  Provide the kids with cups and utensils so they can make whatever their little hearts desire!

5. Put on a Play

Most kids love to act out their imaginations.  If the children are old enough, encourage them to put on a play.  Let them borrow a few pieces of your clothing, hats, jewelry or whatever props you don’t mind them using.  You can also use a play to teach a history or Bible lesson as well!  Several years ago I went to Haiti to help with an orphanage.  On the last day, our staff acted out the story of David and Goliath.  The kids went wild when David “struck” Goliath and Goliath collapsed to the ground.

I remember my great-grandma telling us that her and her friends spent the majority of their time planning, practicing and performing shows for other kids.  They would dress up (we have the pictures to prove it) and perform.  It not only entertained them, but other people were able to enjoy their comical show (think Little Rascals)!