10 fun home-based activities for kids

With any luck, things will start to open up more as we move through the summer. Either way, sometimes it’s nice to just stay home with the kids and do some fun activities. So here’s our list of things the family can do without even leaving your property.

1. Have a picnic: Sure, it’s fun to head to a park with a basket of food packed for lunch. But with a little imagination, you can pack the same basket for a backyard picnic and pretend you’re in your favourite park.
2. Plan a family movie night: Pop some popcorn, print out some fake movie tickets and enjoy the show on your favourite streaming service. Sometimes it can be tough for the whole family to choose a movie, so you could take turns each movie night, or put a bunch of titles in a hat and whichever one you pick is what you stream.
3. Create a labyrinth: Look up a maze pattern online, then use sticks or stones or anything you have lying around to create the pattern in your backyard. You could even use chalk on your driveway.
4. Plan a scavenger hunt: Surprise the kids in the morning by placing a scavenger hunt list or treasure map on the breakfast table. It’ll definitely take some parental planning to hide things and create the list or map, but it’ll be worth it.
5. Get cooking: Many kids love to stick their hands in goo, and there’s nothing like baking a cake, cookies or brownies to get good and gooey – and have a delicious snack when it’s all done. Pizza is another fun one for kids to make.
6. Pick a card, any card: Try some magic. Maybe start by looking up a simple magic trick online, then perform it for your kids and watch their jaws drop. Then they might catch the magic bug and entertain you with some tricks – just be sure to pretend you’re amazed even if it doesn’t go right.
7. Try indoor camping: Build a pillow or blanket fort to serve as your tent. If you have a fireplace, you could even roast some marshmallows and have some s’mores.
8. Piece together a puzzle: Puzzles are always a good challenge for the whole family. You could even have a puzzle made of one of your favourite photos – plenty of places online will do that for you.
9. Conduct experiments: Many kids may not enjoy science in school, but when you do simple, practical experiments, it can be fascinating and could inspire a love for science. Search online for simple science experiments for kids.
10. Get musical: Do you play a musical instrument? You could teach your kids. Or, if you don’t play one, you could learn one together using YouTube tutorials. If playing an instrument isn’t your (or your kids’) style, maybe singing is. But if you can’t carry a tune, maybe lip-synching and making a music video with your phone is the way to go.

We hope you use these tips, get creative, and make some lasting memories with your kids right there at home!