As the world starts to cancel events and close schools, many parents are finding themselves looking for easy activities to keep their house-bound kids entertained. So I decided to share 25 low or no-prep activities for kids that will make the lockdown days a bit more fun.

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post.

1. Reading!

Obviously this will be my first suggestion, given the topics on this site. But you can also take this opportunity to change up your reading. Why not start a new book series together? Or read a book and watch the movie based on it?

2. Play hide and seek

This is one of my daughter’s favorite activities when we are trapped inside. It’s fun to have to think outside the box and find new hiding places in your home.

3. Exercise

Get some of that excess energy out with fun and easy exercises that don’t require any additional equipment. Create different challenges for one another, or try a spelling exercise game like this one.

4. Board Games

I don’t know about you, but we have lots of board games that we never seem to find time to play anymore. This is a perfect time to have a family game night and maybe teach kids some of your old favorites.

5. Build a blanket fort

We are always up for a good indoor camp out, and being locked inside is the perfect time. Stretch your imagination and try using different items in your home to create a big fort. Check out our ideas for camping indoors here!

6. Paint each other’s portraits

This is a fun activity that will give you a chance to be creative and find out how you see one another. Lay out paper and art supplies and create portraits of the members in your family.

7. Write a family bucket list

We won’t be trapped inside forever. So it’s a great time to put your heads together and figure out what types of things that you want to do as a family. We did this once with a travel bucket list, and it is so much fun to come up with your dream list without any strings.

8. Create a letter train

Explore your home for items starting with different letters. Make letters on the floor with masking tape, or lay down pieces of paper with letters on them. Have kids place items onto each letter. Learn more about what we did here.

9. Create an indoor obstacle course

Use masking tape and items around your home to create an easy obstacle course that gets kids to practice their gross motor skills. You can even have them set up their own courses when they finish yours.

10. Practice yoga together

Teaching kids about yoga and mindfulness are a great way to relax together and practice skills that will help you handle the stresses of day to day life. So this is a great time to check out a fun Kids Yoga program, or get some new yoga books! We like Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube because they are story based and use some of our favorite stories as inspiration.

11. Scavenger Hunts

My daughter is obsessed with scavenger hunts lately. My father likes to set up hunts for her with clues that lead from one area of the house to another. Set up an easy scavenger hunt around your home with slips of paper for clues. You can offer a simple prize at the end (my daughter likes a couple jelly beans), and encourage them to create their own hunts as well. Check out these printable scavenger hunts to get you started!

12. Get outside

Just because you can’t go to social gatherings doesn’t mean you have to stay inside. Head outside to play, even if the weather isn’t perfect yet. Set aside the normal rules and let them get messy. Jump in the puddles and play in the mud! Check out our favorite mud puddle activities here!

13. Dramatic Play

Set up different scenarios for kids to act out with items around your home. My daughter and I have set up a pet salon and veterinary clinic for her stuffed animals in the past.

14. Karaoke

One of our favorite activities is to get out our dress up clothes and turn up the music for a concert. We like to turn on the Disney station on Pandora and change costumes for every song. This leads to lots of giggles, and the act of singing and dancing with abandon relieves a lot of stress.

15. Act out your favorite books

Use clothes and items from around your house to dress up as the characters from your favorite children’s books, and act out the stories.

16. Cook or bake together

My daughter loves working in the kitchen, and I love all of the learning opportunities that it provides. Get out the cookbooks or open up Pinterest and find some new recipes to make together. Or create a fun cooking game and see what meal you can come up with from the items in your cupboard.

17. Shape hunt

Search your home for items of different shapes. Give kids a checklist of shapes so they can keep track of what they find. You may be surprised at the shapes you can see when you look closer.

18. Messy art

Throw the rules out the window and get messy! Cover the floor with paper and let kids paint with their hands, feet, brushes, kitchen tools, and whatever else you can find.

19. Sensory play

Fill a small pool or large plastic bin with different sensory items such as water beads, cooked pasta, dried beans, water, rice or kinetic sand. Provide them with cups, measuring spoons, bowls, ladles or other tools to play with.

20. Learn a new language

There are tons of resources available online to help you dabble in new languages. Why not take this time to learn a new language as a family? We like learning how to count to ten in different languages, and learning the sign language for some of our favorite songs.

21. Rearrange furniture

When I was younger, my mother would allow my sister and I to rearrange the furniture in our room every few months. It made us feel like we had a whole new room without any paint or new furniture, plus it got us to clean!

22. Sort through old clothes, toys and books

This is a great opportunity to sort through the items in your home and get rid of the things you don’t use anymore.

23. Start a new hobby

Over the years, I have taught myself to knit and crochet, and my daughter likes to mimic me and try it on her own. Take this time to introduce these skills to your kids and start a new project together by weaving, sewing, knitting or crocheting.

24. Reminisce

Take this time to reconnect as a family! Life doesn’t often give us a chance to slow down. Pull out the photo albums or videos from when you or your kids were younger. Talk about happy times and give kids insight into your own childhood. Get some ideas here!

25. Learn with an educational app or website

While I do try to limit screen time, there are a couple of apps that my daughter really enjoys. Khan Academy Kids is one of her current favorites, which I am impressed by. She is constantly learning new things, and she loves the various games, activities, books, songs, and videos that they offer.

What are your favorite no prep activities for kids? Share in the comments below, and stay safe and healthy!

More Posts You May Enjoy: