40 Indoor Activities for Kids: Quiet, Active and Screen-Free

Rain, snow, heat waves and sick days all mean the same thing: kids stuck inside with energy to burn. The 40 indoor activities below are grouped by type: quiet, active, art and coloring, building and science, and pretend play. Most need nothing more than paper, tape, blankets and things already in your cupboards, and none of them need a screen.

Quick picks by situation

Quiet activities

1. Coloring pages. Print a few from our cute coloring pages or animal coloring pages.
2. Puzzles. Jigsaws, mazes, dot-to-dots or word searches.
3. Sticker scenes. A blank page and a sheet of stickers can last a long time.
4. Audiobooks or podcasts for kids, with drawing paper while they listen.
5. Reading fort. Read in a blanket tent with a flashlight.
6. Sorting games. Sort buttons, blocks or toys by color, size or shape.
7. Journaling. Older kids can write or draw about their day.
8. Lacing cards. Punch holes around a cardboard shape and thread yarn through.

Active games

9. Obstacle course. Cushions to jump on, a table to crawl under, a line of tape to walk.
10. Freeze dance. Dance until the music stops, then freeze.
11. Balloon keep-up. Keep a balloon in the air without letting it touch the floor.
12. Animal walks. Move like a crab, bear, frog or penguin across the room.
13. Indoor bowling. Stack plastic cups or bottles and roll a soft ball.
14. Tape hopscotch. Mark a hopscotch grid on the floor with masking tape.
15. Simon says.
16. Yoga for kids. Name poses after animals: cat, dog, cobra, butterfly.

Art and coloring

17. Design your own coloring page. Use the AI coloring page generator to make one about whatever they love.
18. Turn a family photo into a coloring page with the photo to coloring page tool.
19. Color mixing experiment. Mix paints and try to make every color on our color mixing chart.
20. Collage. Cut pictures from old magazines and glue them into a new scene.
21. Draw a comic. Fold paper into four boxes and tell a story.
22. Make a coloring book. Staple pages together and design a cover. See how to make a coloring book.
23. Paper plate masks.
24. Color by number. Our guide to color by number activities has easy ideas.

Building and science

25. Blanket fort. Chairs, blankets and clothespins.
26. Cardboard box creations. A car, rocket, house or puppet theater.
27. Paper airplane contest. Fold, fly and measure.
28. Build the tallest tower from cups, blocks or books.
29. Sink or float. Guess first, then test objects in a tub of water.
30. Ice excavation. Freeze small toys in water and let kids melt them out with warm water and spoons.
31. Kitchen science. Baking soda and vinegar "volcano".
32. Shadow puppets with a flashlight and a wall.

Pretend play

33. Restaurant. Make menus, take orders and "cook".
34. Shop. Price tags, a toy cash register, paper money.
35. Doctor or vet clinic for stuffed animals.
36. Puppet show with socks or paper bags.
37. Dress-up. A box of old clothes, hats and scarves.

Family activities

38. Bake something simple together and decorate it.
39. Board games and card games.
40. Indoor scavenger hunt. Hide objects or give a list: something red, something soft, something that starts with "B".

Tips for long days indoors

• Alternate active and quiet activities so kids don't get overexcited or bored.
• Set up one activity before they wake up. A coloring station or a fort is easier to start than a blank morning.
• Keep a rainy-day box of supplies and ideas that only comes out on indoor days.
• Get outside for ten minutes if you can, even in light rain, with boots and coats.

Planning ahead for the holidays? See our Halloween crafts for kids, fall crafts for kids and Christmas activities for kids.