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Things to do with kids: 40 screen-free ideas for any day

Forty easy things to do with kids at home, outside or in a pinch, sorted by what kind of day you're having. Most use things you already own.

· 5 min read

Some days you have an hour and a plan. Most days you have fifteen minutes, a restless child and no idea what to do. This list is for those days.

Every idea here is screen-free, needs little or no shopping, and can be shrunk to a version that takes a couple of minutes. Pick the section that matches your day, and then just choose the first thing that doesn't sound like work.

Quick guide: pick by kind of day

Burn off energy

  1. Floor is lava. Cushions become stepping stones. The best 15 minutes of indoor exercise you'll get.
  2. Freeze dance. Play music, stop it at random, and everyone freezes. Make the freeze position silly.
  3. Animal races. Cross the room like a frog, a crab or a bear. Take turns choosing the animal.
  4. Balloon keep-up. Keep a balloon off the floor, using only hands, then only elbows, then only heads.
  5. Obstacle course. Under the table, over the cushions, around the chair, and a bean bag throw at the end.
  6. Simon says. Easy for little ones, and a good listening game for older ones.
  7. Sock toss. Roll up a few pairs of socks and toss them into a laundry basket from different distances.

Slow things down

  1. Build a blanket fort and read or tell stories inside with a flashlight.
  2. Belly breathing. Put a soft toy on their tummy and rock it to sleep with slow breaths.
  3. Sensory bottle. Fill a clean bottle with water, glitter and a drop of dish soap and watch it settle.
  4. Listening walk. Sit still for one minute and count how many different sounds you hear.
  5. Draw to music. Play something slow and let the pencil move with the music.
  6. Audio story and drawing. Put on an audiobook and let them draw what they hear.
  7. Cloud watching. Lie on a blanket and find shapes. Make up a story about the cloud.

Make something

  1. Leaf rubbings. A crayon, paper and a handful of leaves.
  2. Paper plate masks. Paint a plate, cut eye holes and tie on some string. Then put on a play.
  3. Cardboard marble run. Tape tubes to a wall or table and race a marble from top to bottom.
  4. Painted rocks. Collect smooth stones and decorate them. Hide them in the garden for someone to find.
  5. Collage from the recycling bin. Cardboard, bottle tops and bits of paper make a robot or a city.
  6. Playdough. Make it with flour, salt and water, or use store-bought. Add toothpicks and beads.
  7. Paper airplane contest. Test different designs and measure how far each flies.

Indoors, with almost nothing

  1. Scavenger hunt. Make a list of five things to find: something red, something soft, something round.
  2. Puppet show. Socks and a couple of markers are all you need for a cast.
  3. Pretend restaurant. Take orders, serve "food" and pay with paper money.
  4. Treasure map. Draw a map of the house with an X, then hide a small prize.
  5. Shadow puppets. A flashlight and a blank wall will do.
  6. Matching and sorting. Sort buttons, coins or socks by color, size or shape.
  7. Tape roads. Use masking tape to make roads on the floor and drive cars along them.

Outside, even for ten minutes

  1. Leaf or pinecone hunt. Bring a bag and find five different ones.
  2. Chalk games. Draw a hopscotch grid, a maze or a giant snail.
  3. Water painting. Give them a bucket and a big paintbrush and let them "paint" the fence or the sidewalk.
  4. Puddle jumping. Boots on, rules off.
  5. Bug safari. Look under logs and stones. Count what you find and put everything back.
  6. Ball games. Throw into a bucket, kick between two cones, or practice rolling.
  7. Cloud and stars. In the evening, spot the first star.

In the kitchen

  1. Pancake faces. Make mini pancakes and decorate them with fruit.
  2. Fruit skewers. Thread fruit pieces onto skewers. This is a good fine motor workout.
  3. Mix and pour. Give them a bowl, a cup and some dry rice or lentils to scoop, pour and measure.
  4. Make a snack together. Let them spread, stir or sprinkle, whatever the recipe needs.
  5. Bake something simple. Muffins, flatbreads or cookies, with a small job for each person.

By age

If you want ideas matched to a specific age, these pages go deeper:

How to make any of these work

  • Start tiny. A two-minute version still counts. One leaf, three cushions, three breaths.
  • Invite, don't instruct. "I bet there's treasure in this room. Want to help me find it?" works better than "Let's play a game."
  • Let them lead. If they want to change the rules, they probably care about the game. That's a win.
  • Expect it to wobble. Interest drops. Follow their lead, make it sillier, or stop and try again later.
  • Play along. Even five minutes of your full attention changes how an activity feels.

Making it easier

The hardest part is deciding what to do at the moment you have the least energy to decide. That's why we built Otter: one idea a day, matched to your child's age and your week, with the words to start and what to try if it stalls.

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