50 Screen Free Things To Do Indoors
Image Credit: rawpixel
Whatever the reason that you are stuck indoors, it can be difficult to think of things to do – especially if you want to get you and your family away from TVs, computers, phones and tablets.
So here is a list of 50 things to do indoors that does not involve using a screen. They are divided into 5 categories.
- Fun & Games – fun activities to do alone or as a family.
- Get Moving – ways to get a bit of exercise indoors.
- Arts & Crafts – creative things to do.
- Learn To Cook – fun recipe ideas for all the family.
- Science & Learning – educational activities mainly aimed at children, but fun for big kids too.
Fun & Games
- Get the whole family together and play your favourite board games.
- Have a treasure hunt by writing clues to find objects hidden around the house. You could hide tasty treats, pencils and colouring pictures or even hide the kid’s lunch!!
- Card games are a classic. All these games can be played with an ordinary pack of playing cards.
- Have a Christmas party – any time of the year! Put up the fairy lights or even get the tree down. Send each other Christmas cards and make some Christmas crafts
- Indoors time is when Lego really comes into its own. I love Frugal Fun For Boys and Girl which has a huge list of ideas for using Lego from simple models for younger children to fascinating and complex science experiments for older kids.
- Have a picnic indoors. You may not be able to go out, but you can still get out the picnic blanket, put it down in the living room and have your lunch indoors. Great fun and you can collect all the crumbs up in the blanket (hopefully) so you won’t have to hoover afterwards.
- Jigsaws are great fun, so why not make your own jigsaws by cutting out pictures from magazines, sticking them onto card and cutting them up.
- Have your own home boat race. Make a paper boat , decorate it in your own team colours and race it with your friends. Depending on the size of the boat, you could race them in a dish, a washing up bowl or even in the bath, or in a paddling pool if you have outdoor space.
- Get out all your dressing up clothes – mix and match and make up new crazy characters.
- Charades is a classic game to play indoors. You can write down the names of books, films and TV shows in advance or just play as you go along. Here's how to play if you need reminding.
- Simon says can be very good exercise if you include actions like running on the spot, star jumps or touching your toes. For gentler exercise choose stretches and arm movements.
- Turn on the radio and dance around the room.
- Make an indoor obstacle course. You could use all sorts of things that you already have around the house from pop up toys, crawling under blankets or over furniture.
- NHS Change 4 Life has lots of brilliant ideas for games to get kids moving indoors.
- You might not be able to get much exercise indoors, but gentle yoga is relaxing and helps with flexibility no matter what your age.
- Teach the kids how to vacuum their room, dust and clean. It’s a brilliant work out!
- Have a Karaoke evening - singing is good for mind and body and really gets your lungs working.
- Musical Statues is another fun way to get the kids up and moving. Play music and dance until the music stops.
- Make a card for a friend or family member with a birthday or anniversary coming up soon.
- Learn to knit 7 Tips for Teaching Kids To Knit.
- Origami. Learn the Japanese art of paper folding at Origami Beginners Guide
- Make some big art. During a bout of Chicken Pox that left both my kids home, we created our own version of Peter Blake’s iconic cover to The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. We used photographs of friends and family members, colouring pictures of our favourite TV and Movie Characters and drawings of anyone who was special to us, and a few made up creatures too. We glued them all to a huge piece of paper to make a crowd scene of our favourite people.
- Got any used postage stamps stashed away. Here are some lovely Postage Stamp Craft Ideas.
- Drawing and painting is the perfect indoor activity whether you use poster paints and crayons or watercolours and oils.
- Make paper lanterns to which are fun to decorate inside and out, whether you hang them indoors, on a balcony or in the garden. Depending on the paper that you use they are fun for Christmas, summer or Chinese New Year.
- Make a recycled collage. Use old magazines and junk mail to make a picture.
- Modelling with play dough is great fun. Not got any play dough to hand? Make your own Playdough with this classic home recipe.
- Get messy with some papier mache. You could make a piñata formed over a balloon or use a plate, bowl or dish as a former (Remember to cover it with petroleum jelly first or your work of art won’t come off!).
- Try some coin rubbing art activities and make some fun art projects.
- Use some old CDs to make these CD craft ideas.
- Brighten up the house with this jolly Daffodil Pinwheel craft.
- Encourage a new cook with the classic starter recipe Jam Tarts.
- Make this show-stopping No Bake Unicorn Fudge.
- No-bake refrigerator cakes and biscuits are easy to make for everyone, and don’t require using the oven. I love these No Bake Chocolate Granola Cookies
- Show the kids that burgers can be tasty and healthy by making their own Beef Burgers or Veggie Burgers.
- Learn how to make a basic Bolognese sauce and they have the basis of dozens of dishes.
- Who says you can’t play with your food? Edible fluffy sheep are great fun to make with breakfast cereal and marshmallows.
- Cupcakes are great fun to make and decorate. This basic cupcake recipe can be adapted with various flavourings and frostings.
- Read aloud to your kids. Here are some of my favourites for kids who already love Harry Potter and Narnia.
- Use a set of dominoes to solidify basic maths skills, and have fun in the process.
- Learn your Times Tables once and for all. May not be your idea of fun, but kids will be SO grateful at exam time! Printable Times Table Chart
- Learn fractions using Duplo blocks. This method can work particularly well for kinaesthetic learners.
- There are so many printables that are fun and educational. We’ve got lots at free printable Word Searches and Colouring Pictures
- Get scientific with 5 simple science experiments that you can do at home.
- Get that recorder out from the back of the drawer or find the ukulele shoved in the back of the drawer and make some music.
- Make a rainbow with kitchen roll, markers and water.
- Impress a Harry Potter fan with 21 science experiments that seem like magic.
- Plant some seeds. Mustard and cress is the classic food crop to grow indoors.
- Make yourself an indoor volcano. Here's how.
Get Moving
Arts & Crafts
Learn To Cook
