Simple and Entertaining Indoor Activities for Kids of All Ages

When the weather keeps your kids indoors, it can be tough to keep them entertained and engaged. Luckily, despite the rainy weather, there are plenty of creative, active, and sensory-friendly indoor activities for kids that cater to different needs and interests.

Whether your child loves to be creative, explore their senses, or get active, there’s something for everyone. So as you bunker down inside your Evanston apartment, your new home in Huntsville, or your rental home in Missouri City, here are some great indoor activities to try when you’re stuck inside, designed to be fun and stimulating for children of all ages.

Active indoor activities for kids

One of the best advantages of being outdoors is active freedom, while some freedom is restricted indoors, you can still be active inside your home. It takes more planning, but the indoors can still be a great place to let your kid’s energy run wild. 

Autism Labs, which offers help for parents of profoundly autistic children, shares, “One activity that everyone seems to love is climbing indoors at one of several climbing gyms here in Austin. In preparation for a trip to the Crux Climbing Center, our crew does all kinds of indoor and fun stretches and exercises … from simple yoga poses to jumping up and down while letting your arms hang and flap at your sides.”

Andy Murphy, host of The Secure Family Podcast, recommends an alternative to a traditional sport, Balloon Volleyball. Andy explains, “A fun way to pass a rainy afternoon with a kindergartener is to play a game of balloon volleyball. All that is needed is a balloon inflated by a parent. 

The goal is to tap the balloon over the entire house without letting it touch the floor. (Of course, bouncing off of walls and furniture is allowed.) This is a great way to teach an understanding of gravity and physics, all while getting your young one up and moving. Play some music with your game to make it more of a fun experience. This can be played with 1 to 4 people for up to 15 minutes.” 

Mckenna of ParentsTogether shares two indoor activities for kids to release their energy. She suggests, “Create a homemade obstacle course. Kids can race each other, or challenge themselves to beat their own best time! Some ideas for obstacles include:

• Use a laundry bin and rolled-up socks for a basket toss station.
• Place plastic cups upside down in a zigzag pattern for a crawl zone.
• Pile up pillows and couch cushions to climb over.
• Secure easy-to-remove painter’s tape to the floor to use as a balance beam, a hopscotch board, or to make X’s to mark the spot where kids need to stop and do five jumping jacks.
• Tape string or ribbon back and forth at all different angles across a hallway to act as “laser beams” for kids to crawl over and under.

Next, as a ParentsTogether favorite: Have a dance-off … because who wouldn’t want to see the adults in their lives boogie down? Just turn up some of your favorite upbeat tunes and let loose! You can even make it a game by trying to copy each other’s moves, imitating different animals with your dancing, making up a routine to do together, or challenging yourselves to come up with the most creative dance moves possible.” 

Jenn Warren from the Dinkum Tribe, a neurodivergent family travel and lifestyle blog, writes on a new take on hide and seek. Jenn says, “All you need for this activity are a few of your kids’ favorite toys or stuffed animals, and some tape or string (optional). Kids ages 4-10 love it because they get to be heroes, and adults love it because the setup is a cinch!

Take one toy/stuffed animal from each child and have them go to a designated waiting spot. Hide the toy (tie it up if desired), or tape the toy to something (door, wall). Call the kids and give them a general location for their missing toy (which room or floor). Their job is to find and ‘rescue’ the toy. 

Repeat the activity as many times as desired, hiding more toys each round, or creating more ‘dangerous’ situations each time. Our boys usually play for 15-30 minutes before they’re ready for a new activity. “ 

Sensory-friendly activities

Sensory-friendly activities are a great way to engage children who have sensitivities or need additional sensory support. Activities in this area help children experience different textures, sounds, and sensations in a safe and stimulating environment. 

Apollo Behavior recommends creating sensory binds. They suggest the following steps, “Fill a large container with materials like rice, beans, kinetic sand, or water beads. Add scoops, small toys, and themed items to encourage imaginative play and fine motor skill development. Easy to set up and can entertain kids for 30+ minutes!” 

Autism Parenting Magazine, which focuses on providing engaging, sensory-friendly activities that cater to a variety of learning styles and developmental needs, suggests creating texture books. They explain, “Some children with special needs, such as those with autism, may enjoy exploring different textures. Spend an afternoon creating a texture book by going on a scavenger hunt throughout the house to find items with various textures — sandpaper, tissue paper, aluminum foil, cotton, felt, etc. — and attach a piece of each to different pages of a scrapbook. 

This activity helps children develop creativity while also improving sensory awareness. The duration of the project can last 30 to 45 minutes, and it is a moderate setup, taking about 10 to 15 minutes to find the materials needed.” 

Shirra Baston of Get The Kids Outside introduces a classic game to help children build their senses. Shirra writes, “Nature I Spy (Ages 3-8) is a zero-prep game that only needs a window with a nature view. One player spots something outside in nature and offers up to three descriptive clues (color, size, texture). Perfect for 10-15 minute play sessions that build vocabulary and observation skills while keeping kids engaged with the outdoors, even from inside. Older children? Challenge them to dig deeper with their descriptors!” 

The Minds Journal, a mental and emotional wellness platform, suggests the “Mystery Box Adventure.” They explain it as, “How the mystery box adventure works: Put different objects in a covered box. Kids reach in, feel an object, and try to guess what it is without looking. You can make it educational by using items related to specific themes (animals, kitchen tools, nature). All you need is a box and various household objects. It is a sensory play that encourages curiosity and critical thinking.” 

Creative play and crafts

The Babysitting Course, a course focused on preparing teens to take on the big responsibility of child care, says, “Pipe Cleaner Flowers are a fun and easy craft that lets kids create their own bright and colorful handmade flower bunches! You’ll need, pipe cleaners (green + any colors you love!), a pencil, scissors, a small pot or mug, and something to hold the flowers in place (styrofoam, pebbles/stones, dry rice or play dough).

To make them, place a green pipe cleaner on a pencil (make sure the tips line up) to form the stem. Then, choose a different color and wrap it around the top of the green stem to create the flower’s petals. Once you slide it off the pencil, ta-da — you’ve got a flower! Keep going until you have a whole bunch, then arrange them in a mug or small pot filled with styrofoam, pebbles/stones, dry rice, or playdough to keep them standing tall. This craft is perfect for kids 5 and up, though little ones might need a helping hand with twisting the pipe cleaners and trimming the stems.” 

The Minds Journal writes about two indoor activities for kinds to enjoy indoors. First, is “Puzzle Relay”. They write, “How it works: Set up a large puzzle and divide the kids into teams. Each team takes turns racing to place a piece correctly before tagging the next player. The first team to complete their puzzle wins. The materials needed are Jigsaw puzzles (the more complex, the better), with a setup time: of 5 minutes creating high energy and great for teamwork and problem-solving.” 

Next, is the “shadow drawing challenge. Set up toys in front of a light source so they cast interesting shadows on paper. Kids trace the shadows and then color in the drawings however they like — turning simple outlines into creative art. By using paper, small toys, a flashlight or lamp, and crayons/markers, the setup lasts around 5 minutes and is great for creativity and fine motor skills.” 

Shirra Baston of Get The Kids Outside adds, the activity “Weather Watchers (Ages 4-12)” Shirra explains, “Create a simple weather journal where kids observe and record daily conditions from a window – tracking sunshine, clouds, precipitation, and temperatures. This 5-minute daily activity requires just a notebook or our printable template, builds science skills, and becomes more engaging as patterns emerge over time.” 

So no matter if you’re stuck indoors, there are always great indoor activities for kids to enjoy. The rainy weather doesn’t have to put a damper on the day, instead allow it to be a spontaneous day altering your home to a playground of fun.

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