As summer fades into autumn and the leaves on the trees start to fall, adults and kids alike start to dream of Halloween and hayrides. Fall comes with plenty of excitement to look forward too. However, fall weather also means less outdoor play.
As the weather outside gets cold and rainy, parents may struggle to find activities to entertain their kids. While you can still wrap up your kid in a coat and boots to play outside, you’ll likely want to have plenty of indoor games on hand ? unless you want to be dealing with a lot of tracked-in mud, of course.
Fun Indoor Activities To Do With Kids During Fall
With a little creativity, you can make a rainy day fun for even the most adventurous little ones. Here are seven fun activities you can do with your kids without leaving the house.
1. Build an Indoor Fort
If bad weather is keeping your kids from exploring outside, give them a new way of seeing their indoor surroundings. Building a fort is a great way to engage your kids’ creativity. Use blankets, pillows and furniture to build an epic indoor fort. You can use strings of lights and construction paper signs to make it special.
If you have cardboard boxes lying around, incorporate them into the structure and let your kids draw on them with markers. Just make sure to build it out of the way, or you might be tripping over their secret hideout for weeks.
2. Set up a Bowling Alley
Let kids sharpen their bowling skills by setting up a lane in the hallway. Arrange a set of empty bottles at one end of the hall and give kids a tennis ball to roll. You can stand by to set up the pins and keep score or leave them to their own devices. If you’re worried about things in the house getting broken, opt for a softer foam ball instead.
3. Put on a Magic Show
You don’t need a coat and top hat to put on a magic show. Sit down with your kids and learn a few simple?magic tricks using everyday objects?like coins or newspapers. Once you’ve had enough practice, put on some face paint, choose your stage names and put on a magic show for someone else in the house, like an older sibling or grandparent.
Dim the lights for a dramatic atmosphere and make sure to take a bow! You’ll delight your audience and give kids something to amuse them the entire afternoon.
4. Create with Playdough
Sculpting with playdough remains a classic indoor activity. You can use store-bought playdough or make your own, providing plenty of colors. Many kids find endless entertainment molding, sculpting and squishing playdough, but if they need inspiration, consider giving them extra components like toothpicks and marbles to help them decorate their creations. For a fun, fall-themed activity, have your kids?decorate pumpkins using playdough.
5. Put on Costumes
In anticipation of Halloween, challenge your kids to make costumes out of everyday items. Provide a variety of supplies, such as tin foil, straws, a roll of toilet paper, empty cereal boxes, pens, scissors and masking tape. Then allow them to get creative. You might end up with a tin foil robot, a fairy with cardboard wings or a classic mummy. Take plenty of pictures to share with family and friends.
6. Bake Something Together
There’s nothing like a freshly baked cookie on a crisp fall day. Choose from a selection of?fun baking recipes for kids?and invite everyone into the kitchen. For a simple activity, bake plain sugar cookies and cut them into fall-themed shapes like pumpkins or leaves. Then have your kids decorate them with frosting, sprinkles and candy. This indoor activity functions as an art project and a snack. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy a sweet treat too.
7. Arrange a Treasure Hunt
Lure bored kids out of hiding with a promise of mystery and adventure. Hide a treasure box somewhere in the house and write a few clues to help your kids find it. Then send them on the treasure hunt.
Adjust the difficulty of your hiding spot and clues for the ages of the participants. If you need to entertain multiple kiddos, you could even make it a competition to see which team can find the treasure first. Whether you make the prize candy or a natural transition into another activity, like a movie or new game, you’re sure to delight everyone involved.
Keep Having Fun
Fall weather might keep your kids indoors more often. However, they can have just as much fun playing inside as they can outside. By using your surroundings and supplies creatively, you can free your kids from fall boredom and enjoy yourself too!
