Indoor play ideas for kids to let their imagination soar

Running, jumping, swinging, or any kind of physical activity for that matter is incredibly important for the development of your children. Particularly in the modern world we find ourselves, it seems that kids are spending less and less time playing in the great outdoors. But there are times when it’s absolutely necessary that they stay inside, whether it’s a cold and rainy day, or from a global pandemic.

Spending time indoors doesn’t have to be to the detriment of your child’s development when you’ve got a whole series of activities and ideas to truly let their imagination fly and their sense of achievement soar.

Since the world went into lockdown at the advent of COVID-19, Google Trends has shown spikes in search terms like ‘indoors’, ‘inside play’ and ‘play ideas for kids’, meaning there are plenty of people searching for inspiration in how to keep their little ones entertained when housebound.

While it’s certainly no easy feat to stop your kids from feeling cabin fever after months cooped up in inside, these activities will not only keep their growing minds active, they will also help in developing other critical skills like creative problem solving, independent thinking, and confidence in their decision making skills – all incredibly valuable for cognitive development.

Get crafty, get the board games out or make a little mess baking – these ideas will keep your kids entertained for hours.

Build a fort, or an obstacle course

We all remember the pure joy of seeing a real life fort come to life. It’s incredibly simple and super satisfying, not to mention a good-old fashioned way to have fun. All you need is some furniture, sheets and pillows and let the kids figure out how to make all the pieces stand-up and work together. Once it’s built you can bring them snacks and books to cuddle up inside their very own creation.

If you’ve got more active littlies that are itching to burn off some energy, why not create a safe obstacle course throughout the house. Grab cushions, yoga mats, and other bits of furniture, and put the timer on as they make their way around the circuit. Remember to keep it safe by moving anything breakable well out of the way.

Craft the day away

Craft activities are the perfect way to build confidence and capture the curious attention of your kids. As an open-ended activity with no right or wrong outcome – or to put it another way no winner or loser – craft activities truly encourage creativity. At Serabeena we have several craft kits that are the perfect indoor activity – Sew Your Own Purse kit, Glittery Treasure Boxes, Make Your Own Mask kit and Jewelry Making sets.

Other great craft activities include Origami, which doesn’t require much set up at all, simply a pack of Origami sheets and some YouTube videos. And if all else fails just get some paper, pens and pencils and set up an artist station where your kids can simply draw, colour and paint.

Bake up a storm

Although no doubt a messy prospect, baking is a fun way to keep your kids busy. If you’re hesitant to let your kids use the stove or the oven you could buy cupcakes and pre-made frosting and set up a benchtop for decorating. For the older kids, there are plenty of simple and straight-forward recipes out there for them to try.

Baking also extends to other fun cooking experiments like slime and playdough – you could make it an activity to do together or whip up a batch to let them play, shape and mould.

And if all else fails, there’s always the lure of a classic board game, or card game. Keeping their little growing minds active is all worth it when you see the joy and satisfaction they feel from accomplishing something new.

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