50 Fun Ideas to Keep Your Young Kids Busy Interactively
As a mom with kids of various ages, I used to find it a real challenge to keep my young kids busy, especially while working on something with my older ones. So I decided to research simple ways of keeping my little kids entertained and stimulated when I could not give them my full attention.
Young children need imaginative play to develop their skills for later, more structured learning. And which little one doesn’t get a kick out of sensory play! Here are some fun, educational ideas to keep your young kids busy when you are homeschooling, helping older kids with homework, or when you need time to complete your tasks.
I will caution you that some of these activities are messy, so you'll need to loosen up a bit if that scares you (that was me). Allow your kids to develop their imagination! You can set aside some old clothes for them to use as play clothes and use a large plastic tablecloth at the kitchen table or on the floor. You can also put some towels on the ground and designate a specific area of the house to do messy crafts.
These activities should happen while you're around because some ideas entail the use of small objects or water. Please use your 'mommy instinct' to decide what is safe and age appropriate for your kids.
*Please note: Depending on the age of your child, you will need to take the necessary precautions or be with your child during certain activities or where there is a water or choking hazard.
1. Token Fun
An empty coffee tin w/lid or
A plastic yogurt container w/lid or
A Pringles canister w/lid
Colored poker chips
Make a slit in the container lid with a switchblade, and let your kids put poker chips through the slit. This is a great way for your kids to learn counting, and if you use different colored poker chips, they can learn their colors too.
2. Dough Fun
Plastic knife
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters
Use Play-Doh or allow your kids to make homemade dough by mixing:
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
Few drops natural food coloring.
Method: Form ingredients into a dough
Allow your kids to roll, cut, and shape their play dough!
3. Painting Fun
Cups of water
Food coloring
Paper plate
Coffee filter
Q-Tip
Medicine dropper
Small paint brush
Color a few cups of water with different food colorings. Use a Q-tip, medicine dropper, or a paintbrush to make designs on the coffee filter.
Once the filter is dry, cut the center out of a paper plate and glue the sides of the filter to the plate to make a suncatcher!
This can be hung at a window by punching a hole in the paper plate top, inserting some yarn, and suspending it from the wall with a push-pin.
4. Chalk Fun
Your kids can color and make designs to their hearts content on dark construction paper. Erase and redo. Another option is to purchase blackboard paper that can be stuck to any wall surface.
5. Lacing Fun
Cardboard or
Empty cotton spools
Hole punch
Yarn
Punch holes in a pattern on cardboard and let your kids lace the yarn through the holes or through old cotton spools. They can also draw a picture of a shoe and punch holes in its center to teach them how to tie a shoelace. Tape the first hole with the yarn or tie a knot to keep the yarn in place. I use a single hole punch to make this easier.
6. Water Fun
Wide, shallow container on a towel
Bath toys
Measuring cups
Egg beater or baster
Let your kids use an egg beater and baster in the container of water to swirl and squirt water around. They can also use their bath toys and some measuring cups to have some more water fun.
7. Cutting Fun
Blunt-nose, craft, zig-zag scissors in various sorts
Paper plate or cardboard
Colored paper
Let your kids cut strips of colored paper and develop their fine motor skills while they learn to hold a pair of scissors. Use the strips to make a collage on a paper plate or cardboard and show Daddy!
8. Etching Fun
Rice or cornmeal
Cookie sheet
Straw or popsicle stick
Put a layer of rice or cornmeal on a cookie sheet and allow your kids to draw patterns with a straw, popsicle stick, or just their fingers.
9. Sandbox Fun
Shallow box plastic or other
Measuring cups
Put some clean sand in a box (clean sand can be purchased at a hardware store). Add trucks, cars, and measuring cups or spoons. When using a plastic storage container with a lid, the sand can be kept for many days of play.
10. Tent Fun
Clothespins or big office clips
Toys
Let your kids throw a sheet over a table or a couple of chairs, fasten with clothespins or office clips, and add dolls and figurines for play underneath.
11. Stacking Fun
Different-sized plastic cups
Allow your kids to stack the cups or seal their items in the containers with lids. Taking the lids on and off is another thing kids love to do. Leave the ideas to them.
12. Dressing Fun
Old clothes
Unused items
My kids love this so much! They use old handbags, hats, scarves, and jewelry of mine. I buy costumes (fireman, ninja, princess, etc.) when they go on sale after Halloween. The more outfits, the longer they play!
13. Bubble Fun
Container of water with non-toxic soap or bubbles
Straws and wands
Dip the straws in the soapy water and allow your kids to blow bubbles to one another. Or let your kids go outside and blow bubbles to see how many bubbles they can catch.
14. Measuring Fun
Plastic measuring tape or ruler
An assortment of different toys
Allow your kids to measure the height and width of different toys and lay them out in a line from largest to smallest. Older kids can jot down the results on paper by drawing the picture with the number next to it.
15. Chain Fun
Yarn or string
Snacks with holes
Allow your kids to make bracelets or long necklaces by linking snacks or cereal with holes (e.g. Cheerios) to the yarn. Let them enjoy eating their edible jewelry afterwards.
16. String Fun
String
Paint
Pastel construction paper
Dip string pieces of different lengths and widths in the thinned paint (watered-down) of different colors. Drop the string on a sheet of paper in different places to make swirly designs. So artsy!
17. Pebble Fun
Shallow cardboard box
Pebbles
Paper
Paint
Add paper to a box, dip a pebble in paint, and put it on the paper. Move the box back and forth to roll the pebble across the paper to make awesome abstract design art in different colors.
18. Tube Fun
Empty paper towel tubes
Tissue paper tubes or food wrap rolls
Small cars or mini balls
Let your kids join tubes together with tape or lay tubes at a slant on tables. Allow them to put their cars or balls through it. The longer the tube, the more fun.
19. Street Fun
Cardboard
Cars
Draw roads, houses, etc. on large, flat cardboard and let your kids play with their cars and trucks on their homemade street on the floor!
20. Tossing Fun
Beanbags, sock balls, or crumbled paper
Small stuffed animals (we use Beanie Babies)
A bucket, tub or clean wastebasket
Have a competition to see how many of these items can be tossed into a bin. Use a good number of toys. It’s a great way to learn to count in a fun way, too!
21. Magnet Fun
Construction paper
Paper clips
Straw or popsicle stick
String or yarn
Let your kids make a homemade fishing game by cutting some fish shapes out of construction paper. Push paperclips through the fish and put the fish in a box.
Make a fishing pole with a straw, string, and magnet attached, and let the kids 'fish' for their paperclip fish.
Alternatively, let your kids pick up washers, coins, or paperclips out of a box with a magnet.
22. Toothpick Fun
Washcloth
A sheet of paper
Toothpick
Layer the cloth, black paper, and sheet of paper together and fasten with office clips. Then draw with a marker a simple pattern (a heart, a star, a circle, a square, etc.) on the top page. Let your child poke holes along the edges of the pattern with a toothpick on the top page.
Remove the black paper underneath, which has the patterned punched holes, and tape it to a sliding door or window. Let your kids see the sunshine through the holes of their pretty patterns!
23. Tracing Fun
Picture
Clipboard
Marker or pencil
Layer a picture (from a coloring book or other sources) and then a sheet of tracing paper onto the clip of the clipboard. Let your child trace the picture underneath, then color if desired.
24. Fridge Fun
Give your kids a bucket of different magnets, or make it more educational and use alphabet magnets!
Let your kids enjoy putting the magnets up on the fridge, taking them down, or making words. A favorite of my kids when they were young!
25. Magazine Fun
Blunt-nosed scissors
Magazines
Paper
Glue stick
Let your kids choose four colors they love and cut out any items they see in a magazine in those colors. Then sort and paste the cut-outs on construction paper or cardboard according to color. One can use any other theme, such as cutting out food items, clothing, or shapes.
26. Reading fun
Read-along books with CDs
Online Audio Books
Purchase books with CDs on Amazon or borrow a supply of read-along books with CDs from the library. Change the book and CD often to keep your kids entertained for a longer time.
Play the audio aloud or on a portable player with earphones if you or your other kids do not want to be disturbed (yes, I still have those “old” devices with my kids).
Alternatively, play stories from Audible and have the physical book so your kids can see the illustrations and follow the words—this helps them learn to read as well.
You can also buy a book and use the downloadable audio to play it on any device. I love the Amelia Bedelia Treasury and the Curious George Treasury.
27. Washing Fun
Set up a stool or two by the sink, fill the sink with some warm, soapy water, and let your kids wash a few plastic or metal dishes and spoons. This keeps them busy for quite a while. Be careful, as the floor will get wet, so bring lots of towels!
28. Doll Fun
A small doll
Old baby clothes
Baby items
A box
Fill a box with a doll and your child's old baby items, such as clothes, a bottle, pacifiers, bibs, or any other baby item that you are not using anymore. Put a lid on it and watch them play with it for a long time.
29. Stamp Fun
Construction paper
Stampers
Let your kids stamp pictures onto paper to their heart's content. They can color the pictures made by the stamps. Alternatively, use bingo dotters for loads of fun too.
30. Hanging Fun
Two chairs
String
Clothespins (pegs)
Allow your kids to tie string across two chairs and give them an assortment of small clothing items (socks) or use their doll clothes and let them hang washing on the line with pegs.
31. Sandpaper Fun
Color on the sandpaper alone or cut yarn in different lengths and see how yarn sticks to the sandpaper to make different designs—super fun!
32. Measurement Fun
Rice or lentils in a tote
Different sized scoops
A ladle
Funnel
Let your kids transfer rice or lentils from the tote to the bowl or dump them on a cookie sheet using the scoops, ladles, and funnels. Fun for a long span of time.
33. Sticker Fun
One can use free stickers or address labels that come in the mail. Let your kids draw a large shape and fill it in with stickers. Using little stickers takes MUCH longer to fill up!
34. Puzzle Fun
Wooden puzzles are durable and easier for the little ones, and I stick to educational themes. Another favorite past-time for kids that keep them entertained for long periods of time.
35. Wagon Fun
Empty cardboard shoe box or other box
String
Punch a hole in a box, thread string through the hole, and knot it. Kids love to use it as a wagon to pull a stuffed animal all around the house.
36. Velcro Fun
An area to stick the velcro (preferable a horizontal surface)
Small toys or stuffed animals
Stick a large piece of velcro pad to an area in your house. Stick the other part of the velcro on the bottom of several small toys (Beanie Babies work really well too) and let your kids stick and unstick their toys to the area. They think this is super cool!
37. Picking Fun
Pair of tongs
Two bowls
Anything you can pick up with tongs.
Allow the kids to pick up items in one bowl filled with the items and transfer it to the empty bowl. They're only allowed to do this with the tongs to make it more challenging!
38. Sorting Fun
Ice cube trays or
Empty egg cartons or
An assortment of dried beans or small plastic items to sort
It's a simple idea, but little ones enjoy sorting small items into different grooves.
39. Window Fun I
An area with a sliding door or big window
Allow your kids to use markers or paint to make designs on the windows (while you look the other way). Then take a picture and text it to Daddy. Wash it off when you’re tired of looking at it.
40. Window Fun II
Squirt bottle with water
Dish towel.
If #39 is just too much or you are not in the mood for a big cleanup, give your kids a small squirt bottle and a cloth to do some “window cleaning.” This is not pretty for your windows, but it keeps kids busy for a long time, and the cleanup is much easier than with markers or paint.
41. Mailbox Fun
Any cardboard box or tissue box
Your junk mail.
Make a slit big enough for letters to fit through. Write your kids’ names on the junk mail envelopes and put them in the mail for your kids to go through. Kids love opening mail!
42. I-Spy Fun
A 2-liter soda bottle with cap or a clear bottle with lid
Several small items (Barbie shoe, key, dime, marble, Lego brick, paper clip, etc.)
Bird seed, sand, or rice
Make a mini “I-Spy” list and tape it to the container. Fill the container half to three-fourths full with bird seed, sand, or rice, and seal it closed. Your kids have to turn the bottle and shake it around to find the items inside. Great for any age!
43. Scale Fun
Toys or anything else that can be weighed.
Allow them to put items on the balance scale to learn what weighs more. Get a scale that has deep containers on either side so they can fill it with more stuff.
44. Carabiner Fun
Carabiners are clips that you use for hiking or as key chains. Hand a bag of those to your kids and tell them to link them together or hook them to their dolls or labels on stuffed animals. They have a ball with this one!
45. Treasure Fun
Bags or buckets.
Tell each child to choose a color or shape and scout around the house for items in that color or shape to put in their bags or buckets. You can always make it a specific hunt, such as placing toys at different locations around the bedrooms.
46. Obstacle Fun
Books
Toys
Chairs etc.
Allow the kids to set these items in an obstacle course around a spacious room (move the furniture if you have to). Let them go under the chairs, step on books, and balance on some string on the floor. The winner is the one who does everything without any mistakes. My kids looove this, and the older ones play it to this day!
47. Cardboard Fun
Big cardboard boxes
Boxes are still the simplest toys on earth. On a box, let your kids draw car doors or rocket ship panels, make a puppet show stage, cut out doors and windows for a house; you name it.
If you have several boxes, you can make a whole town. You can haul out dolls and stuffed animals to get in on the fun too. When you're done, you can flatten them and recycle them or stow them under the bed.
48. Messy Fun
Baking soda
Flour shaker
Essential oil (optional)
Mix a few drops of essential oils with baking powder and fill a shaker. Let the kids shake it all over the carpets for fun. When they're done, vacuum it up. Your carpet just got a deodorizer, and the kids had fun making a mess!
Do this on days when you are going to vacuum anyway. They can also shake the powder over their hands, leaving nice 'shadows' of their handprints on the carpet because the baking soda is so non toxic.
49. Train Fun
Wooden trains
Wooden tracks
Wooden trains and tracks are a must for little ones. My kids love to build the tracks in different patterns and ride their trains along the path, they play this literally for hours!
50. Building Fun
Lego and wooden blocks are another must-have kid item. Kids love to make new stacks or just build Lego or wooden blocks into high towers so that they can watch them topple to the ground!
Okay, seriously, moms, after trying these 50 ideas, I think you can safely say you need a vacation! Happy kids, tired mom, stay strong!
Many of these ideas can be stored in plastic containers for use over and over again. Remember that some of these ideas cause a temporary mess and can be easily cleaned-up with soap and water. As a mom, you will get so much more accomplished when your kids are busy.
If children are bored, they will be a bother, so don't be uptight about your home and decor. I’ve learned over the years to look at my material possessions as just “stuff” that mean naught when compared to my children's development.
I always tell moms with young kids, that they should leave their fancy home decorating for when their children become older to give themselves less pressure. You will find it much easier to be a fun mom of smart, creative children if you are more easygoing about the little things.
Salam, I’m Zakeeya!
I believe that making our homes a safe haven for our families, as well as being a wife and mother, brings us great blessings, contentment, and benefits to society as a whole. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to assisting Muslimas in finding tranquility in their roles, taking better care of themselves, and achieving inner peace. Our journey in this world is not an easy one, but I pray the tools and guidance I offer will help you face life's challenges with more gratitude and mindfulness. Join me as I share wifehood, motherhood, homemaking, and lifestyle solutions that make life more fulfilling for you as a woman! Read more about me here.
