You and the kids can spend enjoyable time at home with simple crafts, fun games, and lots of music and movement. When circumstances keep you close to home, here are a few must-have ideas for your toolkit.

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Stuck-at-home doesn't have to mean stuck-for-things-to-do. Especially with the kids. 

The recent year of closures and stay-at-home orders has left many parents and caregivers with more hours of child care to fill around the house. The scramble to teach little ones, as well as keep them busy while you work at home, is definitely a challenge.  

There are so many choices for indoor and outdoor activities on the internet, including suggestions that keep you close to home during a pandemic or other stay-at-home circumstance.

Our list of simple go-to activities is a great place to start. They are written with learning through play in mind.

• When kids engage in child-led activities, with some teacher guidance as needed, they make observations and learn through trial and error as they play. This inspires creativity and strengthens cognitive skills.

It's easy to entertain and educate through play when you have fun and easy options kids love.

List of stay-at-home activities

These go-to activities are simple to set up using basic craft supplies, and household materials or recyclables.

They can easily be modified for available materials as well as play space, and number and ages of kids. 

The list is separated into Indoor Play and Outdoor Play.

But before we get to the list, here are a few suggestions for easy, stress-free setups.

Tips for learning at home with preschoolers

1. Keep setups simple.

• Keep supplies to a minimum so kids don't get overwhelmed. We don't need all the markers and crayons at the same time, or more than two or three colors of construction paper. This makes clean-up easier too.
  
  
• Use materials you have on hand. Cardboard from a cereal box is perfect for a paint canvas, a template for craft cutouts, or for making bookmarks.
  
  
• Organize and transport materials on a large tray (with raised sides) or in a medium sized plastic bin. A tray is also handy for cleanup time!
  
  More: You can also use a tray or bin as a play mat for small world play, a sensory bin, and games and other activities.
  
  
• Stick to activities that don't require elaborate instructions or construction. Results don't have to be perfect or match a preconceived image.
  
  The nice pictures you see on Pinterest are for inspiration only! Those perfect finishing touches and well-made crafts are just a guide, especially when it comes to kids art. 
  
  

2. Alternate quiet and noisy, clean and messy activities.

• Invite messy play by covering a table or floor space with a drop cloth (shower curtain or bed sheet) to contain paint or sand play.
  
  
• Set up a large cardboard box corner of the room for less-messy pretend play. Is it a castle? Is it a boat?
  
  
• Schedule quieter activities leading into lunch or nap time: place busy books or puzzles on a table or floor; picture books in a comfy chair.
  
  Your setup will determine the type of play you want to provide throughout the day.
  
  

3. Designate play areas for easier cleanups.

• Display materials on shelves, or in baskets, in a corner of the room. Options could include a shelf with puzzles and a shelf for art materials; a basket for music instruments and a basket with books.
  
  
• Rotate materials every few weeks or so. Archive current toys to a closet or large plastic bins. Bring 'new' toys from storage.
  
  
• Keep just a few choices on display at a time to avoid overwhelming or overstimulating your child.
  
  

4. Be inspired by music.

• A music and movement activity is your best friend. Tap into your favorite tunes and be silly, be imaginative, even make up games if you want.
  
  Who can move like a bear? a monkey? a fish? Move your legs and arms like a swimmer, a skier, a mountain climber.
  
  Play homemade instruments in a marching band.
  
  Clap and sing along with your favorite songs any time of day, especially when you need a distraction or calming force. 

We're ready to play some at-home activities with the kids.

Indoor Play

Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of common household items for older kids. Use pictures or verbal suggestions for toddlers and preschoolers. Can you find things that are the color blue? Can you find things that rhyme with hat? Supply boxes or baskets to gather items, or simply point to items when they are found.

Ideas for a hunt can be as simple as finding toys of a certain color, toy animals, or toys that make sounds.

Games

Recycle coffee cans, a laundry basket or cardboard boxes for a game of toss. Add masking tape lines on the floor for distance, or add numbers to the containers for added math play.

A bowling game is easy to set up with snack containers or cereal boxes.

Playdough

Make your own dough with basic ingredients. Use the dough with homemade playdough mats or with fine motor tools such as scissors and craft sticks.

Music

Create your own instruments with recycled materials, then use the instruments with the activities in this simple music program (free download).

Form a marching band with everyone playing an 'instrument' made with household items: clap pot lids together, tap wooden spoons together, tap a spatula on a large round plastic lid.

Put on a favorite play list and move or dance with the music.

Pretend Play

Prompt imagination and support language skills with homemade puppets and puppet shows. The performance area can be as simple as a blanket draped over two chairs, or a stand-up theater constructed from a cardboard box.

A cardboard box can also be used to build a post office or a cozy kid-size house. 

Process Art

Simply set out basic craft materials on a tray and let imaginations soar. Paper, stickers, crayons and markers can get creativity started.

Projects like ice painting, veggie stamping, and art using paper shapes, inspire creativity with little instruction or intervention.

Simple Science

Provide hands-on fun and learning with simple experiments.

• Observe fizzy reactions with a mini volcano.
  
  
• Race toy cars down an inclined plane.
  
  
• Roll a marble through a maze of recycled corks. 

Outdoor Play

Scavenger Hunt Search-and-Explore

Use your senses to search and discover outside.

• Look for specific colors: green leaves or yellow flowers.
  
  
• Count the number of twigs you can hold in one hand.
  
  
• Play I spy insects with a magnifying glass.
  
  
• Identify sounds: wind blowing through trees, dog barking, car horn honking.

Backyard fun

If there is no playground equipment such as swings or a slide in your yard, there are lots of ways kids can play with simple games and toys.

• Have a picnic or read a picture book on a blanket spread on the lawn or deck.
  
  
• Relay races can be as simple as running from point A to point B. You can add other challenges like running backwards, hopping on one foot, or rolling an object to the finish line.
  
  
• Place pine cones on the ground to make a nature trail for a game of follow-the-leader.
  
  
  

Crafts

• Use natural materials in crafts like this green leaf butterfly and leaf bookmark.
  
  
• Make letters of the alphabet with twigs.

Simple science

Summer

• Play with rocks and stones: place rocks in a long line; tap rocks together; paint rocks.
  
  
• Make a tree puzzle.
  
  
• Collect earth materials to mix in a jar.

Winter

• Measure snow with a snowman gauge.
  
  
• Play a game of toss with snowballs.
  
  
• Make a maze with piles of snow. 

This list of stay-at-home activities isn't exhaustive. But it should inspire some fun at home learning through play!

Activities with Easy Setups