Things to Do When We’re Stuck Inside

Things to do at home

We started this resource at the begining of the Covid-19 pandemic to give families ideas for things to do while we were all very much at home. As time marches on, we’re still using a lot of these resources when thinking about things to do in the winter, when numbers start rising, when school has to transition to virtual for a few days, or when we’re just wanting to shake things up. We hope that it is inspires your family to try something new from the comfort of your home!

  1. Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems – The Kennedy Center invites us to Mo’s studio every day for the next few weeks to explore ways of writing and making.
  2. Neil Gaiman and Friends Read – Find popular books Coraline and The Graveyard Book free.
  3. Speaking of Authors Reading Their Books – There’s a list of children’s authors reading stories and search the hashtag #OperationStoryTime for more.
  4. Discover Next Favorite Kindie Artist – Children’s musicians from around the world are streaming concerts for kids.
  5. Amazon Future Engineer – Free online computer science classes for all students and teachers affected by COVID-19.
  6. Cleveland Inner City Ballet – Offering free virtual ballet lessons.
  7. Scholastic Learn from Home – Daily age and grade-appropriate activities for 20 days including stories, activities, fun learning challenges, virtual field trips and more.
  8. Club SciKids – A fresh science activity each day.
  9. Farm Food 360 – Explore farms and agricultural processes.
  10. Yellowstone National Park – Take a virtual tour!
  11. Skype a Scientist – Spend some time with scientists working in various fields.
  12. Go to The Symphony or The Opera – Seattle Symphony will provide free broadcasts and the New York Metropolitan Opera will have nightly opera streams at 7:30 pm and will be available for 20 hours.
  13. Paint and Hide Kindness Rocks – Add a little color to your day and extra fun to your walks painting rocks to leave for others to discover.
  14. Go To Disney! (Virtually) – There are virtual rides from Disney Land, Epcot, and more to be found here.
  15. Dance Break – Get moving with Just Dance videos on YouTube or GoNoodle.
  16. FREE Yoga for Kids – Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube uses active screen time including lots of favorites including Harry Potter, Moana, Frozen and Trolls.
  17. Make music.  Hoffman Academy gives free online piano lessons for kids! No instruments? Sing! Our kids love Frozen Sing-A-Longs on Youtube.
  18. Go for a Walk – It’s easy to keep your distance outside. Give passersby a wide berth and enjoy the fresh air.
  19. Listen to Olaf/Josh Gad read Oliva Goes to Venice. His voice work is a joy and maybe he’ll do more!
  20. Art For Kids Hub – We love these drawing tutorials! Find leprechauns, spring things, folding surprise drawings, popular characters and more.
  21. Netflix – Here are lots of educational shows to check out.
  22. Try a New Educational Tool – This giant list of resources offering free trials or access is sure to have something that interests your kids (and maybe you too!)
  23. Take a Field Trip from Your Sofa – There are so many cool places to explore online!
  24. Show Love – How can we help our kids think of others? What about making cards, sending letters/videos/emails, and making phone calls?

Have other ideas? Drop them in the comments below!

Special thanks to our sponsor FVL Schools!

Fox Valley Lutheran Schools

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