Stuck in the house? I’m guessing there is about a 93.6% chance you are or will be soon. Here are some ideas from fellow Lubbock moms to keep your kiddos busy, and more importantly, keep YOUR sanity. Lysol up and let’s do this like a mother!
Arts and Crafts
- COLOR! Get out all the paper you can, and let the kids color their hearts out. When they color until they can’t anymore, have an art show!
- Marker spray. Color shirts, socks, etc! Just mix marker tips and water in a spray bottle.
- Paper mache
- Paper dolls. Anyone remember these?
- Sidewalk chalk
- Rock/pine cone painting
- Homemade cards to send to family and friends, or even mail them to a local elderly facility using the address below
Attn: Taylor Flowers
5201 Indiana Avenue
Lubbock, Texas 79413
- Homemade play-doh
- Get out all those craft kits you’ve been keeping for later
- Learn to crochet
- Bathtub painting with shaving cream
- Watercolors in the shower
- Make Oobleck
Baking and Cooking
- Anyone up for some fun cookie basics?
- Have the kids create their own restaurant: make the menus, cook the food, set the table, take orders, etc. Tailor to your kids’ ages.
- Dinner and a movie night: pick a movie and have the kids help create a themed menu to go with it.
- Make breakfast for dinner
- Set up a campsite and make s’mores
Exercise
- Digital Yoga (you know, to keep the peace)
- Backyard races..maybe even develop your own obstacle course?
- Backyard soccer/kickball
- Dance parties! Turn the speaker up and go for it.
- Indoor/outdoor scavenger hunts
Games
Board games:
- For little ones: Candyland, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Pie Face
- For older kids: Yahtzee, Sorry, UNO, Monopoly, Rummikub, Clue, Monopoly, Catann and Catann Jr, Dominoes, Kings in the Corner, Tenzi, Fluxx, Left Center Right, Ticket to Ride, Outfoxed, Chick-a-pig, Racko
- For adults too: Pit, Spades
- You get the pict..ionary.
DIY games:
- Spoons, Sock races, Skip-Bo, Pillowcase races, Loteria
- Tick Tack Toe, Hangman, Jacks, Hide and Seek, Charades
Puzzling ones:
- Lots of puzzles at Dollar Tree for a buck $1
Video Games:
- Just Dance!
- Sports canceled? Play Madden together.
- Pokemon Go
- Wii Olympics
- Mario Party on the Switch
Binge Worthy Shows
Kids:
- Disney + anyone? If you don’t have it, consider it. It’s “a whole new world….!”
- Frozen 2 is out THREE MONTHS early… you’re welcome!
- Spirit (Netflix)
- Anne with an E (Netflix)
- Boss Baby: Back in Business (Netflix)
- Spies in Disguise
Family:
- Harry Potter series
- Star War series
- Kids baking championship (Hulu)
- The Mandalorian (Disney +)
Parents:
- Wentworth (Netflix)
- Game of Thrones (HBO)
- Breaking Bad (Netflix)
- Mind Hunter (Netflix)
- You (Netflix)
- Grey Anatomy (Hulu )
- West World (HBO)
Learning Activities
Hands on:
- Get your index cards out that have been hiding in your desk drawer. Use them for flashcards to keep the kids engaged in learning.
- Play “mad scientist” and make a volcano
- Grow seeds. There are a lot of fun experiments you can do with beans in particular. You don’t even need to involve dirt if you don’t want to lol.
- Egg drop experiments
Online Learning:
- Explore with these apps: ABC mouse, PBS, BrainPop etc.
- Outschool.com
- Raddish Kids homeschool information
- Scholastic Classroom magazines
- Here’s a HUGE google doc from the interwebs for SO many things
Cleaning Ideas
- Yes, we said it! What about a closet clean or donation clean out? Spring is just around the corner- spring cleaning now perhaps?
- Clean out all those old toys
Creative Activities
- Build a river our of foil, fill it up with water, and float ping pong balls along the curves
- Go camping in your own backyard!
- Build a Hot wheels track with painters tape all through the house
- Have a family dance party
- Build a living room fort of out pillows, blankets, all the spare chairs and the couch
- Make a pallet out of pillows and have quiet time
- Break out a good old fashioned round of hopscotch
- Sing your heart out with Karaoke to Kidz Bop
- Fill those tubs up with bubbles and then throw some glowsticks in
- Use masking tape on the floor or yarn taped to the wall in a hallway to make a ninja laser maze
- Trusty sidewalk chalk will never fail you in a situation like this (but, don’t bother with the spray cans – the LMB family tested those and NO DICE!)
- Jump those wiggles out on the trampoline
- Bust out the summer water table early and get to splashing
- Let the kids build and run an obstacle race/gauntlet inside the house and then pray for naps
- Hold your own spa day and try out some of these LMB home recipes
- Try out a Diamond Painting kit
- Take turns painting faces and get really creative. Don’t forget to take pictures
- Make up your own scavenger hunt through the house and yard
- Build your own movie theater and watch a show together
- Break out all the CLEAN laundry and have a fashion show. What else do you have to do besides more washing? 😉
- Go to the beach at home – layout on towels in your swimsuit and put waves on the sound machine and The Beach Boys on Alexa
- Put on a play based on a children’s story using supplies from around the house
- Throw a family party using all those old craft supplies to decorate
- Follow one of our favorites the Busy Toddler on FB and IG for year round, non quarantine activity ideas
Books to Read
Suggested Podcasts
- Last Podcast on the Left
- Local favorites to learn more about businesses in our Lubbock Community:
Outdoor Activities
- Plant seeds and monitor their growth throughout this “break”
- Get kids to help spring clean the garden – pull weeds, rake leaves, sweep the porch together
- Walk the dog and get out for some blood pumping
Any ideas you want to share? Please comment! Us moms need all the help we can get.