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42 Fun Things You Can Do At Home With the Family

Anyone else feeling a little stir-crazy? While social distancing is a critical part of mitigating the effects of COVID-19, for us at Pin Chasers, it means that we can’t provide a fun escape for energetic children and busy parents like usual. To help fill the gap, we’ve found 42 at-home family activities that kids of all ages (and parents) can do to cure cabin fever. 

1. Try a new recipe: Have you ever made your own curry? How about your own bread? It’s time to try out a new recipe together. Tasty has over one thousand recipes that are kid-friendly.
2. Read a book together: Whether you choose to read the entire Harry Potter series or a book of short stories, this can be a great time to digitally disconnect and read together as a family.
3. Play board games: From classics like Monopoly and Scrabble to newer games like HeadBandz, there are plenty of board games for the whole family to choose from. Here’s a list of top 2020 board games for the whole family to get you started. And, if you can’t make it to the store, here are some digital board games to try.
4. Complete a puzzle: Have a 1000-piece puzzle sitting in your garage? Now is the time to bust it out and get started. Clear a space and get the whole family involved. You can frame each puzzle you finish as a memento.
   
5. Make an obstacle course: Pillows, armchairs, mattresses, laundry baskets — all of these objects can be used to make an indoor obstacle course for your kids. Or, have fun outside with tires, mini-pools and sprinklers.
6. Start a garden: Whether you want to grow an indoor herb garden or an outdoor butterfly garden, there are plenty of websites where you can get seeds online to start your family garden. 
7. Do a treasure hunt: Plotting out a scavenger hunt for kids that takes them around the yard can be an eventful way to spend an afternoon. Here are some ready-made indoor treasure hunt clues to get started. It’s also fun to theme your treasure hunt based on a beloved book or movie.
8. Make your own bowling alley: We are particularly fond of this tip. Check out this video on how to make your own backyard bowling alley. For something quicker and cheaper, you can also make one by setting up toilet paper or paper towel rolls as pins and using any regular ball to bowl them down!
9. Camp in the backyard: Pitch a tent and make some s’mores. You can have a scary story competition and do wilderness tests, such as finding and labeling bugs and birds.
10. Send cards to family and friends: Writing postcards like you are a tourist in your own town or creating handmade greeting cards can be a great way to be creative and connect with people your family hasn’t been able to see in a while.
11. Have a family slumber party: Popcorn, pizza and PJs are all you need to have fun! Grab some blankets and stay up late one night having a family “sleep-over” in the living room.
12. Play hide and seek: Whether you play hide and seek completely inside or extend the rules to the backyard, hide and seek is a great way to bring energy to an indoor slump. You can also play sardines to bring some variety.
13. Have an indoor picnic: Switch up lunch or dinner by having a picnic inside your home! Bring out your blanket and some plants to set the stage.
14. Start some online learning games: There are a lot of options now for online learning websites and apps. Find 20+ options here. 
15. Have breakfast for dinner: Who doesn’t love pancakes? One way to make this even more exciting is to prepare traditional breakfasts from around the world for dinner, such as a Full English Breakfast. 
16. Play charades: Charades is a classic for a reason! Playing charades can bring the family together. Here are some tips for playing charades with kids.
17. Make slime: What kid doesn’t love slime? There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to make slime with basic ingredients. 
18. Have a spa day: It’s time for some R&R. Get some nail polish, face masks and cucumbers for a spa day that everyone in the family will love. There are many ways to make a spa day kid-friendly.
19. Learn how to draw characters: Who is your favorite cartoon character? Learning how to draw characters is a great way to stir up creativity. With books and videos available online for a plethora of characters, each family member can become an expert in drawing their favorite.
20. Make up your own recipe: Whether you want to make a fun, spooky potion or a traditional favorite, coming up with your own culinary invention is a great way to spend time as you perfect your masterpiece. Who knows? You could come up with the next brookie. 
21. Have a costume night: Bust out Halloween costumes from days past or invent your own DIY costumes with common household items.
22. Color together: All you need are crayons or colored pencils and blank paper to color together. Coloring books and paint-by-number can take it a step further.
23. Put on a puppet show: Take a chapter out of The Sound of Music and make your own puppet show! From creating the puppets to writing the story, putting on a puppet show takes time and creativity.
24. Create a family tree: Do you have questions about your family’s past? Now is a great time to start working on your family tree. Get your kids involved by calling relatives and signing up for an ancestry website.
25. Make edible playdough: There are a ton of edible playdough recipes that allow kids to have their toy and eat it too!
26. Make a movie: Whether you shoot your masterpiece on your smartphone or find a film camera to use, making a movie is a great way for the family to come together on a creative project. “Location scouting” in your house, coming up with a plot, writing a script, casting your “actors” and more provide everyone with a fun job to do.
27. Have a movie marathon: Speaking of movies, now is the time to have a movie marathon! Whether you choose to watch all of the Avengers movies or use this time to show your kids your childhood favorites, you can all take turns on choosing the theme for movie marathon night.
28. Do a karaoke night: Throw your own American Idol competition and see who will win the karaoke crown.
    
29. Paint in your backyard: Take the canvases outside and make your own Jackson Pollock. With painting in the backyard, kids can feel free to express their creativity — and you can avoid a messy clean-up.
    
30. Create a scrapbook: Scrapbooking is both fun and can help you remember the time you spent as a family during this time.
31. Try a new craft: Crocheting, sewing, beading — there are a ton of crafts to choose from.
32. Have a dance party: Get your dance mix going and expend some energy with a lights-out dance party.
33. Go through old family photos: Whether you review old photo albums or go through your shared iPhone library, sink into nostalgia and reminisce on good times.
34. Have a tea party: High tea anyone? Throw your kids a fun tea party by creating finger foods, making invitations for their favorite toys and setting your finest china.
35. Build a fort: Gather your best blankets, pillows, and sheets and make a fort. Watch a movie or read a book by flashlight inside your fort castle.
36. Make rock candy: Did you know that rock candy can be made at home? Get the recipe here.
37. Declutter your house: While this may not seem fun at first, Marie Kondo-ing your home can become a fun competition as everyone sorts through their stuff.
38. Have a water balloon fight: If you have balloons and a hose, you have all you need for a killer water balloon fight.
39. Make a family vision board: Encourage everyone in the family to make a vision board together. Whether you want to envision your goals or create a roadmap for your next big trip, it’s a good way to plan for good times ahead.
40. Curate a playlist: Even if everyone in the family has a different taste in music, you may find some similarities by creating a family playlist on Spotify or YouTube.
41. Make ice cream in a bag: Take the whole family back to science class by making ice cream at home! Get the recipe for ice cream in a bag here.
42. Make a time capsule: Finally, make a time capsule of things you did during this time so that you can remember how you got through it together.