EPIC kids activities for beating cabin fever.

I’ve got EPIC and AMAZING ideas for helping beat cabin fever. When kids get a little stir crazy from being cooped up inside, pull out one of these fun activities!

Build a Fort (but not just any fort)

Grab the blankets, sheets, and clothespins and pass them to the kids to create whatever their imagination can conjur. But don’t stop with a simple blanket fort…push them to dream big and exciting! My siblings and I created forts across rooms, entire towns, hosted movies, and more. Here are some fun ways to bring those forts to a new level:

1. Create forts that span multiple rooms.
2. Make a town of forts. And, of course, make sure everyone has a town job.
3. Create a fort “restaurant” complete with menu and staff.
4. Add twinkle lights and books for reading all day long.
5. Use books or paper to create a pathway between forts. Don’t step off the pathway and into the fire!
6. Use large boxes to create tunnels between forts. Or create a fort out of a giant box, itself!
7. Bring in popcorn and a laptop and watch a movie in a fort.

Go Dinosaur hunting (or Princess hunting?)

This activity can be sttrreeeecccchhhheeeedddd out to last several hours or day.

1. Have the kids color (or draw) their favorite dinosaurs. And LOTS of them.
2. Then they need to cut them out.
3. Hide them around the house and yard for a scavenger hunt (maybe include a prize?). Chances are, they will want to repeat the activity again. Maybe with a different animal or number.
   
   Here are some dinosaur coloring pages to print and color.

Do the kids love dinosaurs? You can find ideas like dinosaur cookies, and dinosaur soap at The Happier Homemaker, Dinosaur Hands from Happy Whimsical Hearts and Origami dinosaurs from Origami Instructions.

Make a Craft

Pulling out the giant bin of craft supplies always provides hours of fun for kids. However, they can quickly use the supply, get bored, and be ready to move if they aren’t provided with direction. Try one of these craft ideas and you’ll get more use out of your craft supplies.

With duct tape:

1. Bottle cap Checkers from Country Chic Cottage.
2. 5 things to do with Glow in the Dark Duct Tape
3. Textbook Cover from Four Marrs One Venus
4. Duct Tape belt from Dukes and Duchesses

With paper:

1. Paper Pinwheels from Mom 4 Real
2. Paper Snowflakes
3. DIY Mini Notebook

with Popsicle Sticks

1. Shape Sticks from Tried and True
2. Mini bow and arrow
3. Felt Butterflies
4. Popsicle Stick Puzzle
5. Popsicle Memory game
6. Popsicle Stick dolls

Clay and play-doh:

1. Easy Homemade Air-Dry Clay
2. Best Homemade Play-doh
3. Clay beads
4. Playdoh Monsters from Pink and Green Mama
5. Playdoh Earth model from Meet the Dubiens

Online Fun

There are SO MANY great online resources to keep kids engaged and having fun in a way that is enriching and good for them! The internet doesn’t have to be banned. In fact, there are a multitude of reasons to let your kids hook up and have fun. Here are some of our favorite sites that you might want to check out.

1. Mo Willems Learn to Draw (from The Kennedy Center)
2. Shedd Aquarium Instagram account is full of fun live videos interacting with the animals. In fact, most zoos have great live cams and interactive social media accounts.
3. Kids Cook Real Food Cooking Classes (this one requires a membership but you can get a free trial and check it out)
4. FunBrain is full of educational games and activities for kids to waste hours.
5. Send an email. To grandma, grandpa, and all the cousins. Let them be silly, have them write a story, or even draw a picture (if you have the tech for that).
6. Record a tutorial. Have them set up and record themselves teaching others how to: color better, pet a cat exactly the right way, do a cartwheel. Reinforce their unique skill, have them record it, and send it to trusted friends or family (and, of course, be sure to tell the child how amazed they were!)

Bring the outdoors in

Maybe you don’t have a yard set up for a full garden or it isn’t yet time to work outside, these activities will still give your child some indoor fun while feeling close to nature.

Head to your local nursery and grab supplies to make:

1. Jar Terrariums
2. Indoor Herb Garden
3. Fairy Garden
4. Shoe organizer garden

Create fun decor for the garden:

1. How to make a rock caterpillar
2. DIY Outdoor Pinwheel
3. Painted Rock Garden Markers by Mommy Endeavors
4. Toilet Paper Roll Birdfeeder by Juggling with Kids
5. Groovy Garden Box by Four Marrs One Venus

Print an activity sheet

Sometimes a pile of activity sheets, juice, and a snack will keep children entertained for hours. Here are some of our favorite places to grab some…

1. All Kids Network
2. Kid Zone
3. Scholastic
4. The Spruce Crafts

Epic Slumber Party

We have 5 days of activity ideas for the most epic Family Slumber party EVER. Print out the activities, menu ideas, and more fun! Use them in a row, only on Fridays, or for a full week-long staycation.

GET THE FAMILY SLUMBER PARTY IDEAS

Get in the kitchen

Get the kids in the kitchen with an easy recipe that they can create themselves OR challenge yourself to teach them a new skill. Cooking or baking creates fantastic skills for kids and is a wonderful opportunity for connection and talking. Here are some easy recipes to get you started:

1. 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter cookies. Kids can totally do this one with little to no supervision!
2. Homemade pasta. It is like grown-up play-doh! Kids adore making homemade pasta. But be warned…this takes an afternoon.
3. Sugar Cookie Pizzas. Pretty, fun, and easy to make. Give kids sugar cookies and fruit and let them make yummy pizzas.

Package up all those yummy treats and bring them to a neighbor or friend. If you have close neighbors let them bring them next door while you stand on the porch and watch.

Heck, we have a full kids cookbook for you to download for free!

Let’s see how long the kids can be bored with these activities!