13 Fun Home-based Activities to Try with Your Kids

You are not stuck indoors if you have got something fun to do with the kids. And we know where you can get your supply of indoor fun!   

The Covid-19 pandemic has kept us indoors for a long time and that has made many of us very creative in getting our dose of fun, from virtual museum trips to home-cations. Before you run out of ideas and start to wonder when the day would end, we hope to inspire you with these home-based activities for an entertaining day in!

Last updated: 29 Sep 2021

1. Turn Your House into Camping Grounds

Source: Glamping Society

Take your blanket fort, give it a fancy swirl and you have got a unique camping experience waiting for you in your living room! And you don’t even have to worry about wild boars invading your camping grounds!

Take it a notch further with Glamping Society’s Campcation Experience (from $250), which comes complete with tents, beds, bedding, and soft toys. You can choose from three different themes and opt for 2, 3 or 4 tents. Then all you have to do is experience the wonders of camping! 

2. Grab A Book

Source: Kays Kube

If your little ones love going on imaginary adventures, a book will surely bring them delight. Not only will reading allow them to relax, but it will also stimulate their imagination and improve literacy. You can read with them, or you can make it even livelier with an impromptu dramatized storytelling session.

The best thing is you don’t have to look far to find a book. You can get them at bookstores or borrow one from a library, there is one in almost every neighbourhood. There are also several sites that offer free ebooks for children of different ages. If you are planning on purchasing a book for your kids, check out this $10 Children Books Cash Voucher from Kays Kube, you can get it for just $8!

3. Baking and Crafting At Home!

Image credit Genius R Us

Baking is always a fun activity when you are doing it with your loved one and you will end up with something sweet and yummy, which is always a plus. You know what would make baking even more enjoyable? Having all the ingredients delivered to you. You don’t have to worry about missing out on any ingredient and you don’t have to dig your bookmarks to find the recipe you saved two weeks ago! 

With the option to mix and match different kits (including craft kits), Genius R Us hassle-free Bake & Craft kits (from $63 for 2 kits) are meant to keep the little ones entertained and occupied! You can choose from baking kits such as Unicorn Cookies, Sleepy Hotdog Bread, I Heart Dad Giant Cookie, and Teddy Bear Brownies - Each kit comes with dry ingredients, topping as well as instructions, as well as craft kits such as Minion Bottle Making, Mosaic Pencil Holder Making, etc. 

4. Uncover The Secrets of Universe with Science Experiments

Image credit Trio Kids

There is just something inexplicably fun in building a volcano and watching it spew “lava” on your kitchen counter. Not only are science experiments a form of entertainment, but they also provide education as they simplify concepts and make them easier to absorb. 

If you can’t get enough of dabbling in science experiments with your kids, then Trio Kids’ Science Kits might interest you. They offer Amazing Universe DIY Kit with seven activities, Catch The Criminal DIY Kit that will spice up detective pretend play, Colour Changing Chemical DIY Kit with eight activities, Cosmic Jet Rocket DIY Kit, and Magical Science For Physic DIY Kit that teaches physics concepts through magic. You can now get two Science Kits delivered to your house at just $60 (inclusive of delivery).

5. Educational STEM Toys

There is no running away from the use of technology in entertaining our little ones. But instead of just gaming or YouTube, why not consider PlayShifu Plugo, a series of educational STEM toys where kids play in the real world to drive results in the game on screen. Through play, kids can pick up STEM skills and more! 

6. Create Creatively With LEGO

If you have LEGO sets at home, take them out and let the kids build and rebuild them! There is no limit to creativity and you may be surprised by what the kids can come up with when there are no instructions! 

Or add a challenge to give them an objective in the process too! Eg, build a pencil holder, mobile device stand or something that solves a real-world problem at home! 

In Oct, we are collaborating with The LEGO Group to challenge your family! Take part in our bi-weekly LEGO Creative Problem Challenge and stand a chance to win LEGO sets too!

7. Make Your Own Resin Jewellery

Source: Happy Hands Can

It doesn’t have to be resin jewellery, it can also be keychains. Happy Hands Can offers a DIY Floral Resin Art Kit ($52), which comes with the materials to create your own Resin Art, including real pressed-dried flowers, as well as a step-by-step guide. You can choose a kit for making earrings, keychains, necklace, or a combination of the former. If you are feeling a little hesitant about wandering into the realms of resin art, Happy Hands Can also offers an Online Workshop ($50), which you can check out.

8. Put Your Green Thumbs to Work with a Terrarium Kit

Image credit Craftsforgreen

If you love plants and plant-related anything, then building up a terrarium is just the activity to keep you happy. If you are just venturing into the world terrariums, then starting with a DIY kit would be a good idea. There are plenty of places where you can get them. 

Craftsforgreen, which specializes in the customization of plants-related craft for gifts and events, is one such place. Check out their Fittonia Terrarium DIY Kit ($37), which comes with everything you will need to build your terrarium, including mini figurines to live in your mini garden. 

Writer’s note: Fittonia is a plant with striking pinkish green leaves. 

9. Keep Your Kids Busy with A Colouring Mat

Image credit Our Button Nose

Did you know that colouring apparently allows you to rest and relax? So colouring is not just a cool activity that allows you to bring the images on paper alive with vibrant colours, but it is also good for you! However, printing pages after pages of colouring sheets does not sound sustainable. Fortunately, there is a simple solution – reusable colouring mats. 

Singaporean brands, Our Button Nose and Drawnby: have a series of reusable silicone colouring mats from Under The Ocean and Castles & Dragons to Learning ABC that you can invest in. The mats are safe and washable, which not only makes them entertaining for the little ones but also great for the environment. 

10. Put on Your Cape for Some Magic Tricks

Image credit Mr Bottle’s Kids Party

Who doesn’t love a little magic trick? Thanks to Mr Bottle’s Kids Party, you can even attempt a little magic on your own! The Mr Bottle's Magic Set ($35.90) comes with a few tools of the trade and an instructional DVD to get you started on the art of magic. Suitable for 2- to 12-year-olds, the kit is great for bonding with your little humans as well as for cultivating creativity and imagination. 

11. Dig Out Dinosaur Figurines From Your Living Room

Image credit Mr Bottle’s Kids Party

You can just buy a dinosaur toy from the store, but would it be as fun as digging out the dinosaurs by yourself? That’s right, Mr Bottle’s Kids Party offers Dinosaur Egg Digging Set, which allows you to “unearth” the dinosaurs! Each set comes with a dinosaur egg, from which they will have to dig out a dinosaur figurine (about 3 cm in length). They also make for a great teaching tool as you can feed them information about the dinosaur that they have unearthed! You can get them in sets of 3 ($28.70) or 12 ($69.90).

12. Go Excavating for Dinosaur Fossils

Image credit EPIC Workshops

If you thought digging out dinosaur figurines was fun, wait till you hear about excavating dinosaur fossils! EPIC Workshops has a Fossil Excavation Art Experience Kit ($48) and it allows you to dig and excavate fossils of dinosaurs like a real palaeontologist! The kit includes a gypsum block and a set of specially-designed digging tools to help excavate the fossils, which you can then assemble to form your very own Stegosaurus or T-Rex model! Whether your tots are aspiring palaeontologist or not, digging out dinosaur bones is sure to be a fun activity.

12. Build Your Own Airplant Greenwall 

Image credit The Green Capsule

Not just the experience but also finished personalised gift at the end of the experience. This is the Airplant Greenwall DIY Kit from The Green Capsule. Create your own frame using preserved moss and airplants, and decorate it with a figurine as well. Follow the step-by-step instructions or let your own creativity decide, whichever you choose to do, the end-product belongs to you! 

Feature image: Sigmund/Unsplash