Adventure Jar & 37 At-Home Activities to Entertain Your Kids

We know entertaining kids all day can feel like a full-time job, and it can get more complicated when you run out of ideas or when sibling arguments start. In this video, Emily shows you how to make a customized “Choose Your Adventure” jar with items you likely have around the house. This activity will keep your kids busy and gives your family the opportunity to choose fun, active, and educational activities. The best part is, choosing a popsicle stick randomly can prevent indecision or possible sibling fights! We chose 37 ideas, and you can add even more ideas that can be found on Pinterest or through a few Google searches. Check these out to kickstart your family’s personalized jar:

1. Indoor alphabet scavenger hunt: challenge each other to find one item around the house that starts with each letter of the alphabet.

2. Bake something sweet

3. Build a fort in your living room or backyard

4. Make a backyard obstacle course

5. Complete the 7-Minute Burpee Challenge

6. Make homemade playdough

7. Family yoga

8. Paint a painting together

9. Make homemade moon dough

10. Play hopscotch on the sidewalk

11. Play a board game

12. Have a hula hoop challenge

13. Play hide and seek

14. Make ants on a log

15. Play a card game

16. Play freeze tag in the backyard

17. Play charades

18. Make up a jump rope routine to your favorite song

19. Paint your favorite tree or flower from the yard

20. Go backyard camping

21. Build a house out of recyclable materials

22. Tie dye shirts

23. Write and perform a play or song

24. Write a book about your week or your family

25. Make puppets from socks or paper bags

26. Have a LEGO-building challenge

27. Take a walk around the block

28. Write a letter or thank you cards to loved ones

29. Try a science experiment

30. Make paper boats, hats, or planes

31. Do a puzzle

32. Make a map of your neighborhood

33. Write a thank you letter to a hero

34. Practice your gymnastics skills

35. Complete a timed 50 states challenge. Set a timer while you and your kids draw the U.S. from memory. It’s educational and can be fun to see the different results.

36. Make a spaghetti bridge. Grab some spare pasta and glue that you have lying around the house, and challenge each other to build a bridge from the materials! To make it competitive, see whose spaghetti bridge can hold a small but heavy item like a rock, can of food, or a book!

37. Read two of your favorite books.

And with that, your family has some ideas to do at least one new activity each day for a month! Share what your family is doing to stay busy in the comments or on social. :)