Indoor Activities for Kids

I’m not sure about where you live, but it gets pretty darn hot during the summer where I live. We are only in the second week of June and we are already seeing temperatures well into the triple digits here…by noon! I love the summertime because we are able to get out and enjoy the great outdoors more, but when the temperatures get this hot, I keep the kiddos and myself inside during the afternoon hours until the temps begin to drop as the sun goes down.

Keeping the kids inside during the bulk of the afternoon is no easy task. My oldest is 5 ½ years old and that much time indoors usually has him overflowing with energy. If I don’t find things for him to do, I usually find him jumping off the couch or running around the living room playing with our little Bichon, Sophie (she’s like a 2 year old and loves to play). Below are some of the indoor activities I’ve found that keep my kids entertained when we have to stay inside.

• Legos – My son is just starting to get into building with Legos. He can easily spend an hour or more sitting at the dining room table building houses and cars and who knows what else with his Lego set. The only catch is making sure he doesn’t drop any small pieces that the 10 month old will find later.
• Coloring Books – Another activity that my son has recently started to enjoy is coloring. He has a couple of giant coloring books featuring the Toy Story crew, Superman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The great thing about the big coloring books is that it takes him about half an hour to color one picture. In addition to the time he spends coloring, it is also improving his fine motor skills as he is working to hold the crayons right and stay in the lines.
• Play-Doh – Ah…I can remember playing with this stuff for hours when I was a kid. My son isn’t any different. He loves to get the play-doh out and see what he can make with it. He has made animals, shapes, rockets, cars, food and so much more out of it. Although it is a little messy, it’s still a great indoor activity for kids because it allows them to use their imaginations.
• Flash Cards – My little guy loves books and since he is preparing to go into Kindergarten in a couple of months, we are trying to work on sight words a little every day. We have bought Kindergarten flash cards that have the basic sight words on them. I think there’s over 100 words in this pack. So every day we work on them. We try to introduce five to ten new words every week. We don’t spend a lot of time on them…maybe half an hour or so a day, but he enjoys it and is learning at the same time so I can’t complain.
• Board Games – When I have the time, I try to sit down with my oldest son and play a board game with him. We have played games like Candy Land, Mouse Trap and Trouble. I think kids need to play board games and not just be entertained with video games, so I’m trying to build an appreciation for board games in my kids while they are little. Hopefully it will carry over and follow them into adulthood.

Above are some of the indoor activities that I’ve found enjoyable for my son. Of course we have our days when I’m busy doing things around the house and my son spends most of the day watching the Disney channel, but I try to keep that to a minimum. What are some of the indoor activities your kids enjoy doing on hot summer afternoons?