Indoor activities for kids: 25 screen-free ideas for rainy and snowy days

Rain is pouring, it's too cold for the park, and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Before reaching for a screen, try one of these indoor activities. They need little or no preparation, use things you already have at home, and work for children from about 3 to 10 years old.

Puzzles and brain games

Print a maze. Mazes keep kids focused for a surprisingly long time. Make a new one at the maze maker: easy mazes for preschoolers or hard mazes for older kids.
Spot the difference. Great for quiet time. Print a spot the difference puzzle with 3, 5 or 7 differences.
Draw your own maze. Once they've solved a few, challenge them to draw one for you.
Memory tray. Put 10 objects on a tray, look for 30 seconds, cover it, and write down as many as you remember.
I spy, indoors. Use colors for little ones and letters for readers.

Drawing and creative play

Color a mandala. Calming for kids and adults alike. Print mandala coloring pages from easy to detailed.
Learn to draw something new. Our step-by-step drawing sheets teach a cat, a dog, a robot or a superhero.
Mirror drawing. Symmetry worksheets ask kids to finish the other half of a picture.
Make a comic. Fold a sheet into four boxes and tell a story in pictures.
Junk model building. Cereal boxes, toilet rolls and tape become castles, robots and rockets.

Sneaky learning

Kitchen math. Bake something and let your child measure, count and double the recipe.
Shop game. Price toys with sticky notes and pay with coins.
A short math sheet. Ten problems with a fun buddy character feels like a game. Picture counting for little ones, times tables for older kids.
Tracing paths. Preschoolers get ready for writing with tracing worksheets.
Learning games. For a bit of screen time that counts, our free learning games cover counting, letters, words and flags.

Burn off energy

Pillow obstacle course. Over the cushions, under the table, around the chair.
Floor is lava. A classic for a reason.
Animal walks. Hop like a bunny, crawl like a bear, waddle like a penguin.
Freeze dance. Music on, music off, freeze!
Balloon volleyball. Keep the balloon off the floor as long as you can.

Calm-down activities

Build a blanket fort and read books inside with a torch.
Audio stories while building Lego or doing a puzzle.
Sorting games. Sort buttons, socks or toy cars by color and size.
Playdough. Make your own with flour, salt, water and a little oil.
Make an activity jar. Write these 25 ideas on paper strips and let your child pick one next time boredom strikes.

Tips for a smooth indoor day

Alternate busy and calm. A movement game, then a quiet sheet, then a snack.
Prepare a rainy-day folder. Print a few mazes, mandalas and math sheets in advance so there's always something ready.
Let them choose. Children engage much more with an activity they picked themselves.

Every printable on Kidsario is free and new each time you open it, so your rainy-day folder never runs out.