Boredom Busters

50 Indoor Activities for Kids on a Rainy Day

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 04/08/2018 - 10:35am

When rain or cold weather keeps kids inside, it can be hard to keep everyone entertained. Of course, NYC offers plenty of amazing children's museums and exhibits, indoor play spaces, and classes and activities where families can take shelter when bad weather arrives, but sometimes staying home can be just as much fun—if you know the right games.

Whatever the reason you're staying put, try one of these 50 indoor, boredom-busting games, crafts, and other things to do with kids to turn a rainy day into a memorable one.

Snow Games and Outdoor Winter Activities for Kids Beyond Sledding

Submitted by Elaine Paoloni ... on Wed, 03/07/2018 - 9:15am

Cold temps usually make kids want to stay inside for baking, eating, crafting, their devices and maybe even DIY science experiements. But add a dose of fun and it’s easy to draw them out into the white stuff for snow day activities.

Once the wind has died down and it's safe to hit the local park or your backyard, there are myriad outdoor winter activities to be had on even the bleakest of winter days. With serious snowfall, you can build a snow fort or maze, and with sub-freezing temperatures, kids can try to blow frozen bubbles or even make colorful ice gems! Read on for more outdoor winter boredom busters to try come the next school snow day.

21 Wacky Ways to Celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday with Kids

Submitted by Ally Noel on Thu, 02/22/2018 - 4:34pm

“If we didn’t have birthdays, you wouldn’t be you. If you’d never been born, well then what would you do?” Thank goodness Dr. Seuss’ birthday comes once a year—and it always gives us great reason to cheer!

On March 2, we’ll celebrate literacy and Seuss with fun crafts, treats, and other activities in honor of the literary rhyming master. Dr. Seuss’ birthday kicks off a nationwide reading celebration known as Read Across America Day. Schools, libraries, and community centers across the country observe the day with read-alouds, crafts, and Seuss-a-rific treats!

Use this list of 21 zany activities to commemorate the day at home with the kids. Whether you want to start it off with some green eggs and ham or plan your next family vacation to the birthplace of Dr. Seuss himself, there is something for everyone on this list—no matter how small.

Thrilling Family Fun: 5 Escape Rooms and Quests to Do With Boston Kids

Submitted by Fiona Haley on Fri, 02/16/2018 - 10:35am

As kids get older, it gets harder to find indoor family activities that aren’t “boring” or “stupid.” Fear not; there’s good news. If you’re the parent of older school-age kids or 'tweens, you might want to try an escape room adventure. People all over America are paying to be locked in a room for an hour—to try to get out, together. Escape rooms are the newest trend, and your family might love it. We’ve found five nearby escape rooms, or similarly-themed quest activities, where you and your kids can test your quick-thinking and problem-solving skills (and maybe do some bonding at the same time).

25 Exercise Games and Indoor Activities to Get Kids Moving

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 02/05/2018 - 11:30am

Whether it's rainy, snowy, or even too hot to hit the park or backyard, exercise games are a great way to get everyone in the family giggling and away from the screens for a bit.

We've put together a list of 25 easy indoor exercise ideas to do with kids at home. It's a really simple way for a family to integrate movement and exercise into any day. Most of these can be done right in your living room, and will even work in tight city apartments (or hallways). We promise everyone will be tired and laughing after attempting just a handful.

Looking for more indoor boredom busters for kids? We have lots of ideas, including science experiments and sensory activities for all ages.

50 Easy Science Experiments for Kids Using Household Stuff

Submitted by Karyn Marciniak on Tue, 01/16/2018 - 1:02pm

Children are born scientists. They're always experimenting with something, whether they're throwing a plate of spaghetti on the wall, blowing bubbles in the bath water or stacking blocks into an intricate tower only to destroy it in one big swipe. As they get older, you may decide to enroll them in a FREE online coding class to get a leg up in today's digital world. But you can actually do some pretty mind-blowing, hands-on science experiments at home using stuff you probably have lying around the house.

Don't worry if you never made it past biology: These 50 science activities are super-easy and a lot of fun to boot, as kids are exposed to a wide variety of scientific concepts. It's a great way to spend quality time together as a family and who knows, mom and dad may end up learning a new thing or two, too.

Find more at-home fun in our Boredom Busters guide for families.

12 Easy DIY Sensory Activities to Entertain Babies

Submitted by Scott Edwards on Mon, 01/08/2018 - 12:00pm

Sensory activities for babies open the world up to our kids while they're still happily stationary. Maybe even more important, it begins to familiarize them to their own bodies. Every new day delivers a fresh overload of sights, sounds, and sensations.

Bonus: Sensory games give us something fun to do with our little ones beyond tummy time! We've rounded up a dozen of our favorite sensory activities that you can create right at home. DIY sensory toys nurture a basic understanding of the people, places, and stuff that populate their lives, along with the motor and communication skills that they'll need to interact with the world. There will be new things for baby to touch, smell, see, and figure out. Watch as your little one giggles her way through these micro-discoveries.

Everything featured here can be crafted from simple, recycled materials and stuff found within reach around the house or a couple of clicks on Amazon. Read on for sensory fun, and check out our Boredom Busters Guide for more all-ages crafts, recipes, and rainy day fun.

How to Make Frozen Bubbles with Kids in This Freezing Weather

Submitted by Ally Noel on Fri, 01/05/2018 - 4:02am

We're no fans of the freezing, and even below zero temperatures, that have ushered in the new year. But we are fans of the new viral sensation to come out of this frigid nonesense: frozen bubbles!

We saw these mesmerizing bubbles popping up all over our feeds, and couldn't wait to give it a try IRL with real kids. Read on for the recipe and see our video of this DIY science experiment in Connecticut, a day after the dreaded "bomb cyclone," aka, Winter Storm Grayson.

Don't forget you can find more at-home fun, like 40 Things to Do Indoors on a Snow Day, in our Mommy Poppins Boredom Busters Guide.