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Acknowledge and Discuss Differences: When children notice developmental differences, engage in open conversations that highlight both similarities and differences, fostering empathy and understanding.
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Encourage Inclusive Interactions: Support your child in forming relationships with peers of diverse abilities to promote acceptance and reduce biases.
October 2026
Managing Indoor Boredom
Article Summary
- Use puzzles, books, crafts, building blocks and brain games to stimulate creativity and problem-solving.
- When you can, try family activities like cooking together, which can improve reading skills, teamwork and a sense of belonging.
- Get active by building obstacle courses, circuits, scavenger hunts or dance contests to keep kids moving.
Activity
When you are stuck inside, what can you do with your kids? Engaging in fun activities, using your brains to problem-solve and being creative is good for building mental health. Collect puzzles, books, crafts, building blocks, riddles and other brain games to have on hand.
Why is cooking together worthwhile?
Cooking together is a great way to work on reading skills and teamwork! And making a family recipe while talking about your family traditions can help your child build a sense of belonging, which is good for mental health.
Depending on your child's age, they can read the recipe, gather ingredients, wash vegetables, learn how to do simple math and a lot more!
Consider letting kids select a theme. This could be around food from a certain country or region, or it could be based on a book they’ve read or a favorite show. For older kids, let each child make a dish of their own choosing and make a meal out of whatever everyone brings to the table.
Don’t want to run to the store? You can even find recipes online based on the food/ingredients you have in your house.
Can board games help teach problem-solving?
Board games provide opportunities for fun and developing problem-solving skills! As children take turns and follow directions, they are learning valuable skills. Check out games that promote reading, math and money strategies.
Some libraries allow people to borrow board games. Or see if your area has a gaming cafe where you can go and try a variety of games.
What about creativity?
Try painting, drawing, coloring, clay and anything else you find! Many materials like play dough and silly putty can be made at home using simple ingredients from your kitchen cabinet.
Want help getting started? Download our coloring/activity pages below.
How can I get kids moving?
Just because you are stuck indoors, doesn't mean you can’t be physically active. When kids are moving, it improves their mental health and reduces stress. Consider trying:
- Obstacle Course. Set up cones, stuffed animals, cups, etc. for kids to run around, jump over and climb under.
- Circuits. Set up activity stations around the room featuring one activity (jump rope, sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, the hula hoop). Have your kids visit each station for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Treasure/Scavenger hunt. Hide either one item with clues to follow or multiple items around the house. Be sure to make the hunt take the kids to different room, and have them searching high and low to get the most movement.
What are some other things we can do inside to fight boredom?
Dance Contest
Crank up the tunes and dance your socks off! We even put together a playlist to get you started.
Animal Moves
Have races, or entertain each other, by walking/moving around like different animals:
- Bear walk (hand and feet)
- Cat/dog walk (hands and knees)
- Crab walk (hands and feet with your belly facing up)
- Rabbit/frog (bouncing with hands and feet on floor)
- Duck/penguin (heels together, toes pointed to the side)
Let kids come up with other animal ideas for maximum laughs.
Hide and Seek
An oldie, but a goodie. Hide and seek keeps kids moving but does not require running.
Activities
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