How to spend time at home with children
Even adults find themselves wondering what to do with time at home, so it’s even tougher for kids—when they get bored, they can get cranky, and it becomes a real challenge.
To help you enjoy those long hours at home, here’s a lineup of games and ideas that kids are sure to love.
There’s a variety—from things you can do with little to no money, to items you can get at a 100-yen shop, to activities that take a bit more time and effort.
Of course, there are also options that adults can enjoy together with the kids, so use these as a reference and have a great time at home!
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How to Spend Quality Time at Home with Your Kids (21–30)
Play to develop hazard awareness
By catching only balls of the specified color, children can develop hazard awareness.
You’ll use a pool cue and colored balls.
Cut the pool cue lengthwise in half and join the halves to make a rail.
Set it up on a table, then roll various colored balls down it.
Ask your child to use the pool cue to catch only the balls in the color you told them beforehand.
Seeing, deciding, and moving instantly—this experience will surely help give children the power to protect themselves from danger.
Solo play that’s safe even if you fall
Kids falling down is common, and even though we know that, every time we see our child hurt and crying, we can’t help wanting to do something to help.
So let’s add a play activity that teaches foot control.
Fix pool noodles that have been cut in half lengthwise onto a wire grid.
Place a short piece of pool noodle under the wire grid to make a seesaw, then set a marble in the center groove of the pool noodle.
Have your child place their feet on both ends of the wire grid and move the seesaw left and right, controlling it so the rolling marble doesn’t fall off.
Exercise play you can enjoy at home
Even when you can’t play outside, you still want to move your body! In times like that, let’s enjoy some active play at home.
For infants and toddlers, try baby massage or touch-and-play activities.
For preschoolers through elementary school kids, how about a spy game with a treasure hunt or a round of table tennis on the table? For the spy game, setting up obstacles around the room and preparing a treasure map can really liven things up.
For table tennis, you can substitute household items: a tissue box for the net, a pot lid for the paddle, and a super ball for the ball.
5 super fun activities
We’ll be introducing five activities: “Irregular Play,” “Swirly Tail Chase,” “Receive & Catch,” “Ball Rolling Play,” and “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase.” They mainly use a ball—putting it into a basket, catching it, and combining movements like hopscotch and forward rolls to get the body moving.
In “Swirly Tail Chase,” attach a jump rope instead of a string and run away from the tagger, changing directions between clockwise and counterclockwise.
For “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase,” stretch elastic bands across the room and escape from the tagger while jumping over the bands.
Eurhythmics with the children’s song “Matsubokkuri”
Eurhythmics set to the popular children’s song “Matsubokkuri” is perfect for those who want to freely enjoy expressing themselves.
As you walk around the room to the song, clap your hands, touch different parts of your body, and move freely.
Adding facial expressions can spark communication with one another and make it even more exciting.
Eurhythmics, which lets you feel the vibration and comfort of sound, is a rhythm activity everyone can enjoy while moving together.
Give it a try with everyone—from little kids to adults!
cute ice cream
Here’s how to make a cute treat that even elementary school kids can make! It’s an easy homemade ice pop.
First, prepare your favorite ice pop molds, like the ones sold at 100-yen shops.
Mix one snack-sized yogurt cup with 1 teaspoon of honey.
Pour the mixture into the molds and freeze—your ice pops are ready! If you used animal-shaped molds, you can draw faces using bamboo charcoal powder mixed with a little water.
You can also use a chocolate pen, but it tends to harden and can be hard to draw with.
You can leave out the honey for a less sweet version, so try different flavors and have fun experimenting!
Aquabeads
Aquabeads are easy and fun: just place the small beads on a tray and stick them together with water.
Kids can focus on their own, creating all kinds of shapes and colors at their own pace.
Using their fingertips improves fine motor skills, and thinking about what design to make really expands their imagination.
Plus, there’s no glue or ironing, so cleanup is quick and easy! It’s also great because kids can feel a sense of accomplishment by completing projects on their own.
Once they get used to it, they can even make 3D creations—give it a try!
My First Fake Sweets
Let me introduce some super cute-looking fake sweets.
These days, you can find all kinds of candy-themed items at 100-yen shops, so it’s easy to enjoy.
How about decorating your favorite shaped motifs with whipped cream for sweets deco and adding dragees? You don’t even have to make the motifs yourself to have fun, so it’s perfect for your first fake-sweets project! Thinking about colors and shapes and handling tiny parts helps develop fine motor skills and boosts concentration.
You’ll nurture many abilities while having fun making them, so give it a try!
New block play
Here’s a new way to play: use a construction toy as the base and run a Plarail track underneath like a bridge! It feels like an idea you could have thought of, yet somehow hadn’t.
Construction toys also help nurture children’s thinking skills.
How can we make it taller? Will it collapse? As kids stack blocks while pondering these questions, they start inventing ways to make it sturdier.
Another great point for indoor play is how absorbing it can be—when they’re focused, they can forget the time.
After fixing and rebuilding it over and over, finally completing it with a triumphant “We did it!” brings a huge sense of accomplishment.
If you’ve got these toys at home, give it a try!
Build a full-fledged plastic model
@kisk_cr My 7-year-old son's creative process. It's a video a little over a minute long, and I'd be happy if you could watch the quiet scene of him making things.#CapCutLife with childrenPlastic modelAirplane#7years
♬ soft background music with piano string bells(1283463) – earbrojp
Plastic models are growing in popularity across all ages.
Building detailed kits like airplanes by yourself is especially recommended for elementary school children, as it helps develop dexterity.
Carefully examining the parts and assembling them fosters concentration and thinking skills, and the process of asking “How can I make this work well?” builds problem-solving abilities.
Seeing the finished model and thinking “I made this!” gives a strong sense of pride and boosts confidence.
Kids can also enjoy choosing colors and stickers and adding their own personal touches.
How about making a favorite plastic model as an indoor activity?