Fun Indoor Activities for Kids by Age!

Stuck inside with the kids? These fun hands-on activities are perfect for quarantined kids! Drawing, cooking, beading, painting, model-building and so much more for toddlers to teens.

If you’re looking for smaller arts & crafts gifts for kids and stocking stuffers, check out this post!

Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Alphabet Stamps + Washable Rainbow Stamp Pad

We’ve had these uppercase alphabet stamps for years, and the girls love to spell out words with them. They also come in lowercase and number sets. Add a washable rainbow stamp pad, and you’ve got hours of fun!

Pop Beads

Only after the putting everything in your mouth stage is well past, of course. My girls loved loved loved this fun beading set. Four is the perfect age. The beads snap together to create necklaces, bracelets and rings, and they come back apart just as easily when they’re done. If you want to stay on good terms with the parents, spend a few more dollars and get a tray to contain the mess!

Kinetic Sand

We’ve had a lot of fun with kinetic sand at our house! I love that it sticks together and doesn’t make a huge mess. This awesome set includes a tray for little hands to work in and keeps the sand contained.

Dot Markers

My kids loved these dot art markers! So so many hours of dotting fun! They’ve also really enjoyed dot art workbooks,

white paper with purple dot art marker gift for kids

Gifts for Kids Ages 5-9

Tomato Garden

We’ve been starting vegetable seeds indoors for years, and I always use these seed starter pods. They come in little pellets and you add water to make them expand. The tomato-sized pods are great because they’re big and give the tomato plants more room to grow, since they don’t get planted outside until later in the Spring.

I just ordered these organic cherry tomato seeds– it includes a few of our favorite varieties, and a few new ones we’ve never tried before. And these Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes are by far our favorite!

Grow Light

We’ve had these grow lights for a few years for our seedlings too.

Tooth Fairy Fort

My daughter received this adorable tooth fairy fort decorating kit as a gift when she was five. She had so much fun painting and decorating her fort. It comes with a cute book too. Now the tooth fairy can make deliveries to the fort instead of trying to sneak things under pillows. The tooth fairy (affectionately named “Toothy”) is kind of a big deal around here, okay?

Build Your Own Remote-Controlled Robot Kit

Tell me this doesn’t look soooo cool! I actually got this for my nephews for Christmas this year, and my whole family was drooling a bit while I ordered it. The kids build it themselves- maybe with some grown-up help depending on their age and skill level.

make your own lip balm kit

The kids and I love to make homemade lip balm, both for ourselves and to give as gifts. This lip balm kit is a perfect starter, and I love that it has only natural ingredients and no junk!

Potholder Loom

I remember loving these looms as a kid, and my girls are loving them too! My collection of potholders has now outgrown the kitchen drawer. Maybe we’ll give some as gifts!

Perler Bead Set + Tray

My kids and the neighbors love love love these perler beads. They put the beads onto frames, and then you iron them and the beads all melt together. But the tray is key. If you’re getting these for your own kids or you don’t want the kids in question’s parents to curse your name, spend the extra $4 and get the tray to keep the beads contained! Just trust me on this one. This is really great for developing fine-motor skills too!

Cooking Class Book

B got this awesome kids cookbook a few years ago, and it’s awesome. The recipes are healthy and fun, the directions are clear, and the photos are great too. Highly recommend!

Nail Art Kit

My girls love having their nails done. But this nail-decorating kit takes things to a whole new level of fun!

Build & Paint Wooden Cars Kit

This fun kit also comes in train and rescue vehicle versions.

Friendship Bracelets for Beginners Kit + Embroidery Floss Organizer

B got this book and kit for her 8th birthday, and I’ve been blown away by the bracelets she’s turning out. I helped her get started with it, and she’s taken it from there. I highly recommend this one for beginners. The only thing missing is an organizer for all the embroidery floss. This organizer comes with the little plastic things to wrap the floss around too!

I just got this amazing watercolor set for myself, and I’m totally hooked. The pigment and quality of the paint is no comparison to the ones we used as kids. And the water brush pen is pretty awesome too. You can choose the number of paint colors in the kit, depending on how much you want to spend. Add this awesome beginner watercolor book and a cold press paper pad, and you’re set!