Staying In Doesn’t Have To Be Boring For The Kids (And Yourselves!) When You Have These Fun Family Activities At Home To Fallback On!
If there’s one thing that we dread about living in the Klang Valley, it’s definitely the city’s infamous traffic. Most of us already brave slow commutes and road closures on weekdays, so when our little ones are bored on weekends and beg for an outing, it can feel like the last thing we want to do.
But leaving them bored or relying on screen time while stuck indoors can be detrimental for their development and our relationship with them in the long run. And this period of their lives is exactly when we should spend time with them (and not just time, it should be quality time).
That’s exactly why we set off to try out several activities with the kids in the comforts of home. It was after that when we realised that staying in doesn’t have to mean boring - it can be one of the best ways to bond together and build creativity!
Because when we aren’t weighted down by the pressures of planning an outing, contending with traffic, or worrying about busy public spaces, we can genuinely be present and focus on having intentional fun with the kids.
If this sounds like something you’ve been looking for, you’ll absolutely adore the list of free activities we’ve compiled for you. From easy art projects to imaginative play sessions, these simple ideas can easily be carried out at home to keep your kids happily engaged and deepen your relationship with them while saving your already little energy reserves!
Top 13 Fun Things And Indoor Activities For The Whole Family To Enjoy During The Weekends And School Holidays
1. Build An Indoor Obstacle Course
If you have little ones who simply can’t get enough of indoor jungle gyms or playgrounds, why not recreate the experience at home? You don’t need to purchase an elaborate ready-made set up from Toys-R-Us or from Taobao when you can create a mini “adventure trail” right in your living room.
All you need are your sofa, cushions, chairs, some strings, and tape to build stations and obstacles where kids can either hop, crawl, or balance through to get to the next stop. You can even add fun rules like “only tiptoeing allowed here” or “the floor is lava” to make it a real playful challenge.
Not only would this encourage physical movement without having to leave home, but it also improves your little one’s coordination, balance, motor skills, and problem solving skills. The plus point? It takes your creativity to new heights too since you’ll effectively be the gamemaster!
Bonus Tip: Dress them up like explorers with their very own OiYO Little Explorer Backpack to really complete the look and feel of the obstacle course!
2. Set Up A Treasure Hunt
Want something simpler than an obstacle course that still has the challenging feel of one? Then set up a treasure hunt or a scavenger hunt! This is one of the more simple yet incredibly fun family activities you can carry out at home because you only need to hide clues around your home to guide your little ones to the “final treasure”.
Write down fun riddles, draw simple maps, and add little extra “treasures” like their favourite chocolates, candy or fun “IOUs” for their favourite food and activities, and even add in a theme like pirates, superheroes, or princesses to amp up the excitement!
This is one of my personal favourite fun family activities because it nurtures critical thinking, curiosity, observation, and patience while encouraging teamwork between us and our little ones to truly build a bond of trust.
Bonus Tip: Setup an OiYO Snacky Pack of their favourite candy, snacks and fruits as one of the treasures to be found and watch as they uncover and enjoy it with glee!
3. Play Board Games Together
Dust off your favourite board games or hit the stores to get some you’d like to try, because playing board games and card games together is one of the easiest fun activities to really get the whole family involved actively.
Some of my personal favorite fun family-friendly board games that you can try out with your family are Sushi Go!, jigsaw puzzles, the timeless classic Monopoly, Don’t Step In It, and the classic Uno cards or Uno Stacko. These games sharpen your little one’s cognitive skills and fosters social development while allowing you to unwind and enjoy the moment.
4. Create A Family Photo Album Together
I’m sure most of us have experienced making a scrapbook ourselves during our younger years. While this is commonly done solo, making it into an activity that includes the whole family is one of the most underrated ways to enjoy it - and the best option is to make it into a photo album.
You’ll need to gather printed photos from family trips, birthdays, everyday moments, old photo albums, and even past photos of everyone in the family tree, get an unused scrapbook or album book ready, some supplies like glue, coloured pens, stickers, and markers.
Once everything is in place, gather every family member around and start piecing it together to turn everyone’s memories into a lovely, tangible keepsake. It’s a fun yet wholesome activity because the kids get to learn more about their family history to foster a sense of belonging, while exercising creativity when decorating the pages together with you.
5. Try Out A Science Experiment
Did you know that there’s no need to purchase expensive science kits from toy stores when you can help your little ones recreate kid-friendly science experiments using everyday household items?
Trying out science experiments at home is actually incredibly easy and fun for the family. You and your little ones can build baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, make your own slime, create a lava lamp, and more! All you have to do is do a quick search online for experiments your little ones are interested in, gather your ingredients, get the family around, and set up your “lab” on the kitchen counter or dining table.
This fuels curiosity and excitement while introducing your little ones to basic scientific concepts that they can easily understand, which helps them discover new hobbies that they can build on even further!
6. Reenact Funny Skits & Film Them
Funny skits shouldn’t only be limited to the screen. Since creating videos is easier than ever these days with our smartphones, why not do that to have pieces of tangible memories for the future?
Pick a few favourite clips that everyone has saved online or can think of, gather old clothes and make them into costumes, find props, and record short clips and silly scenarios that the whole family can look back on and laugh together across the years.
Sure this activity may seem a little odd to quiet and introverted families, but that's also the reason why it’s an incredibly exciting family activity to carry out in the safety and comfort of home!
7. Host A Lovely Tea Party & Play Dress Up Together
Tea parties don’t have to be an expensive affair just because we mostly see it happening in hotels and posh environments. Organising one is actually pretty simple - let your kids pick a simple new recipe, be it cupcakes or fruit tarts, arrange a small table with pretty napkins and cups, set a theme, and start cooking or baking together!
You and your little ones can also play dress up for the tea party as you dig into the delicious homemade delights you made together. This helps kids get familiar with the essential life skill of cooking while gaining confidence from creating something tasty.
8. Build A Little Edible Garden
Urban gardening is all the rage these days with the prices of ingredients getting higher and higher. Even though it may seem like a lot of work, it is actually a fun and relaxing activity that everyone in the family can take part in!
Start by gathering small pots, soils, and getting seedlings or seeds of fruits, herbs, or vegetables of you and your little ones’ choice. Some low maintenance plants you and your family can grow together include curry leaves, basil, and even pandan!
It’s one of the most underrated activities that develops responsibility, patience, and an understanding of nature’s processes, which lets you tackle two opportunities with one enjoyable action - the kids get to explore a fun yet educational activity, while you get to unwind over the relaxing nature of gardening!
9. Play Hide & Seek
Looking for a family activity that needs very little prep to none at all? Then you’ll want to get creative and play hide and seek with your little ones!
Hide and seek needs little introduction as it’s a simple game where one person covers their eyes and counts to an agreed number while everyone else looks for a sneaky spot to hide, be it under tables, behind curtains, in any available room, or wherever they can fit! Once the seeker counts down to the chosen number, they’ll roam around to find the hiders and take turns to be the hider themselves once everyone has been found.
Some of you may probably wonder “how do we play hide and seek in our apartment when we don’t have many rooms?”. While it’s a very valid question, you actually can do so! Simply limit hiding spots to safe corners and areas behind furniture without moving or toppling items. If you’re living in a condo with ample facilities, then you can even bring the game to the facilities floor for more hiding options!
10. Set Up An Indoor Camp Sleepover
I’m sure your little ones would have wanted or created their very own pillow forts for a fun sleepover. So why not take it up a notch and set up an indoor camp instead?
It doesn’t have to cost a lot either. Start by getting a simple kid-friendly tent from an online marketplace like Shopee, Lazada, Temu, or get one from Decathlon if you don’t have one yet. Then pitch it in the living room, spread out cushions and a mattress or two and get camping snacks such as sandwiches, fruits, marshmallows, and chocolates ready.
Once the setup is done, dim the lights and play soft background music that sounds like soft crickets, a forest-themed soundtrack, and pretend you and your little ones are out in the wilderness under the stars.
This fun activity sparks imagination while offering a cosy space for storytelling. It’s also one of the best ways to break away from regular routines while exposing your little ones to life skills like sharing supplies and tidying up after the “camp”.
If you’re working with a small apartment unit, not to worry! You can skip the full tent setup and keep it compact with a few chairs and a large blanket as the “tent” which little ones will also marvel at thanks to the ingenuity of it all. ;)
11. Create A Time Capsule
Aside from scrapbooks and photo albums, one of the most underrated family activities these days is to build a time capsule. A time capsule is essentially a collection of the family’s current interests, be it drawings, small toys, photos, or even handwritten letters that are then sealed up in a container before it is tucked away in a safe spot.
The act of creating a time capsule teaches children about the concept of time while introducing them to the joy and fulfillment of reflecting on their own personal growth when they look back years later.
It also encourages them to practice self-expression by choosing items that represent their daily life, or to write to their future selves from the heart which can serve as a lovely reminder of their youthful wishes amidst their journey from adolescence to adulthood.
12. Unwind Over A Colouring Or Painting Session
Since your little ones likely paint or colour alone, why not carve out time to make it into a family affair? Painting and colouring does not have to be a solo hobby because there’s a sense of joy to be found in enjoying it together.
Simply pick out some colouring books, or print simple outlines for both the kids and parents to fill in with crayons, coloured pencils, coloured markers, or even watercolours!
It’s a fantastic activity that relaxes the mind, encourages creativity by letting your little one's imaginations run wild, and teaches both little ones and adults focus and patience. And let’s be real, with how hectic adult life is, sometimes we all need a little reset on focus and patience.
13. Enjoy A Movie Marathon
As adults, we often find ourselves wanting to rewatch our favourite childhood movies like The Little Mermaid, Matilda, Toy Story, and even Harry Potter. So why not gather the kids around and make it into a cosy movie marathon that everyone can enjoy together?
Create a cosy viewing area with fluffy blankets, cushions, pillows, and an array of snacks like popcorn, fruit slices, and candy. Then let each family member choose one movie so everyone feels included and enjoy movie after movie together!
