Girls’ Night In – I want to entertain my kids

1- Go old school

“Kids do not need bells and whistles. Watching my three-year-old giggle uncontrollably as she ‘hides’ in plain sight made me double down on freeze, hide-and-go-seek, and hopscotch. It’s kind of refreshing to do activities that are so completely basic.” – Guest tip from mollie chen, co-founder of birchbox

2- Put those cookie cutters to work

“I dug out all my random and mismatched cookie cutters to use on my daughter’s Play-Doh and kinetic sand (a magical type of sand that sticks to itself–highly recommend). She loves cutting out different shapes and lining them up, then mushing everything back together and doing it again. – Guest tip from mollie chen, co-founder of birchbox

3- Make (and then hide!) some paper dolls around your home for the kiddos to find

“I have been making paper dolls and scavenger hunts for kids to do while stuck at home.” – Meg E.

Get the design 👉

4- Listen to The Story Pirates with your kids

“The Story Pirates are the creators of the #1 podcast for kids in the US, and now they are doing livestream lessons and online writing and music classes for kids. Entertaining and wildly creative, their Creator Club is appropriate for elementary school aged kids!” -Lauren B

Listen now 👉

5- Tune in for a storytime with Dolly Parton

Want to inspire your young reader to love lit as much as you do? Tune in for “Goodnight With Dolly” to hear stories from the singer and literacy advocate herself.

Listen to Dolly read from her Imagination Library 👉

6- Help put the coronavirus in kids’ terms with this coloring exercise

Written and illustrated by Rachel Bartolo, this printable coloring book is about Fiona Fawkes, a kiddo living in DC with a lot of feelings about Coronavirus. She misses her loved ones and her daily routine, and could use some help understanding what’s happening as the rest of us color our way through this tale of our times.

Print the Book 👉

7- Take a trip to this virtual museum

“The team at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum is working extra hard to make all the kids programming free and available virtually. It’s a great resource if you want to try some art and science experiments with your kids!” -Shelby

Try an experiment 👉

8- Tune into stay-at-home storytime with Oliver Jeffers on Instagram Live

Artist and author Oliver Jeffers hosts a story time on Instagram Live every weekday. He’ll read his delightful books until it’s safe to go outside again.

Visit his our place in space and Instagram 👉

9- Virtually tour the San Diego Zoo

It’s like the movie Madagascar but BETTER. 🦓 Your kids can now watch live streams of their favorite animals on the San Diego zoo kids’ portal.

Take a tour 👉

10- Organize a neighborhood window scavenger hunt

If there are lots of kids in your neighborhood, get in touch and set up a scavenger hunt you can all participate in separately and safely on your daily walk. Have everyone set up a mini window display to a different theme each day, and leave it open for others to see. Then take a walk with your kids during the day and mark down what you find along the route.

11- Stuck at home? Take a trip to Mars with your kiddos

Artist and author Oliver Jeffers hosts a story time on Instagram Live every weekday. He’ll read his delightful books until it’s safe to go outside again.

Get your spacesuits (or rocket ship pajamas) on and explore Mars in the Curiosity Rover.

Visit Mars here 👉

12- Set up a virtual play date with your friends’ kids

If you don’t have children that you’re taking care of, help out a friend or family member by setting up a virtual playdate. Read a story, share coloring page printouts you can both do, or make funny faces together and give your parent friends an hour or even 20 minutes of time to focus on whatever they need.

13- Have a grandparent story hour

“My dad has been reading to my daughter every day and it’s her favorite activity. She won’t sit through a library or bookstore story time but she’s riveted as he reads Snow White or Madeline for the umpteenth time. At first I felt bad making him do something so repetitive but it soon became clear that it made him as happy as it makes her.” – Guest tip from mollie chen, co-founder of birchbox

14- Go to Claire’s At Home page

“Claire’s hub for ‘fun activities, fab ideas, tutorials and cute looks to help you get through some of these extra long days’ might even have some fun things that resonate with you.” -Ashley S.

Go there now 👉

15- Cook, experiment, and get creative with America’s Test Kitchen Kids

“America’s Test Kitchen Kids’ website has 200+ free recipes, experiments, and hands-on activities for kids ages 5 and up (though, many grown-ups, including myself, cook and bake these recipes regularly). Every week, there is a new edition of ‘Kitchen Classroom,’ a daily curriculum consisting of a recipe or activities for kids and a tiny learning moment, to connect what they’re doing in the kitchen to science, math, social studies, language arts, art, and more.” – Kristin S.

Go there now 👉

16- Make fresh pasta at home with the kiddos

“My absolute favorite Italian restaurant in NYC, Fiaschetteria ‘Pistoia’ is offering pasta kits with fresh dough for you to make pasta at home, and still use their delicious sauces. I am quarantining with my 7-year-old cousin, and we had SO much fun doing this. It felt great to support a local restaurant, but still have an ‘activity’ to do.” – Community Member

Begin your pasta journey 👉

17- Send “Grandma’s in the Phone” to a kiddo in your life

This book helps make it a little easier to understand why sometimes people we love are far away and how we can stay in touch with them through the phone right now.

Purchase it 👉

18- Celebrate National Poetry Month Together

If your little one is learning about poetry in school, this could be a good opportunity to incorporate The Well’s Mindful Poetry Moments (prompts!) into the new daily routines you’re building together.

Peep the project 👉

19- Have a dance party with 305 Fitness every Friday for free

One of our cardio dance favorites is hosting virtual dance classes. They no longer have the one special for the kiddos every Sunday. but they still have a free dance party on fridays!

access the videos 👉

20- Try this lunchtime doodling series

The Kennedy Center has 20-30 minute doodling tutorials that are super fun for keeping kids (or you too!) engaged during lunch.

Learn to doodle 👉

21- Create an alphabet scavenger hunt

Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere shared a great activity to set up at home. Grab a large piece of paper and write the full alphabet on it to use as a game board. Then, spend the day finding items around the house to match each letter. To make it harder for the older kids, try challenges like blue items only for the letter B, or two items for the letter T.

22- Make your own DIY Play-Doh

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, 3/4 cup water, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, and food coloring for homemade Play-Doh!

23- Turn lunch time into an art activity

Have kids finger paint with pudding, create a self-portrait out of fruit, or build a snack-only mosaic. Extend lunch time by making it an art project, and make clean up (potentially) easy – let them eat their masterpiece!

24- Try these ideas for keeping kids busy at home

Caring for young ones? Keep them entertained and engaged with these free resources. 🌟

See the full list here 👉

25- Back to Stay Home Take Care Home

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