Dana Gutkowski
Latest posts by Dana Gutkowski (see all)
- How can I be a good aunt? - May 19, 2021
- Aunt Quotes - March 19, 2021
- End Your Silence. Support Black Lives Matter - June 29, 2020
List of 30 awesome things to do while stuck at home!
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So you’re stuck at home and socially distancing yourself from friends and family. BUT, you’ve got kids too. You can’t send them to a friend’s house, they’re sick of watching TV, and they’re tapped out of reading. So it’s time to have some good old fashion fun!
Many families can now seize the opportunity to try something new or to get back into something that has long been forgotten. I live in New York, where the coronavirus is wreaking havoc on my community. I can’t spend time with my family right now, but if you’re in the position to do so I highly encourage you to do just that. Instead of watching the news and assuming the worst, live in the present and take advantage of this time with your family.
A lot of times boredom sparks creativity and spawns ingenious ideas. However, if you need some help with what to play or some idea for how to have fun, I’m here to help. I’ve put together a list of games and activities that I love playing with my nieces and nephews (before social distancing). Enjoy them!!
Bake & Cook
Everyone has to eat right? Why not teach the kids some life skills while they’re stuck at home? Let them get creative in the kitchen.
My mom had a rule – if you made it – you eat it. So it’s not about encouraging them to waste food, but rather to explore their options. I substituted milk for orange juice on my cereal as a kid – and it was surprisingly not that bad. I’ve also seen kids eat several pepperoni, Nutella and chocolate chips saltine sandwiches – willingly. If it’s not going to harm them – and they’ll eat it – let them do it with the caveat that there can’t be any waste.
When it comes to baking there’s less wiggle room, but if there’s a chance to throw in different additives like chocolate chips, cereal, sprinkles, etc, do it. And if they want to decorate their baked goods then food the sky is the limit – with the same rule – if you’ll eat it you can do it.
Bubbles
What kid doesn’t love to play with bubbles? It’s fun to blow them, but every kid loves to pop them! That’s why I prefer to have a bubble maker around so I can pop them too.
This bubble maker creates over Frog Over 500 bubbles per minute!
Get creative! See if you can..
- Make a bubble snowman – catch and stack 3 bubbles on top of each other before they pop!
- Have the kids count how many bubbles they can pop before you count to 10
Click here to check it out on Amazon:
Play Doh & Play Doh Sets
Play-Doh is also a fan favorite for nearly every child. It’s not only for fun, but it’s also functional. Play-doh is great for exercising their fine motor skills. Kids need fine motor skills for writing, eating, and tying their shoes, etc.
You can do so much with it too! Roll it, flatten it, chop it, cut it, poke it, squish it, pinch it, mix it and more!
I like to have both play-doh sets so they have some tools to work with while making their masterpieces. However, it’s also a good idea to have extras on hand. The more colors, the better!
Click here to check them out on Amazon:
Make Believe
Playing make-believe comes naturally to children and it’s a great way to build a bond with them. I find that sometimes all they need is to set up a scenario and then they’ll take it from there.
Here’s a thought, mold some fish and sharks out of play-doh, turn on the bubble maker, and make-believe you’re under the sea!
Coloring
You’re gonna want to have a quiet activity too – like coloring.
- It helps them develop their fine motor skills!
- It’s relaxing!
- It promotes creativity!
Drawing
Drawing is sort of my thing, but I know it’s not everyone’s strong suit. My niece and nephews often ask me to draw them a picture of their favorite characters and superheroes. We’ve gotten to the point now where I have to do a good job because they want them framed!
I highly suggest Art for Kids Hub on YouTube. This channel breaks down all the steps to drawing popular cartoon characters, to emojis and more! He does it all with his kids drawing with him! It’s a kid-friendly channel and fan favorite in my family.
Scavenger Hunt
Send them on a scavenger hunt! Whether you have one child or a few, it’s an easy way to add fun to your day. Plus, you can turn almost anything into a scavenger hunt!
Would Your Rather
Select the first player and have them ask a question that begins with “Would you rather…?” The player will provide two scenarios for the other players to choose from.
Each player must pick one of the two scenarios he or she would “rather” do.
“Both” or “Neither.” can never be the response. You must choose ONE of the two options given.
ABC Mouse
ABCmouse.com curriculum in a carefully designed program of more than 850 lessons in ten levels. As your child completes each lesson, he or she is guided to the next one and is motivated to continue learning by ABCmouse.com’s Tickets and Rewards System.
ABCmouse.com’s curriculum includes hundreds of highly entertaining animated activities, each teaching a specific learning topic through.
- Games
- Books
- Songs
- Puzzles
- Art
- and Printables
My nephew Julian loved making his own avatar and has a lot of fun playing and learning at the same time! He’s gotten so much out of this program, I can’t wait to upgrade him to Adventure Academy!
Click here to get started with ABC Mouse at 60% OFF!
Click here to start their journey with Adventure Academy (school-age kids) for 60% OFF!
I Spy
To begin, one person looks around the room and spies something. The person keeps it a secret. Then they say out loud, “I spy with my little eye, something… The spy must give a descriptive clue, i.e. something orange, something that starts with R, etc. The item must be visible to the other players.
Whoever guesses correctly then becomes the new spy.
20 questions
One player starts the game by picking a word and keeping it a secret. They are the word keeper.
Everyone else is a guesser.
Each guesser takes a turn asking one yes or no question.
We usually start off the game with the first questions being is it an animal? Is it a vegetable? Is it a mineral?
The word keeper must answer the questions honestly. Lying is never allowed.
If any of the guessers figure out the secret word in 20 questions or less, they become the word keep for the next round.
If the word is not guessed, the word keeper for that round goes again.
Build a couch or pillow fort
Stack pillows and couch cushions in a square space, leaving room in the middle to sit.
Place a blanket over top.
Us this space to tell stories, read a book, or better yet…as safety for your sock or nerf wars!
Sock war
This was a favorite game of ours when we were growing up. Your ammunition? Dirty socks!
Establish boundaries and safe zones.
Take off your socks and fold them into a ball. Each player tries to hit their opponent with their dirty sock. The game only ends when you’ve had enough.
Use the forts you just built as a home base for each side.
This is safe-play because socks won’t hurt anyone, but it’s also loads of fun to hit someone with a sock.
Mega Bloks
Lego sets are great when kids get older and can read and follow directions for putting them together. However, I like Mega Bloks because they’re super easy to clean up, they’re great for little hands, and I won’t limp for an hour if I accidentally step on one.
Build a tower, knock it down! Let their imaginations sore with this kid-friendly toy.
It’s great to bring in other toys such as stuff animals, action figures, LOL surprise dolls, etc. to build a home, bed, school, or anything else you can come up with.
Click here to check them out on Amazon:
Paint a Rock
I literally just used this paint a rock kit with my niece and nephew the last time I babysat them.
My niece Layla is older and had a great time getting detailed and making her rock look like the ones on the box.
My nephew, Julian is only 4, but he didn’t care. He went to town mixing colors on his rock and had a blast.
Get creative! Paint these rocks, allow them to dry, let the kids hide them and then add them to your scavenger hunt!
Layla and I didn’t put on that many coats of paint so our rocks dried pretty quickly. I can’t say the same for Julian’s. Keep that in mind if you want to hide them immediately. Let the kids know the more paint you put on, the longer it’ll take for them to dry.
Click here to check them out on Amazon:
Build a Puzzle
When you’ve had enough active play and you’re ready for a quiet activity, I suggest doing a puzzle together. It’s relaxing but it keeps their attention because they have to focus on putting the pieces together.
Sit down together and build this underwater scene!
Click here to check them out on Amazon:
This giant floor puzzle by Melissa and Doug is made from durable, extra-thick cardboard pieces. It’s broken into 48 pieces which are not too many pieces where they get overwhelmed and lose interest. It’s also not too few pieces where they would complete it in 4 seconds.
Minute to Win it Games!
The kids are likely to have some pent up energy to get out. Challenge them and yourself to these great minute to win it games while you’re at home with them. They’re harder than you think!
M&M Challenge
Supplies needed:
M&M’s
Table
Straws
Empty Cup
Kitchen Timer
Setting up the game:
Start by spreading M&M’s on the table or inside a bowl.
Hand each player a straw and empty cup. Place the cup next to the child on the table.
Objective:
Players must suck up one M&M at a time and place it into the empty bowl next to them. They cannot use their hands to pick up the candy.
Players have ONE MINUTE to suck up as many candies as possible and drop them in their empty cup!
The player who transferred the most M&M’s is the winner! Everyone gets to eat their M&M’s though!
Variation:
Put the empty cups farther away on another table and have them walk their M&M’s to the cup! This will get messier so if you want a simple clean up, have them closer. However, if you don’t mind the mess, try it – IT’S FUN!
Balloon Challenge
Supplies needed:
Inflated Balloon(s)
Kitchen Time
Free Space
How to Play/Objective:
I suggest allowing one person to go at a time to avoid injury but use your discretion based upon space.
Players will each take an inflated balloon, toss it above their head and keep it up by lightly tapping it into the air.
They have ONE MINUTE to keep it above their head. If it falls below their chin, the game starts over.
Variations:
Add more balloons! Think it’s too easy with 1 balloon? Try 3!!
Too hard to keep it above your head? Change the rules so that they only have to keep the balloon in the air, not above their head.
Cookie Challenge
Supplies needed:
Cookies
Empty chair or floor space
Kitchen timer
How to Play/Objective:
Sit in a chair or on the floor. Give a cookie such as an Oreo to each player. Have them lean their head back and place a cookie in the middle of their forehead.
When the timer begins, players can only use their facial muscles to move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth.
They can tip their head and move their neck, but players cannot touch the cookie with your hands.
The cookie must remain in contact with their face. They can’t try to toss it from your forehead and catch it in your mouth.
If a cookie falls before it reaches their mouth, they must start over by placing it back on their forehead.
The cookie must actually go in your mouth to count.
Variations:
Give them 2 or 3 cookies to start. After the first cookie makes it to their mouth, they must remove it and start over with another one on their forehead. The challenge is completed when all 3 make it to their mouth before the minute is up.
Popsicle/Dice Challenge
Supplies needed:
Popsicle sticks
5 Dice
Kitchen timer
How to Play/Objective:
Players must hold one end of a popsicle stick in their mouth.
Take each die and one by one stack them on the other end of the popsicle stick on top of each other.
They must stack 5 dice in a tower at the end on the stick.
Players have ONE MINUTE to complete this challenge.
If the dice fall off, have them pick it up and start over before the time runs out.
Variations:
Use fewer dice in the tower
Spaghetti Challenge
Supplies Needed:
Six uncooked penne or tube-shaped pasta per player
One uncooked piece of spaghetti per player
Empty tablespace
Kitchen timer
How to Play/Objective:
Place the pasta around the edge of the table so that the open end faces outward.
Players must stand at the table with their hands behind the back.
When the timer starts, the player can then pick up the spaghetti with their hands and put it in their mouth.
The player then goes around the table skewering the pasta, one at a time, with the spaghetti.
If the spaghetti breaks, just give them another piece
To win, all six pieces of pasta must be on the spaghetti within ONE MINUTE!
Card Shark!
Supplies Needed:
1 Deck of Playing Card
Kitchen Timer
How to Play/Objective:
Shuffle 1 deck of playing cards.
One player at a time goes unless you have more than 1 deck of cards
Players make 4 piles of cards with each pile containing only one suit in ONE MINUTE!.
Variations:
To make it harder! Player must put 1 pile in order from ace to king!
Even harder! Player must put 2 piles in order from ace to king!
Card Games!
Card games are fun classic while at home with the kids. It gives kids the chance to learn and play at the same time. They won’t even realize that they’re in a pseudo math class because they’ll be distracted by all the laughter. Here are some of my favorite card games to play with kids:
Garbage
Playing with 2 people: Use a standard 52 deck of cards
Deal 10 cards to each player. As the cards are being dealt, start lining them up, face down, in two rows, with five cards on the top and bottom. The remaining cards should then be placed in the middle of the two players.
The objective of this game is to get the cards in order starting with an Ace (for one) in the top left corner and ending with 10 in the bottom right corner.
Jokers and Kings are wild, meaning they can be moved anywhere and can be used as any card you need.
Queens and Jacks have no place in this game and therefore considered Garbage. I often yell “hot gaaaabage!” when I pull one of those cards.
How to play:
After the cards are dealt and the rows have been formed, the remaining cards are placed face down between the two players. The player who did not deal goes first (or the youngest player is how we usually play).
Player 1 selects its card from the center pile and determines whether or not that card can be used. For instance, if a 3 is pulled from the center pile, the player counts in 3 spots starting from the top left corner and flips over the face-down card to reveal the other side. This player’s turn continues on by placing each card in their respective positions as they are turned over. Their turn ends when they reveal a Queen, Jack, or any duplicate card that has already been turned over. When this happens, Garbage is called out and the next player starts their turn.
Player 2 should pay careful attention to what’s being discarded because one man’s garbage can be another man’s gold. If Player 2 is in need of Player 1’s discarded card, Player 2 can pick the garbage to begin their turn. If Player 2 does not need the card, they must pick up a card from the center pile.
At the beginning of the game, nearly every card is needed. Once slots begin filling up, it can take a while before you get another card you need.
Wild Cards: Jokers (2) and Kings (4). These cards can be used to represent any of the cards that are in need.
Example: Looking for an 8, but get a King instead? Your King can now take its place. If at any point you receive an 8, the wild card can be moved to replace another spot that needs to be filled.
The winner is the first player to successfully fill the spots from A -10.
The game continues afterward, only the winner on the previous round will then be dealt 9 cards instead of 10. Each time a round is won, the number of cards dealt to the winner of the previous round is decreased by one.
Playing with 3 Players: All the same, rules apply, except instead of dealing 10 cards, begin the game with 8 cards. If more than 3 players want to join, an additional deck of cards is needed.
Crazy Eights
This is a great game and very similar to UNO but is played with a standard deck of cards.
How to play:
Deal 5 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in between each player and flip over the first card in the pile.
Organize the cards in your hand by suit. Tip: I find that younger children have a hard time remembering clubs and spades, so we call them clovers and shovels respectively.
The player that did not deal goes first. The card that was flipped-over determines the suit that must be followed. Should the first card be a 2 of hearts, the player must discard another heart or another 2 from a different suit. The other option is to put down an 8 and call out the suit that they would like to change it to. If the player can’t make any of those moves, they must pick up a card from the center pile until a move can be made.
Once a player is down to one card in their hand, they must yell out “Crazy Eights!” Should they forget and the other players notice, they can make the player pick up one card from the center pile.
It’s easy for children to forget this rule, so I’ll usually give them a little reminder the first time it happens. If they’re really young, I’ll remind them only to get used to the idea, but I’ll never make them take a card. If they’re older and can handle friendly competition, I’ll usually give one warning, but after that…it’s game on!
The winner is the player that discards all of the cards in their hand first.
Make it harder!
For tween and teenagers, you can make the game even harder and more competitive!! Deal the cards as previously mentioned.
Differences:
2’s – are now draw two. If player 1 puts down a 2 card, then player 2 must draw two cards from the center and will lose their turn.
HOWEVER! If Player 2 also has a 2, he may put his 2 onto of the previously discarded 2. Then Player 3 must now draw 4 or place another 2 on top of the discarded pile. There are only four 2’s in a deck, so there is the possibility of the last player having to draw 8 cards.
Aces – draw four. Should any player discard an Ace, the next player must draw 4 cards from the face down pile.
HOWEVER! Should he also have an Ace, he may discard it onto of the previously discarded Ace and the next player must draw 8 cards, or put down another Ace. This can continue and may result in the last player needing to pick up 16 cards (if all 4 Aces are put down at once).
Jacks – skip the next player’s turn
Queens – Reverse the direction of play. If you are in the middle and discard a Queen, and the player to your right should go next, the Queen reverses the direction, so now the plater to your left will go next.
War
The deck of 52 cards in split in half and held face down.
How to play:
Each player simultaneously flips the top card from their portion of the deck to reveal a card. The winner of each mini card battle is the player holding the card with the greatest value. Aces are always played high and it will trump all other cards. The objective of the game is to be the person holding all the cards. To date, I’ve never seen someone win this game, but it’s still fun.
Should the two players reveal the same card, for example, if both are displaying 2’s they’re now at war!
How to win a War battle:
Each player deals 3 cards face down in front of them. On the count of 3, they both turn over their next card from the top of their hand. Whoever has the highest card wins ALL the cards, both face-up and face down. If both players reveal the same card again, another War has broken out and the same steps need to be repeated.
Animal War:
The same rules are followed as traditional War, but with a minor twist.
How to play:
Before the cards are dealt, each player must choose an animal for their opponent to yell out. If the same card is revealed and you’re forced into a war, the player that shouts their opponent’s animal first wins the hand.
I’d suggest using one with similar syllables to make it fair. When I was a kid my sister would always pick duck-billed platypus for me and I’d naively pick something like a cow. Don’t be us. It’s never fair for the youngest child. But if they’re older – make it as hard as possible. It’s fun.
Movie Line War/Movie Title
Another fun variance on this classic card game is movie line or movie title war.
Movies have always been a big deal for my family. We’d watch the same movie over and over until we could recite nearly every line. I’m not sure who suggested we start using movies or movie lines in war, but whoever it was is a genius.
How to play:
Before the game begins, pick which version you’ll play, either movie or movie line.
Players must shout out their opponent’s movie title or movie line in order to win any war.
In really close calls we call it a tie and each player takes back their cards. A favorite movie line to use when I was growing up was “This is war Peacock!” from Clue. But I guess the next time I play this game I’ll have to choose something more up to date like “Fart Poop Doody” from Boss Baby.
Spoons! – The musical chairs of card playing.
Playing with 3 to 13 people:
Use a standard 52 deck of cards & Spoons (one fewer than there are people)
How to play:
Arrange the spoons in a small circle or line in the center of the table. Deal four cards to each player. Players may look at the cards dealt to them.
The dealer takes one card off the top of the deck and now has five cards in his hand. He must remove one card from his hand to pass facedown to the left. Each player must pick up the card handed to them and discard one to the person on his left.
The last player makes a trash pile to their side.
Each player tries to make four of a kind (4 of the same number or letter). Once a player has four of a kind, he reaches into the middle and grabs a spoon. All the remaining players must also grab a spoon as quickly as possible. The player left without a spoon now has an S! Each round is repeated until someone is knocked out by getting all the letters in S-P-O-O-N-S.
If at any time the draw cards run out, pause to reshuffle the trash pile and keep going.
Note that players can be sneaky about taking a spoon…so you better pay attention!!
Tongue
This game is the same game as spoons – BUT instead of grabbing for a spoon, the player to first make 4 of a kind in their hand quietly sticks out their tongue. Once a player sticks out their tongue, all the other players must do the same, even if they themselves do not have four of a kind.
The last player to stick out their tongue is out or gets a T. Play resumes with all players until TONGUE is spelled for one person, or each player can be eliminated one by one. The choice is yours on how you want to play.
Old Maid
Playing with 2 or more people:
Use a standard 52 deck of cards
How to play:
Remove 1 Queen (any) from the deck so that you are now playing with 51 cards. The dealer shuffles the cards and hands them out, one at a time to each player until all the cards are dispursed. Players do not need to have the same number of cards.
Each player removes any pairs (2 of the same number or picture) from his hand face down.
Next, the dealer, holding their cards spread out face down, offers the player to the left their cards. That player then chooses one card from the dealer’s hand. This player discards any pair that is formed by drawing a card. The player that drew last then offers their own hand to the player on their left. Play continues until all cards have been paired except one – the odd queen.
The player left holding the queen is the old maid.
Spit (actually bodily fluids are NOT involved)
2 player game:
Use a standard 52 deck of cards
Deal the cards evenly between the players (26 each), facedown. Each player makes 5 piles of facedown cards with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards in each stack (similar to solitaire setup).
Flip over the first card on top of each pile so there is now 1 card facing up for each pile.
The remaining 11 cards become the “spit” cards and are placed in front of each respective player.
When both players are ready, they say, “Spit,” at the same time and flip over a card from their spit pile. The cards should be placed face-up side by side and equal distance away from each player.
This is when the fun starts! Players can only use ONE hand to move cards but it becomes a fast and fun race!
Players can only move the face-up cards from their five piles onto one of the spit piles (either pile can be used for both players) IF AND ONLY IF the card is next in sequence (either one rank higher or one rank lower; suits don’t matter). Example: if my top spit card is a 5 you can only put down a 4 or 6. However, once the new card is placed on top the same rule applies. If you played a 4 on top, you can now only place a 3 or another 5 on top. Play continues until there are no moves left for either spit pile.
The cards remaining in your 5 piles of facedown cards are only turned over (one by one) if the face-up card has been placed into one of the spit piles. Players should always have 5 piles as cards permit. If one pile runs out of cards, make a new pile with one of the top cards from your row of 5 cards. Then flip over the facedown card from the pile that you took from.
If no additional moves can be made, and both players are ready, they say, “Spit,” at the same time and flip over a card from their spit pile.
Objective:
The first player to get rid of all the cards from their five piles and the cards their spit deck wins. They must quickly slap one of the two spit piles (the smallest pile if they’re smart). Play continues until there is only one spit pile and the player gets rid of their last card – then slapping the floor.
Variation:
Each player deals 4 cards face up in a row. The same rules apply for middle spit piles. However, once a card is used from your row of 4, it must be replaced with 1 card from your spit deck.
The player who has no cards left in their spit deck slaps a middle spit pile and the rounds continue. Multiple rounds are played until the player that gets rid of their last card – then slapping the floor wins.
