9 Mess-Free Ways to Entertain Your Kids at Home
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If your kids are home because schools are closed, you're probably scrambling to find ways to keep them occupied when they're not being homeschooled. I've seen quite a few posts around the internet from well-meaning parents suggesting activities that are indeed fun for kids but are also almost guaranteed to leave your house a wreck.
If you're fortunate enough to have a job that lets you shelter in place while continuing to work and look after the kiddos, the last thing you need is an extra mess to clean up at the end of the day. I can't save you from the endless "Mommy, Daddy, look at this! Look at this!" But here are some ways to keep your children engaged, occupied, and having fun without turning the house into a mad science laboratory. Some of these suggestions may require a few minutes of adult guidance, but once pointed in the right direction, kids of the appropriate age should have no trouble.
We have several other guides that might help you as a parent, from instructions on caring for your child if you have Covid-19, educational games and kids podcasts to keep them entertained, and more tips you can read in this sprawling guide.
Foster Independent Play
Photograph: Getty ImagesIt's Important
The goal of the following suggestions is twofold. They buy you time in your day to get work done, or just to carve out a few minutes for yourself. Don't discount the importance of that. But they also help foster what education experts call independent play.
That is, let your kids choose what to do. The younger your children are, the more it helps to limit their options so they aren't overwhelmed by choice, but don't be scared to get some of these materials and let your children loose without any clear goals or anything specific to make. The goal is the process, not the end product.
Don't be scared to do nothing. As Dr. Amanda Gummer of Good Play Guide points out, "children need to get bored to learn how to entertain themselves." Start with small blocks of time, and then increase the amount of time before you step in and make suggestions on what your child might like to do. Gummer also suggests that having "a selection of different play types allows children to find an activity that suits their mood and energy levels."
Draw With Water
These look like ordinary colored pencils—and they can be used that way if you want—but add water and they'll behave just like watercolor paint. The first time you use these is a little magical. If you want something a little fancier, this 72-color set from Castle ($35) is also nice. Got several kids who will fight over single colors? Crayola has a classroom set ($49) with fewer colors, but plenty of each color to eliminate sibling conflicts. My kids have been using these to follow along with Mo Willems' Lunch Doodles.
Ages 4+
Paint Without the Mess
Tempera paint sticks are a bit like oversized crayons, but instead of wax, you're smearing tempera paint around. It's fast-drying (about a minute and a half), easy to clean off most surfaces, and there's no brushes or other mess to clean when your kids are done. As with the watercolor pencils, there are sets of all sizes. We started with this 12-piece set but have since expanded to a 32-color set ($43).
Ages 3+
Hold It All Together With Craft Tape
What's sticky, but not so sticky it ruins everything it touches? The right kind of tape. Washi tape is a special rice paper tape that's popular with crafters and has long been a go-to for our kids when they want to create some tape-based art. There are all kinds of washi tape sets, everything from the solid colors here to glittery patterned options ($13). If you don't want to buy anything this fancy, you can use blue painters' tape ($4) as well. Its low tack means it's not the end of the world if your kids string it all over the wood furniture.
Ages 4-10
Reuse What's at Home
Photograph: Scott GilbertsonPaper Towel Rolls
I debated for a while what to call these, but the tubes of cardboard left behind when you're done with a roll of paper towels or toilet paper are great for all kinds of kid-friendly fun. My kids have turned them into everything from spyglasses and binoculars to an elephant's trunk (they pulled apart the glue seams and made it floppy).
There are plenty of formal projects out there on the web if you want to join in on the fun, but if you're looking for something to keep them entertained while you work, I suggest just setting them loose with some safety scissors, pens, the aforementioned tape, and cardboard rolls. Your kids will probably come up with things neither you nor the rest of the internet has thought of yet.
Ages 2+
Make Quirky Sculptures
Pipe cleaners are great sculpture- and jewelry-making tools. They're cheap, reusable, and pretty easy to clean up. (We keep ours in a plastic box, which works better than a bag, since there are some sharp ends.) Imagination is pretty much the only limit here, though if your kids want to make something specific, YouTube is your friend. Added bonus: You'll get to attend your next work Zoom meeting with a pipe cleaner crown on your head. Need more? Try this 1,000 piece set for $22.
Ages 3+
Have a Costume Party
Photograph: Getty ImagesDress Up Box
You don't need special dress-up clothes. Just grab a few things you don't mind washing from the back of your closet and let your kids dress up in them. Just about everyone loves to pretend they're Mommy or Daddy, and a good costume will have them playing for hours. If you have several children, you may even find yourself sitting through some impromptu fashion shows.
Ages 2+
Create Button Art
If you ever needed proof that kids can turn anything into a toy, turn them loose on a bag of buttons. If you want to do something more organized, thread them on pipe cleaners to mimic jewelry, glue them to paper for 3D painting, practice counting, or stitch them to some felt to make bookmarks.
I should add the caveat that these might make a little bit of a mess; they tend to bounce around and get underfoot when kids drop them on the floor. It's nothing like dropping Mentos in a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke, but you may end up with some button clean-up time. Added bonus: You'll have plenty of buttons to repair your clothes.
Ages 4+
Mold Anything With Playdough
You can buy the commercially made stuff, like the set linked here (or this delightfully titled Lil' Poop Troop set ($15)), but it's more fun to make your own, especially if you get your kids involved in the process (although this might make a little bit of a mess). Playdough is mainly flour, salt, water, oil, and other ingredients you likely have on hand. Some playdough recipes call for cream of tartar, but there are others that do not.
Age 2+
Fold a Crane With Origami
You don't really need special paper to make origami, but it does make the results more colorful. If you want to use the paper you already have, just cut it into a square, since most instructions will assume you have square paper. This one may require a little more parental guidance, depending on your child's age, but there are instructions out there for just about anything your kids want to make. These sailboats make a good introductory project.
Age 5+
