Keep kids entertained, active, and learning indoors with easy screen-free games, crafts, and activities that encourage creativity and connection.

Key Takeaways

• Creative indoor activities can keep kids entertained, active, and engaged without devices.

• Games, crafts, cooking, and imaginative play help children practice creativity, communication, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

• You don’t need elaborate supplies. A deck of cards, cardboard box, dried pasta, or trip to the library can turn a scorching afternoon into an adventure.
  

 

 

“Go play outside!” The easiest line you have for getting kids off screens during the summer.

Except when it's 98 degrees outside.

The summer of 2026 is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record in many parts of the world, which means your air conditioner may be playing a role in life choices. Suddenly, "Go play outside" isn't such a great solution, and another afternoon with a tablet starts looking pretty tempting.

Parents have good reason to want something else. Kids need time to play. It’s where they figure things out. They negotiate rules, deal with losing, make up after arguments, solve problems, and learn how to get along with other humans. Yet statistics show that the amount of time kids spend playing with their peers has been declining for decades. A summer heat wave isn't exactly helping.

When too much outdoor time is off the table, get a little creative.

We've rounded up 12 ways to keep kids busy indoors without handing them another screen. Some ideas you may like, but what’s equally important is to get your creative juices flowing. All of your ideas will beat hearing "I'm boooored" for the 47th time before lunch.

Room Tidying Competition

Parents will love this one! Simply challenge each child to see who can tidy their room the fastest. You can keep them motivated by counting out loud or setting a timer. And the winner gets to choose what fun activity you will do next.

Indoor Treasure Hunt

There are many ways you can do this, but here are just a few suggestions. If your kids are younger, take some wooden pegs and mark them with different colored dots. Then hide them throughout the house. Each color equals a different number of points. The kid with the most points at the end wins a prize.

With older kids, you can up the challenge by hiding rhyming clues through the house leading to the next clue, and the eventual prize.

Underwater Memory Game

This one is great for really young kids. What you’ll do is create a piece of paper with various animals on it, fill a clear container with water and dye, and then place it over the paper. Give your kids a clear, empty glass and have them find a certain animal using the glass as a magnifier. 

It’s a fun way to teach them to spot different animals.

Pizza Party

This can be done using pizza dough shaped into small, round pies or with English muffins. Cover the dough or muffin with marinara sauce and then place several toppings on the counter. Your kids can then decorate their own pizza. After they are cooked, have fun enjoying the pizzas at the table or perhaps lay down a rug or blanket and have an indoor picnic.

Cookie Decorating Competition

Along the same lines as a pizza party, why not have a cookie decorating competition? You can either bake the cookies and involve the kids, or buy plain store-bought cookies if it’s too hot to bake. Then, sit them down with different colors of frosting, candy, and other decorations. Encourage them to be creative and think outside the box.

Board Games

Board games and card games are an excellent bonding activity for people of all ages. Take turns deciding which game to play and even up the stakes by having prizes for the winners. Not only are games fun, playing them is good for your brain too! Perhaps the winner of another activity gets to pick the first game?

Arts and Crafts

These aren’t just for younger kids. People of all ages can enjoy making art and doing crafts. And the project can easily be tailored to fit any age group. The options are endless from coloring books, collages, painting, and crafting with playdough. Really young kids would probably enjoy making these paper animals and having a race.

Building Blocks

Playing with building blocks is typically for younger kids, but older kids might be surprised how nostalgic they’ll feel while taking the time to build things again. You can also turn it into an educational game for younger kids by drawing different shapes on a piece of paper and asking your kids to put the right block on the matching shape.

Bowling Competition

Although you can purchase bowling sets, it’s not necessary. You can easily make your own pins using empty plastic bottles or toilet paper rolls. Your kids could even decorate the pins before you play. Any type of ball can be used to knock the pins over.

Pasta Art

Gather bags of dried pasta in different varieties and some glue and you’re ready to make masterpieces. You can make almost anything with pasta and glue from stick figure people and animals, to works of art on colored paper. You can paint the pasta too and make it more colorful.

Shoe Box Scenes

Miniature anything is fun to create and play with. Why not make a doll house, train station, bird box, or zoo? With older kids, you can make it educational by having them create detailed rooms from different time periods and countries.

Visit Your Local Library

If it’s been a while since you’ve been to a library, you might have forgotten all the enjoyable resources that are available. The collections often go well beyond books. You can check out games, puzzles, and even digital media like music.

The Takeaway

Hot summer days don’t have to mean more screen time. With a little creativity, staying indoors can become an opportunity for kids to play, create, learn, and make memories together—no Wi-Fi required.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some fun indoor activities for kids without screens?

Try board games, treasure hunts, arts and crafts, baking, building blocks, indoor bowling, or imaginative play.

2. How can I keep my kids entertained indoors during hot weather?

Choose hands-on activities that encourage kids to create, move, solve problems, or play together rather than turning automatically to screens.

3. Why is screen-free play important for children?

Screen-free play gives children opportunities to practice creativity, communication, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and other developmental skills.

4. What are easy indoor activities that don’t require expensive supplies?

Try pasta art, homemade bowling, shoebox scenes, cookie decorating, room-cleaning races, or games using items you already have.

5. Where can families find free indoor activities during summer?

Your local library is a great place to start. Many libraries offer books, games, puzzles, activities, and other resources families can enjoy together.