What To Do With Your Kids All Day at Home During this Pandemic

Whether you have been infected by the virus or not, we are all being affected.

And with school closings, what in the world are we going to do with our kids all day at home?

This is the question so many people are faced with especially for those who have to work.

I pray the parents who are still required to go to work can count on friends and family to watch their kids.

For the parents who are staying home with their kids, I’m here to help with your sanity.

I work from home with my son and daughter (2 & 4 years old) so I can definitely speak to you about what to do all day at home with kids.

Even though I enjoy getting out of the house often, there have been many times where we’ve spent several days at home ALL day and trust me, for your SANITY you need to have a plan for those days.

I make money from home blogging so working during naptime is enough for me, it has been such a blessing but not everyone understands how this all works. If you want to see how I make money blogging you can check it out here.

I created this list for parents who have young kids all the way up to high school because we all need help no matter what ages our kids are.

I’m obviously not going to recommend watching tv or playing video games because let’s face it, that’s a given. This list is more about how to limit the screen time doing other things.

I am definitely not one of those moms who are against screen time because it’s been a big factor in keeping my sanity 🙂 but I do think it should be limited.

Mom guilt is real. If your kids are at home all day watching tv and playing video games you may feel guilty that your kids aren’t being more productive, and I want to help keep the mom guilt away.

In this article, I will give you a list of fun things to do with your kids while home all day and then I’ll share my routine with my kiddos.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Here are 10 Enjoyable and Productive things to do while at home with kids all-day

1. Make Videos

One thing I like to do with my kids when I don’t know what to do is make videos. These are extremely corny videos but they are so much fun to create.

I’m talking using my smartphone making up different scenarios as if we have our own YouTube channel. These videos will never see the light of day but the kids love them, it gives us something to do and the ideas they come up with are hilarious. They even say to subscribe to our “YouTube channel” at the end of the videos.

We did this one recently and it was so much fun. You HAVE to do this with your kids!

If you find these videos to be pretty entertaining you should seriously consider starting a YouTube channel. My kids don’t watch your typical Disney and Nickelodeon shows, they stay on YouTube watching other kids live their lives (I don’t get it) and these kids are making big money doing it.

If you want to start a YouTube channel check out my article from Nate O’Brien who earns 5-figures per month in ad revenue from his channel (I know, I’m seriously planning to start a YouTube channel in a couple of months).

2. Play Games

Games are such a great way to break up the day and do something fun. As much as I love my kids I’m not that kind of parent who likes to play, so games give us some type of structured play that’s more my style.

Right now my kids are into puzzles, coloring, Legos and more (check out the full list here) and that keeps us busy but if your kids are ages 7 & up here are some of my FAVORITE games that are fun and take a decent amount of time helping to make the day go by faster.

You can order these on Amazon, but do it soon just in case we have issues getting things delivered

Phase 10 – MY FAVORITTTTEEE
Puzzles – A MUST doing this time, try the 1,000 pieces – Why not? Here are some good ones
Uno
Monopoly
Quiplash – You can also do this game on a zoom call with multiple friends SO MUCH FUN

Tell me some of your favs in the comment section below so I can add to my list.

3. Start a Business

Seriously, if you’re at home all day why not brainstorm some ideas with your kids on potential business ideas? For a full list of different ways kids can make money, you can check out this list for some suggestions.

I love shows like Shark Tank. I’m constantly thinking about what product or service I can come up with to make some moneyyyyy. Like that YouTube channel I mentioned earlier, or just sitting with the kids to jot down some ideas that they’d like to do. That is an activity you can all do together and who knows what could come out of that brainstorming session.

You don’t have to figure it all out in one day, take breaks and keep thinking…we’ve got nothing but time :-). Also, when you do think of something start putting a plan together. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

If you’re a mom like me and want to find ways to make money from home with kids you can check out my most popular article here on how moms are doing it today.

4. Independent Time/Free Play

My FAVORITE! You don’t have to have everything figured out, just turn the tv off and say it’s time to play and do whatever you want besides watch tv :-).

Like right now, I’m writing this article and my son is sitting next to me playing with his cars while my daughter fills her little shopping cart and empties it only to fill it back up again with her fake food and takes it all back out again (rinse and repeat).

There is no way I could plan for this stuff. It’s amazing what kids can come up with once you turn the tv off. Same thing goes for older kids, let them find something to do on their own. They still have an imagination.

5. Play Outside

I live in the midwest so it’s still cold outside but not cold enough where we can’t get some fresh air for an hour. Playing outside is a nice way to break up the day.

You don’t have to have this figured out either. Kids will find things to do, you can play catch, games or just go for a walk. Force yourself to get some fresh air each day if you can TRUST ME, you’ll need it.

6. Get Creative

This is where sites like Pinterest and Blossom come in handy when you’re looking for something creative to do. I love watching parenting hacks and cool DIY projects for the kids

I need to make a page of my Pinterest fails, I’m definitely not “that mom” but it’s something to do that’s different with the kids.

7. Eating

It’s like kids eat for sport. Hopefully with all that’s been going on you’ve been able to stock up on food but with the way these kids are set up, who knows how long that can really last.

If you add some structure and routine to your day it will help keep eating to a minimum instead of just eating just because the food is readily available (see my routine below).

Keep the same schedule they have in school – Breakfast, Lunch, after school snack, and dinner. That’s it kids. Nothing is changing but your location – stay strong parents, stay strong!

8. Exercise

Plan to do 30 – 60 minutes of exercise each day with the kids if you can. I’m currently expecting a child and the way my body is set-up, well..it’s just not happening.

After I have my baby I do plan on resuming my exercise routine with the kids after breakfast. We usually find a workout routine on YouTube and workout for 30 minutes.

9. Learning Time

Just because school is out doesn’t mean learning time is over, some schools are doing e-learning but in case your kid’s school doesn’t offer this you’ll still want to do something. Here is a list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings.

I put aside 30 minutes per day to do learning time with my kids. Their attention span is very short so I do what I can as long as I can.

10. Leisure Time

Another favorite time of mine! This is when you can relax and throw in some screen time, reading, or throw in a jam session. I love having a good time dancing with my kids, what great memories we create.

Leisure time is also when I cook/clean.

Here is a sample schedule of what an ordinary day would look like for us at home ALL day

8:30 AM – Wake up
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM – Do Hygiene
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM – Cook & Eat Breakfast
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM – Screentime while I read my bible (I’ll never forget, I was once told if you have time to watch tv, you have time to read your bible. So true.)
10:30 – 11:00 AM – 30-minute Exercise (This is now our learning time)
11:00-12:30 PM – Independent-time / Make Videos + Eating
12:30 – 2:30 PM – Naptime = My work time – For others this could be going over business ideas/Getting Creative
2:30 – 3:30 – Leisure Time- this could be more screen time
3:30 – 4:30 – Playing Outside
4:30 – 5:30 – Cook & Eat Dinner
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Game time – Choose which game you want to play
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM – Independent/Free Time
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Leisure Time + Shower/Bath
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Get ready for bed
9:00 PM – 12 PM – FREEDOM!!!

And then I do it all over again. This is what works for my family, I hope you can incorporate a schedule like this with your kids. If you do things quite different I’d love to hear what you do in the comment section below. Let’s all learn from each other.

Are you on Instagram? I’m starting to become more active again and I’d love to connect with moms who “get it”. It’s so much better going through this wonderful yet challenging journey of motherhood together. You can follow me here.

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Nandhini Prabakar

March 17, 2020 at 7:42 am

Hi mam, very useful. Thank you. I have started YouTube channel before 10 months. But I didn’t get views. Can you help me?

Whitney
March 18, 2020 at 2:23 am

Check out this article, I think it might help https://triedandtruemomjobs.com/how-to-start-a-youtube-channel-for-beginners

Diane Price

July 20, 2021 at 9:49 am

Oh I love these tips! Two years into the pandemic and I think I’m going crazy LOL. We do play games at home with the kids and it helps keep their boredom at bay, and gives me time to enjoy as well. Thank for this!

Whitney
July 20, 2021 at 2:03 pm

No problem and I totally get it!!!!!