Rainy day, heatwave or just a slow afternoon? These indoor activities keep hands busy and brains switched on without needing a screen.
Most take under an hour and use things you'll find around the house. Set out the materials before you announce the activity and it's halfway to started.
33 free activities
Hide clues around the house that can only be unlocked by solving a maths problem. Each answer points to the next hiding spot.
Indoor or outdoor · Hands-on · easy
You'll need: Paper or sticky notes, A pencil, A small 'treasure' (a snack, sticker or note)
Give your child a pretend (or real) budget and a catalogue, and challenge them to plan a family meal without going over.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: A supermarket catalogue or online grocery site, Paper and pencil, A calculator (optional)
A fast two-player game: roll two dice, multiply, and race to fill your board first.
Indoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: Two dice, This page printed, or a hand-drawn 3 × 4 grid for each player, Two pencils
Cook a simple pancake recipe together, then halve or double it — real-life fractions you can eat.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: 1 cup self-raising flour, 1 cup milk, 1 egg…
A printable bingo card of reading challenges — read in a cubby, read to a pet, read a comic — to keep books fun all holidays.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, Books from home or the local library, A pencil or stickers
Plan, draw and write a six-panel comic with a beginning, a problem and a satisfying ending.
Indoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, or paper folded into six boxes, Pencils and colouring pencils
Roll a die three times to pick a character, place and problem, then tell or write the story.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: One die, This page printed or read from the screen, Paper (for writing the story, optional)
Using only paper and tape, design a bridge between two books that holds as many coins as possible.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: 5 sheets of A4 paper, Sticky tape, Two books of the same height…
Fold three paper plane designs, run fair tests and find out which flies furthest — and why.
Indoor or outdoor · Hands-on · easy
You'll need: A4 paper, A tape measure or long-step counting, Paper and pencil for results
Draw a map of your street or local area with a key, compass directions and a scale.
Indoor or outdoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: A large sheet of paper, Pencils and colouring pencils, A ruler…
Each family member writes a quiz round about places and people, then everyone competes for the trophy.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: Paper and pens, Library books, an atlas or reliable websites for research, A homemade trophy
Set one learning goal, one fun goal and one helpful goal for the holidays — and plan small steps to get there.
Indoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, A pen
Older kids research, cost and timetable a real family outing — then present their plan for approval.
Indoor · Hands-on · challenging
You'll need: Internet access with a parent's permission, Paper or a spreadsheet, A calculator
Turn the kitchen table into an escape room: solve a chain of four maths puzzles to crack the secret code and open the locked box.
Indoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, A box, tin or envelope to be the 'locked box', A small reward to hide inside (a treat, a note or a voucher for choosing dinner)…
Go on a safari for circles, triangles, rectangles and more — snapping photos of shapes hiding in plain sight around the house or park.
Indoor or outdoor · Hands-on · easy
You'll need: A phone or tablet with a camera (or paper and pencil to sketch), A list of shapes to find
Measure your bedroom and furniture with a tape measure, then draw an accurate floor plan to scale — and redesign your dream layout.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: A tape measure, Grid paper (or plain paper and a ruler), A pencil and eraser…
Pick something worth saving for, then build a realistic plan to get there — weekly targets, spending choices and a progress chart.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: Paper and pencil, A calculator (optional), A jar or envelope for savings (optional)
Sixteen fun writing prompts to tick off over the holidays — from describing your perfect sandwich to writing a letter to your future self.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, A notebook or exercise book, Pencils and coloured pencils
Learn one interesting new word every day, then earn points for sneaking it naturally into family conversation.
Indoor · Interactive · easy
You'll need: A dictionary or thesaurus (print or online), Sticky notes or a small whiteboard, A pencil
Choose an idea worth fighting for, write a punchy two-minute pitch and deliver it to a family 'panel' who decide whether to say yes.
Indoor · Hands-on · challenging
You'll need: Paper and pen, or a device for typing, A timer, Palm cards (cut-up paper or index cards)
Stack honey, dishwashing liquid, coloured water and oil into a stripy tower, then predict where small objects will float or sink.
Indoor · Hands-on · easy
You'll need: A tall clear glass or jar, Honey, Dishwashing liquid…
Sprout a bean in a clear jar so you can watch the roots and shoot grow, recording changes over two weeks in an observation diary.
Indoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, Two or three dried beans from the pantry (such as broad beans or borlotti beans), A clear jar…
Use cardboard tubes, boxes and tape to build a marble run up a wall or down the stairs — then improve it to make the marble's journey as long as possible.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: Cardboard tubes (paper towel and toilet roll tubes), Cereal boxes or other thin cardboard, Masking tape or painter's tape…
Test your knowledge of famous places across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, then use an atlas or map to check your answers.
Indoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, A pencil, An atlas, map or reliable website to check answers
Invent, draw and play-test an original board game — with a theme, rules, dice rolls and maths challenge cards.
Indoor · Hands-on · medium
You'll need: A large piece of cardboard (the back of a cereal box or a flattened box), Coloured pencils or markers, Paper for cards…
Record sunrise and sunset times for a week, work out the length of each day and graph the pattern to see how daylight changes.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, Internet access with a parent's permission, or a printed almanac, Graph paper or plain paper and a ruler…
Turn a favourite story into a short script and perform it together — no memorising, no costumes required, just big expressive voices.
Indoor · Hands-on · easy
You'll need: A favourite picture book, fable or short story, Paper and pens, Highlighters (optional)…
Interview a grandparent or family elder about their childhood and life, then turn their stories into a timeline or keepsake to share.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, A notebook and pen, A phone or tablet to record audio (with permission, optional)…
Become the city planner: decide where homes, shops, parks and schools go, then link them with roads, bike paths and public transport.
Indoor · Printable · challenging
You'll need: This page printed, or a large sheet of paper ruled into squares, Pencils and coloured pencils, A ruler…
Plan a balanced lunch using the five food groups, write the shopping list, then make it and serve it to the family.
Indoor · Printable · medium
You'll need: This page printed, Ingredients for the chosen lunch, Chopping board, knife suitable for the child's age, bowls and plates…
Design a daily timetable that balances fun, movement, learning, helping and rest — then trial it and tweak it.
Indoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, A pen and coloured pencils or highlighters
Seven days, seven small acts of kindness. Tick them off, talk about how they felt, and see how kindness spreads.
Indoor or outdoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, Paper, pencils and colouring pencils for cards and notes, Gardening gloves (for the litter pick-up)
Get ready for a great term: set up a study space, check your gear, write term goals and practise the school routine before day one.
Indoor · Printable · easy
You'll need: This page printed, School bag, uniform and stationery, A pen…
