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Inviting play into your every day.

70+ Free Activities for Kids

Activity Lists for Preschool, BIG KID, Gross Motor, Learn, Play, Preschool

list of activities for kids

Want 70+ Free Activities for Kids? Yes, please!

This year, I am looking for ways to spend less and enjoy more quality time with my kids – without spending money. Now, I know. Finding free activities for kids is a tall order.

But here I am, eagerly searching for ways for us to get out of the house without spending a dime.

So I searched to discover the best ideas to try myself and share with you.

Inside you will find 70+ free activities for kids broken down into two categories.

  • Free activities to do in the home
  • Free activities to do in your city

RELATED: Want quick and easy ideas for home? You’ll love our activity cards.

list of activities for kids

But first, what kind of activities do children enjoy?

This answer is so much easier than we think.

Kids want to:

  • Feel loved
  • Be wanted
  • Spend time with family members

We can attain this without spending money.

So whether it be a simple idea for your toddler to do at home (such as playing with soap and water) or taking your preschooler on a new bike path, the answer always comes back to simple ideas that are free or inexpensive.

Just like this list of toddler activities, or these ideas for one-year-olds, this list of free activities will help pass the time during the long days at home with kids.

Children do not need you to spend money to feel complete. All they ask is for us to spend time with us as a family.

RELATED: 50+ Play Ideas are right at your fingertips! Try these activities next!

Build an Indoor fort with kids

Fun and Free Preschool Activities

40+ Free Activities for Kids at Home:

  1. Introduce a sensory bin. Here is everything you need to get started.
  2. Sort transportation toys
  3. Pretend camping with forts and a fire pit (kraft paper and blankets)
  4. Paint – Painting for Beginners
  5. Paint some more – Here are 40+ Painting Ideas for Kids to keep everyone going! 
  6. Playing restaurant 
  7. Cut spaghetti
  8. DIY movement dice
  9. Pretend movie theatre 
  10. Create a box road
  11. Make a DIY rainbow game
  12. Make a treasure map
  13. Practice your phone number
  14. Reverse rolls – preschooler becomes the parent, the parent becomes the preschooler, OR preschooler becomes the Dr., the parent becomes the patient, etc. 
  15. Color noodles
  16. GIANT tic-tac-toe
  17. Save paper tubes and try one of these 40+ paper tube easy ideas.
  18. Play Go-Find-It
  19. Try a cardboard name build
  20. Changing seasons fashion show – parenting hack – preschooler is showing mom what still fits.
  21. Try a Breakfast Invitation
  22. Indoor picnic
  23. Make a fort
  24. Cookie sheet painting – Happily Ever Mom 
  25. Tea parties 
  26. Practice balancing to improve reading
  27. Freeze dance 
  28. Pom pom matching game
  29. Box forts
  30. Make a nature mural
  31. Match alike stickers
  32. Design a cardboard box tree
  33. Create with that box of pom poms sitting in your closet.
  34. Painter’s tape secret road
  35. Flashlight games 
  36. Bubble wrap art
  37. Color sorting
  38. Popsicle bath – Busy Toddler
  39. Indoor obstacle courses with furniture 
  40. Water Play
  41. Draw under the table on large kraft paper
  42. Paint Ice
  43. Blanket forts for reading with a flashlight
  44. Use bottle caps for size exploration
  45. Play birthday party – Allow your preschooler to wrap gifts (toys) in tissue paper, and you guess what is inside.
  46. Make “decorations” for the upcoming holiday
  47. Make a measurement game with your blocks
  48. Paint rocks – then hiding in the house to find 
  49. Cutting stations

RELATED: Rainy day? Take a peek at these 40 Indoor Games for Kids!

tape track with painter's tape

30+ Free Activities for Kids Outside of the Home:

Let’s take our toddler and preschooler out to have some fun away from home!

  1. Visit Home Depot to play with PVC Piping (Just put it back in the correct bin)
  2. Read books at a local bookstore
  3. Collect Flowers
  4. Explore the Target toy aisle – take pictures of toys you want to remember (wink, wink)
  5. Nature Scavenger Hunt
  6. Nature Color Hunt
  7. Clean out the pantry and visit a local fire department
  8. Grab a Camera and Walk out the Door – take pictures of what you find
  9. Tricycle Wash
  10. Shaving Cream Play  
  11. Use Chalk to Color Bricks 
  12. Google “free movie near me.”
  13. Play in a toy store
  14. Outdoor Picnic at a nearby park
  15. Library – Look to see if there is a toddler time 
  16. Google “kids eat free near me.”
  17. Visit mom at work
  18. Visit dad at work
  19. Squirt Colored Water Outside
  20. Search for storytimes at your library
  21. Google “parks near me” – visit a new one!
  22. Search your local calendar for a parade
  23. Find somewhere that has a map and use it as you walk. Find a map in our 30+ Scavenger Hunts list.
  24. Measure hunt – Take the tape measure outside to measure what you find
  25. Cut the grass with scissors 
  26. Wash the windows 
  27. Go to your local nursery
  28. Visit a local tree farm
  29. Bring a basket outside to search for things that roll 
  30. Play with the toy cars at CVS
  31. Go for a Walk
  32. Collect rocks 
  33. Outdoor painting
  34. Find a local pump track to practice riding bikes
  35. Visit a nearby skate park

Which free activity will you try first with your kids?

list of activities for kids