When you run out of ideas for keeping kids of all ages busy, try some of these. (P.S. Many are good for adults, too!)

Extended spring break. Quarantine. Confinement. Whatever you call it, the kids are out of school and need things to keep them busy. Here are 101 things you can do until life get back to normal.

1. Create a coronavirus playlist. May we suggest starting with Linda Ronstadt’s Baby You’re No Good.

2. Bake something together. Use this opportunity to work on concepts like fractions. Double the recipe and learn about multiplication, too.

3. Read aloud. Take turns; you read, then your kids read. Ask comprehension questions as you go.

4. Play games in the yard. Tag. Hide and seek. Hopscotch. Basketball. Football. Soccer. Keep your bodies moving.

5. Sculpt things with Play Doh. If you don’t have any on hand, here’s how to make your own.

6. Learn adulting skills. Show your kids how bills get paid, how checking accounts work and the power of compounding interest.

7. Haul out the cards and boards games. Monopoly, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Uno, Catan, Battleship, Sorry, Trouble, Guess Who, Phase 10, Memory, War, Crazy 8s … you get the idea. Give them all a whirl. If you want to make game time educational, play Scrabble for building spelling skills and vocabulary. Cribbage is a great way to practice addition. Extra credit: Create your own board game.

8. Stream a Broadway play. The New York Times reports that several theater companies are making their shows available. Check them out. Broadway HD has free 7-day trial.

9. Learn about time and calendars. Youngsters can learn the days of the week, how a calendar works and how to tell time on a clock with a face. Older kids can learn time management skills.

10. Have a karaoke contest. If you don’t have a machine, google “karaoke online.”

11. Imitate the masters or create an original artwork. Pull out the crayons, colored pencils, paints and charcoal. Recreate a favorite work or express your own creativity.

12. Visit a museum—virtually. Lots of museums offer online tours. Google “visit a museum online.”

13. Practice spelling. Here are 72 ways to practice spelling words.

14. Have school. You don’t have to be a teacher to teach your kids. There are lots of resources online to help you out. Check out 30+ Totally Free Websites for Kids by Grade Level, Teaching Tools form Scholastic and Mystery Science.

15. Do yoga. Practice your usual sequence, or make up and name your own poses.

16. See who can hold their breath the longest.

17. Write a short story. Write a long story.
18. Practice counting. Older kids can practice counting by 5s, 10s and 100s. Extra credit: Count by 7s and 9s.

19. Organize. Closets. Drawers. The kitchen. The garage. The basement. The shed. You’ve got the time. As you organize purge things you don’t need.

20. Build a puzzle.
21. Clean windows.
22. Plan a garden. Pick out plants. Research what they need to grow. Make a budget for material. Order seeds online.
23. Write letters. Everyone likes getting letters whether they live across the street or across the country. Plus, you get to learn how to address and stamp an envelope. Extra credit: Write a letter to your future self.
24. Write a poem. Explore haikus, free verse, sonnets and more. Here’s a beginner’s guide to the different types of poems.

25. Practice writing. If your kids already know how to write, explore calligraphy.

26. Plan a week’s worth of meals together.

27. Learn how to check tire pressure.

28. Learn how to read a map.

29. Work on expressing opinion. Start with something easy like, “The best pet you can have is ­_____,” and then give reasons why. Older kids can opine on historical figures, social issues and careers.

30. Spring clean the yard. Rake up stray leaves. Sweep the areas that need it. Cut and toss plant material from last year’s perennials.

31. Propagate plants from cuttings. Houseplants like aloe and pothos can generate new plants from cuttings. Learn how it works.

32. Take an online art lesson. Check out Art for Kids Hub.

33. Dance. Head over to YouTube and learn how to mambo, swing, waltz, tap and hustle your way through the day. Extra credit: Create your own dance.

34. Make a family tree. Explore your genealogy and tell family stories as you go.

35. Practice writing numbers and letters.

36. Have a scavenger hunt.

37. Build a fort. Indoors or outdoors.

38. Try fun science experiment. Start with these.

39. Make ice cream.

40. Feed the birds and identify the feathered friends who come to visit.

41. Make slime. Here’s a video on making two kinds of slime.

42. Build a marshmallow catapult.

43. Build a website. There are lots free website builders online and some that cater to kids.

44. Bake bread and discover how yeast works.

45. Throw a tea party.

46. Make puppets and stage a show.

47. Discover how avalanches form. Extra credit: Create your own avalanche with books or other items around the house.

48. Play book dominoes. Experiment with other items as dominoes.

49. Learn about the seasons. Discover the difference between an equinox and a solstice.

50. Make and fly paper airplanes. Extra credit: Set up a “flight school” like this.

51. Design new emojis.

52. Practice an instrument.

53. Learn how to play the spoons.

54. Watch a movie then write a review.

55. Plan your dream vacation. Go to Africa or go to the moon. It’s your dream!

56. Have a fashion show using items from everyone’s closet.

57. Take a nap.

58. Predict futures.

59. Make laundry a learning experience. From sorting to picking water temperatures to folding, there’s a lot to know about keeping clothes clean.

60. Have your kid teach YOU about their favorite app or social media.

61. Create an art gallery at home. Google “art gallery for kids” for display ideas.

62. Play video games. Learn to play your kid’s favorite with them.

63. Teach your kids games you played as a kid. Kick the Can. Musical Chairs. I Spy.

64. Play hide and seek. (It’s okay if you take a little extra time when it’s your turn to seek.)

65. Learn how to check a car’s fluids, like oil, transmission fluid and windshield wiper fluid.

66. Make paper plate animals. Here are ideas for a whole menagerie. Extra credit: Research what the animals eat and where they live.

67. Go camping in the living room.

68. Make monsters out of tissue boxes.

69. Become a jewelry designer with folded paper bracelets and paper bead necklaces.

70. Write a song.

71. Learn how your home’s systems work. What fuels the furnace? How does air conditioning work? Where does the water come from? What happens to things flushed down the toilet?

72. Make DIY glow bubbles with this tutorial. Extra credit: Research what makes things glow in the dark.

73. Do everything in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n.

74. Create sculptures out of household items. Toothpicks, popsicle sticks, water bottles, cardboard – anything can be transformed.

75. Spring clean. Start with this checklist from the queen of home management, Martha Stewart.

76. Go ride bikes. Extra credit: Learn how to tune-up and repair bicycles.

77. Hike in Michigan’s “Big Green Gym.” Local and state parks offer trails for hiking—keeping a safe distance between you and others, of course!

78. Practice design and photoshopping skills with a free 7- day trial from Adobe Creative Cloud.

79. Make origami. Start with an easy dog, then search YouTube for more like stars, rabbits and cranes.

80. Take time out for appreciation. Tell your kids what you appreciate about them. Encourage them to express their appreciation for someone else, too.

81. Discover the art of mending. “Make do and mend” was often heard during wartime. It’s still a valuable skill. Some folks turn it into an artform, like doodling with thread. Check out #mend on Instagram for awe and inspiration.

82. Learn basic knife skills. There are lots of online videos and articles but we like this one from Serious Eats.

83. Play hangman. It will be fu_.

84. Learn or brush up on a foreign language. Duolingo, Rocket Languages and News in Slow Spanish/French/Italian/German are some places to start.

85. Make a sundial and follow the movement of the sun.

86. Write a play or screenplay.

87. Make a pinwheel that spins.

88. Groom the dog.

89. Try a new recipe every day.

90. Go fishing. Just keep your distance from others.

91. Build a mobile.

92. Build a mobile app. All the times you’ve said, “There should be an app for that”? Now’s the time to make it!

93. Build a birdhouse.

94. Make a papier mache sculpture or model.

95. Tell jokes. Make up new ones

96. Make your own movie.

97. Make lemonade.

98. Check out PBS Kids for videos and games.

99. Learn the top 10 table manners.

100. Plan and conduct an interview as if you are an investigative journalist
101. Play Hug O’ War.

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