If you’re stuck in a rut or just looking for fun, new ideas, we’ve got a list of fun things to do with kids. From at-home activities to outdoor adventures, here’s a list of things you can all do to enjoy your time together and keep the kiddos entertained.
Places to Go with Kids
- Go see a new movie at the movie theater or revisit a family movie at a discount
- Go skating at an indoor skating rink
- Visit a science museum like the Discovery Cube
- Go on rides at a county fair
- Explore all the unique shops and restaurants along Huntington Beach’s Main Street
- Walk to an ice cream shop to grab a cone
- Visit a zoo and see how excited they get by all the animals
- See Snoopy and go on rides at Knott’s Berry Farm
- Take in a game of baseball at a local diamond
- Play a round of mini golf
- Splash around at Great Wolf Lodge
- Visit an aquarium and see who can find the coolest fish
- Have fun learning how the world works at Pretend City Children’s Museum
- Go to an arcade and try to play every game at least once
- Learn about food and see some beautiful flowers at Farm + Food Lab
- Find your way out of an escape room
- Create family keepsakes by painting your own pottery at Color Me Mine
- Have a beach day filled with swimming and sand castles
- Go whale watching at Dana Point
- Rent a boat and head out on the water
- Grab one of a kind donuts from Duck Donuts
- Head to a park and throw around a frisbee
- Organize a game of soccer or baseball with friends
- Take to the skies in the Great Park Balloon in Irvine
- Go bowling at a local bowling alley
- See a play at the Orange County Children’s Theatre
- Have a picnic in your neighborhood park
- Take a scenic drive along the Pacific Coast Highway
- Head under the sea at the Aquarium of the Pacific
- Connect with local businesses at a farmer’s market
- Go for a ride on the famous scale-model train at Irvine Park Railroad
- Cool down at at local splash pad
- Splash around at the Newport Dunes Inflatable Water Park
- Take part in activities at a library, and head home with a fun new book to read
- Spend a day exploring all the rides at Disneyland, meeting all their favorite characters along the way
- Learn how to paddleboard
- Drive out to spend an evening watching a movie at a drive-in theater
- Look at all the beautiful flowers in the Niguel Botanical Preserve
- Jump around at the Sky Zone indoor trampoline park
- Pick your own strawberries, melons, or pumpkins at Tanaka Farms
- Cuddle up with some animals at a petting zoo
- Slide over to Soak City and have a great time at OC’s largest water park
- Explore their adventurous side by harnessing up for some indoor rock climbing
- Hop on board one of the famous Duffy Boats of Newport Beach
- Bounce around at a bouncy castle
- Go for a ride on the Ferris Wheel at the Balboa Fun Zone before stopping in at their famous diner
- Take a hike with the whole family at one of the many nature trails within OC
- Enjoy dinner and a show at Medieval Times
- Skate around at a roller skating rink
- Climb the structure and enjoy yourselves at Seascape Kids Fun
- Go for a bike ride along the beach paths
- Have fun running, hiding, and tagging at a laser tag arena
- Learn more about OC’s past at the Irvine Historical Museum
- Go to a candy store and see who can find either the most delicious or the most disgusting item in the shop
- Strap on the elbow pads and knee pads and hop on your skateboards at a local skate park
- Explore one of the many great malls in OC like Fashion Island or Irvine Spectrum
- Try out a game of Frisbee Golf at a nearby course
- Go camping and be sure to make some delicious s’mores over the campfire
- Get a mermaid makeover at Once Upon an Island
- Take a group lesson at a local surf center
- Head out to find the best Instagrammable spots to take fun photos
- Hop in some kayaks and paddle around the beach
- Go stargazing at a park on a clear night
- Watch the Anaheim Ducks outskate the competition at the Honda Center
- See if you can fly a kite while running at a park
- Visit the seals and sea lions at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center
- Go to a park with a cool play structure and have fun climbing up and sliding down all its elements
- Take a stroll along the San Clemente Beach Trail as you watch the waves lap in
- Break out the fishing rods and go fishing
- Go on pony rides at Zoomars
Things To Do With Kids At Home
- Learn a new board game, or play an old favorite
- Play catch in the backyard
- Break out the water guns to cool off on a hot day
- Start a puzzle together
- Find a new craft to make
- Build a pillow fort in the living room
- Set up a tent in the backyard and go “camping” at home
- Play pretend with them – see what adventures their imagination can take you on
- Let their creativity shine with some finger painting
- Play a game of hide-and-seek
- Blow bubbles outside and see how many they can pop (or if they can catch one without popping it!)
- Make a game out of cleaning the house – see who can tidy their room the fastest!
- Plan a scavenger hunt in the house or in the neighborhood
- Get a flashlight and cast some shadow puppets on the wall
- Bake some sweets together
- Learn some magic tricks together for them to impress their friends with
- Throw a dance party in your living room
- Play Simon Says and see how quickly you can get each other out
- Burn some energy with a game of tag in the backyard
- Learn how to play the Cups song – just make sure to use plastic cups!
- Make paper airplanes and see whose can fly the farthest
- Work through a coloring book together
- Play a game of tic-tac-toe
- Make music together by singing along to the radio or playing the drums on a couch cushion
- Paint rocks to decorate the garden
- Tie-dye some shirts and have a new piece of your wardrobe to show off
- Water the flowers in your garden, teaching your kids what each flower is called
- Give each other temporary tattoos with washable markers (make sure they’re washable!)
- Read them their favorite book with special voices for every character
- Try out a science experiment
- Make little origami creatures with each other – see if they can make a paper version of their favorite animal
- Try out a new recipe together
- Come up with a super secret handshake to show off at your next family function
- Build a new LEGO set
- Lay down a blanket in the living room and have an indoor picnic
- Pop some popcorn and have a home movie night
- Let them raid your closet and play dress up
- See how high of a house of cards you can build together
- Blow up a balloon and see how long you can keep it in the air
- Put on a puppet show with sock puppets
- Create an activity jar – write things to do on popsicle sticks and then pull one out whenever you need something to do
- Help your kids start a daily journal
- Make up a short story and see if you can film a movie of it together
- Write a poem or song together
- Have a push-up competition to see who is the strongest
- Set up a sprinkler in the yard and run through to cool off
- Create some chalk art or a game of hopscotch on the driveway
- Build a birdfeeder and hang it in your backyard
- Learn a new dance craze – or make up your own
- Write postcards to far away family or friends
- Clean up the neighborhood by picking up litter together
- See how many different bugs you can find in your backyard
- Make matching macaroni necklaces
- Have a pajama day – bonus points if you get to nap
- Lay in the backyard and point out shapes in the clouds
- Create a domino chain and watch them fall
- Make a time capsule for your kids to open in a few years and remember what they used to like
- Learn some words in Sign Language
- Have a game of charades with the whole family
- Make paper chains snowflakes and decorate the house
- Watch a free concert or movie in the park
- Create a secret code language to use with each other
- Have a family photo shoot with all the silliest poses
- Fill up some water balloons for a family water balloon fight in the yard
- Have a competition to see who can hula hoop the longest
- Collect leaves and use them to stamp paint on paper for some cool artworks
- Tell scary stories in the dark
- Learn some yoga poses together
- Fill up a kiddie pool and relax in the backyard
- Set up some lawn games like horseshoes or croquet and have fun playing outside
- Break out the jump ropes and set up challenges like who can jump the longest or who can do the coolest trick
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Morgan Mulac is a freelance writer who has spent years on the road as a nomad and now has settled back in California with her family. Some of her favorite spots to travel to in California are in Orange County and the many beaches along the coast. She’s an avid writer about her journeys and enjoys sharing the beauty California has to offer.