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 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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