No-material activities (super easy)

1. I Spy

Pick a color or category: “I spy something red.”

2. Guess the Animal

Make sounds or give clues; your kid guesses.

3. Would You Rather?

Simple choices: “Would you rather fly or be invisible?”

4. Story Chain

You start a story with one sentence, your kid adds the next.

5. Alphabet Game

Pick a topic (animals, foods) and take turns naming items in alphabetical order.

6. Hand Clapping Patterns

Simple clapping sequences your child repeats.

7. Silent Challenge

Who can stay quiet the longest while making funny faces?

8. “What’s Missing?”

Place 3-5 items from your bag. Cover them, remove one, and let the kid guess which is gone.

With very small items from your bag

9. Doodle Challenges

Carry a small notepad or use your phone’s drawing app.

Examples:

· Draw a robot with 3 arms

· Draw an animal that doesn’t exist

· Connect-the-dots you create for them

10. Play “Tic-Tac-Toe”

Easy and classic; play multiple variations (4-in-a-row instead of 3).

11. Mini Puzzles

Draw a maze or shape outline for them to trace.

12. Dot-to-Dot

Make a quick dot pattern and let them connect it into a picture.

13. Sticker Play

If you have a small sticker sheet, create “scenes” on a blank page.

Quiet digital activities (no sound needed)

14. Drawing apps (Kids Draw, Sketchbook)

Let them doodle or color.

15. Puzzle apps

Simple logic puzzles or match-3 games.

16. Interactive story apps

Short, low-stimulation stories for kids.

Small movement activities (quiet & seated)

17. Finger Puppets (with your hands)

Make animals or people with your fingers.

18. Thumb Wrestling

Quick and silly.

19. Hand Yoga

Make shapes with hands: “Can you make a star?” “A butterfly?”

20. Stretch & Copy Me

Tiny, slow stretches: touch toes, roll shoulders, open/close fists.

Conversation-based (keeps them engaged)

21. “Tell Me 3” Game

“Tell me 3 things you see,” “3 things you like,” or “3 things that are soft.”

22. “What If?” Questions

“What if we lived on the moon?” “What if animals could talk?”

23. Plan-a-Fantasy-Day

“What would the perfect day look like?”

Creative imagination

24. Invisible Drawing

Pretend to draw a shape in the air; they guess it.

25. Shape Hunt

Find circles, squares, triangles in the room.

26. Character Builder

Together invent a random character: name, superpower, favorite food.