It is important that children are immersed in interesting activities that stimulate their creativity and passion. But indoor after-school activities that engage children can be difficult to find. And they're especially important as we head into the fall and winter seasons. So today, we reveal some of our favorite creative indoor after-school activities your child will love!
Discover indoor after-school activities
From STEM kits to rock candy, and even virtual museum field trips, explore after-school activities your children will love.
1. Beginner Game Coding
Kids love playing Roblox! So why not learn to create their own Roblox games? In this fun online live video class that meets for 75 minutes for a few weeks in a row, students create their own Roblox games. Kids also find out how to create multi-player games and even make a game modeled after the highly popular infinity run game where players must turn, dodge, and jump to avoid obstacles and gain points. There's a free session to get started. (You can also check out even more free coding classes for kids.)
2. Scratch Coding Club
This is a cool way to build a new fun project with Scratch coding every week. In this live video club series, an expert guides small groups of students through a different project from start to finish in a 55-minute session. Some examples of weekly projects include making a soccer game, creating a virtual pet, and bringing a dress up game to life. There's even an outer-space themed single session club!
If your child doesn't have any previous coding experience, we recommend beginning with: Scratch Junior (Grades K-2), Scratch Ninja (Grades 2-5), or Accelerated Scratch (Grades 6+).
3. Free Tech Expert Events
Learn from tech experts in free webinar sessions for students. Join tech experts from companies such as NASA, Pixar, and more, to discover the ways in which technology is used in movies, animation, sports, and robots! These sessions are immersive and give students glimpses into possible future careers while having fun today. Check out the popular NASA online events and community tech events.
4. Play with Sphero Robots
Have fun coding robots and completing design-and-build STEAM kits. Sphero has a bunch of at-home learning kits that come with awesome activity cards, as well as bowling pins, and cones to build mazes, design obstacle courses, construct towers, play croquet, and more. You can also explore the power of programming with their robotic balls that kids can physically feel and touch - improving their learning. For beginner learners, start by playing STEM-inspired games with the Sphero Play App. Or give your robot commands and complete challenges using the Sphero Edu App.
5. Explore the Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cam
Engage your child in an aquarium adventure using the live camera feature! Children can experience the wonder and awe of the ocean regardless of where they are. Begin the exploration anytime.
6. Make Lavender Playdough
Kids love playdough. The nice thing about creating their own playdough is that children get to see the product from start to finish. The lavender also has a calming effect which is excellent to help kids calm down.
7. Make An I-Spy Bottle
This is a super fun craft that allows children to design a craft surrounding their passions. Children can decide what will go in their bottles and design the I-spy list for the bottle. Use these directions, which include an example.
8. Arduino Kits for Kids
Arduino kits inspire children to love STEM! An Arduino is a device to control electronics. Arduinos use code to understand sensors, and decide when to turn on motors and lights. These pre-made kits come with all the parts you need to build circuits, gadgets, and even robots!
9. STEM Kits for Kids
These STEM Kits inspire children to love STEM! The kits have different themes based on your child’s interests. And they are a great fit for multiple grade bands and subjects.
10. Make Magic Foaming Spiders for Halloween
To get in the Halloween spirit, consider making these fun spiders! This link walks through the directions. There is even a STEM/design element to this activity.
11. Ice Cream In A Bag
Kids love ice cream. What would be more fun than creating their own ice cream concoction after school? The ice cream in a bag activity is fun and tasty!
12. Make Slime
Bond with your children in designing slime! In the blog post linked below, there are directions on how to design your own slime. This is a fun and simple STEM activity where children can learn to mix products together to create another product.
13. Create An In-Home Garden
Teach your children about sustainable gardening through designing your own in-home garden. You can design the garden to fit your personal style and preferences. This can be a great activity to immerse your child in science and the environment.
14. Design Milk Art
Using milk, food coloring, q-tips, and soap, you can design beautiful paper. It is a fun after-school activity that does not require too many supplies or too much time. Each time, your child will create something new and exciting.
15. Join the Arizona Science Center
A monthly subscription allows your child to select various activities. The Science Center has online courses on rockets, frogs, turtles, and more! There are 74 courses to pick from and students can take ownership of their learning.
16. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
When you are stuck inside, try an indoor scavenger hunt! Use the documentation sheet here, for kids to fill out as they find the items. This can be a super fun activity for the whole family to participate in.
17. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Book a virtual field trip with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Students can pick topics like dinosaurs, animals, reptiles, Egypt, and more! The reviews for this virtual museum are excellent.
18. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The Smithsonian virtual tour allows participants to take room-by-room tours of exhibits and areas in the museum. This virtual opportunity is a great way to learn from home.Students can use desktop or mobile devices to access the museum.
19. Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
Discovery Education has various offerings for virtual field trips. For example, in September they will be offering a Home Depot Science Fair and a Boeing presentation. The varied options and the connections to real companies make this offering very attractive.
20. YUP Math
YUP is a great resource for students to get live tutoring support. The service operates 24/7 and allows students to be matched with a tutor immediately upon log-in. Tutors and students chat back and forth to go over problems together. YUP focuses on metacognition and ensuring that students know the processes necessary to get correct answers.
21. Online Music Lessons
Would you like your child to learn an instrument? Would you feel more comfortable if they could learn the instrument from your place of residence? School of Rock offers online music lessons in guitar, piano, drums, and singing.
22. Martial Arts Classes
Would you like your child to be more active? Does your child need more confidence in their own abilities? Check out virtual martial arts offerings.
23. The Nature Conservancy Virtual Experience
Families can work through virtual field trips together through The Nature Conservancy website. There are many topics to explore, like climate change, corals, and rainforests. There are also teacher guides that families can use to navigate the material together.
24. Make Rock Candy
Make some rock candy together! This can be a great STEM connection while designing something kids love to eat. Children will learn the ingredients and processes necessary to make rock candy. This is an awesome bonding experience
25. Design Lava Lamps
Engage your children in this fun activity as you recreate your groovy lava lamp from your childhood! You can incorporate a discussion of molecules during the project. Oil and water do not mix! Within this project, kids will see this firsthand.
Bonus. Minecraft Redstone Engineering
In this fun class, your child will learn how to incorporate a set of redstone related blocks to build light shows, automatic doors, and even flying machines inside Minecraft. They will also learn about real-world engineering and computer science. This class brings fun and learning to a whole new level for the creative young minds!
Try indoor after-school activities you’ll love
Now you hopefully have a few different ideas of after-school activities to engage children. From coding and STEM projects to museum tours, and more - there's something for every age group! So pick your favorites and have a great time.
Up next, explore more fun fall activities for kids and get back to school ready. Get started learning coding, with the most popular beginner-friendly programming class, Scratch Ninja!
Written by Lauren Mauel, a Create & Learn instructor with 8 years of teaching experience. She also has a BS in Mathematics, an MS in Analytics, and is a PhD candidate. She loves seeing kids' creativity come alive.
