At this time of year, we typically like to remind our community members of all the cool things they can do within Welter Heating’s expansive service area. Minnesota is chock full of interesting museums, parks, and places, after all. 

The thing is… things aren’t typical right now. Things are uncertain and complicated. It can be a challenge to stay at home when we’re so used to going out. We understand this and want to help in any way we can. We know that many of our valued customers are parents. Parents who are doing their best to keep their children entertained without the ability to leave the house. 

That’s why, to help our homebound customers and their little ones, we’ve gathered a list of our favorite activities for kids at home below. We focused on activities that are time consuming and child-led. Things that they can do on their own or with your help depending on how many things you’re trying to juggle at once. Hang in there, everyone. And don’t forget the importance of having a little fun.

4 of the Most Fun Activities for Kids at Home

#1 – DIY Obstacle Courses

A DIY obstacle course is the perfect at-home activity for kids of any age. It’s just as capable of entertaining a five year old as it is an eleven year old. The best part: you don’t have to buy anything to make this happen. You’ll just have to creatively use things that you already have to create your course. Here are a few ideas you can start with:

• Line up pillows to jump over 
• Set up a series of items (buckets, books, cups) for kids to weave in and out of 
• Drape a sheet between two chairs and have them crawl under 
• Have them pick up small objects (bouncy balls, small toys) with their toys and transport them to a designated area 
• Use ribbon or string to create a “laser grid” in a hallway that they can crawl through

Finally, don’t hesitate to customize the course for your child. If they love trains, include a train-related obstacle. If they’re learning their alphabet, give them a challenge where they have to balance on one foot while they say the ABC’s. You can extend the fun by having your child time themself as they do the course, competing for the best time against themselves or a sibling.

#2 – Virtual Museum Visits

One of the things a lot of people are missing right now is the ability to go out and explore. But just because you can’t leave the house doesn’t mean you can’t see, learn about, and experience new things. There are plenty of museums, local and otherwise, that offer virtual online tours. We’ve looked through all the lists to bring you five of our favorites:

• The Louvre offers virtual tours of some of their most popular exhibits, including their Ancient Egyptian collection. If you’re more interested in art than history, there are other tours that include works by famous artists like Rembrandt and Delacroix.
• The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History offers three hundred and sixty degree views of every single exhibit in the museum. You heard that right. Every single one. If you have the capability, they’re currently beta testing virtual reality tours of those same exhibits.
• The Musee D’Orsay, located in Paris, offers access to high resolution images of works from one of their most popular galleries. If your child enjoys impressionist work (among others), they can view art pieces created by Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and more.
• The National Women’s History Museum offers online tours for young ones interested in history and women’s suffrage. A great choice for older kids who want to dig a little deeper into the things covered in their social studies classes.

#3 – Self Portraits

Self portraits are an easy project that can be tackled in a number of different ways. Because of that fact, this activity can be recycled again and again. You can use different mediums: crayon, watercolor, collage, etc. You can ask your children to just draw their face, or their head and shoulders, or their whole body. They can try drawing themselves as cats, or aliens, or something else entirely. They’ll have fun, they’ll use their imagination, and they’ll work on visualization all during a single project!

#4 – Movie Reviews

We’re sure you’ve heard it everywhere else already, but we’re going to say it here too: don’t worry if your kid is watching a little more TV than usual. It’s difficult to manage child care, potential home schooling, and working from home. Alleviate some guilt and add some structure to movie time by having your kids write reviews after anything they watch. For younger children, it gives them a chance to work on penmanship. For older children, you’re teaching them to think critically about how various types of art make them think or feel. This activity is a win for everyone!

Plenty of Fun Inside and Out

Staying home doesn’t have to mean you stay bored. There are plenty of activities you can still do inside your home and out in the yard. From going on family walks to the ideas above, there are a number of ways to make the most of this time.

And throughout all of this, we want you to know that we’ll continue to provide our very best heating and cooling services to the Twin Cities metro. It’s our honor to help keep you comfortable when you’re stuck inside and you’re welcome to call us anytime. 

In conclusion: stay inside, stay safe, and stay together.