Adventures at Home: 50+ Family Activities (That You Won’t Hate)

It’s no secret we’d typically prefer to be on an outdoor adventure or traveling. But, that’s not always possible.

Whether your weekend plans got canceled, it’s a rainy day when you just need some inspiration or are stuck at home for any other reason, there are plenty of family adventures you can do from the comfort of home.

When you can’t take off on a tropical vacation, go on your favorite hike, or head out for a day of riding at your favorite slopes, it’s easy to get caught up on the CAN’T part of it.

But, there are still a lot of things that we CAN do – even from home.

And, that has to do a lot with how you define adventure. Adventures don’t always have to be physical feats of danger. They can be as simple as getting outside your regular routine.

Trying something new can totally count as a family adventure!  

Think outside the box. What have you always wanted to learn but never had time for? What is the thing your kids always beg you to do? You know – the one that you always put off in the interest of “time” (or the mess it’s going to create 😅)? Consider blowing their minds and doing it now!

To get your creative juices flowing, here’s a list of family activities to help you adventure and have fun together – even when you’re “stuck” at home.

Family Adventures You Can Do from Home

Family Adventures at Home for Rainy Days

Sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate. And, while we think there really is no bad weather, only bad gear, I get it. I’d rather not be out in a downpour every single day – and, let’s face it. That happens more than I’d like to admit in the PNW. So, that means, family activities we can do indoors are also a must.

Here are a few of our favs for when it’s just too wet to go out:

• Build a fort in your living room.
• Cook a new recipe together as a family.
• Have a nerf gun war.

• Create a scavenger hunt.
• Let everyone “camp out” in the living room.
• Have a paper airplane flying contest.
• Challenge each other to a Rubik’s cube contest.
• Have a LEGO contest.

• Have a Mario Kart Race.

• Go to the movies in your living room. Have the kids make “tickets” for the show, make popcorn, have candy (if you dare), and turn out all the lights for the “real” experience.
• Read a Family Adventure book or series together as a family. We love The Green Ember Series, The Wingfeather Saga, My Side of the Mountain, or the Ralph S. Mouse Series.

• Create an obstacle course inside (if you dare! 🤪)
• Create a treasure hunt in your home.
• Make a family time capsule.

Family Activities to Encourage a Love of Nature

As a homeschool family, we’re always looking for ways to incorporate learning into our daily lives. And, as outdoor adventurers, we want to encourage our kids to have a healthy appreciation for the world around them and to fall in love with nature so that they will grow up to be good stewards.

Some of the ways we do this are by choosing family activities that encourage them to get closer to nature and learn more about their world. Here are some of our favorite ways to do this at home:

• Identify and track the birds in your backyard.

• Learn about all the plants and flowers in your yard.
• Go on a “Safari’ with live streams of zoo animals.
• Plant a garden.

Play Games

Even when we’re camping or traveling, it’s rare that we leave the house without a game or two in the car. We love playing family games – in fact, when we visit family for the holidays, we always have a game night spanning the generations and it’s so much fun!

Here are a few of our favs to play as a family at home:

• Throw Throw Burrito is fantastic for many laughs! I mean, a card game where you can throw things at each other?! The kids are in LOVE!

• Play hide-and-seek in the dark.
• Play tag.
• Teach your kids how to play Capture the Flag.
• Play charades. 

• Play Simon Says.
• Play Eye Spy.

Learn a New Skill Together

We want our kids to grow up to be well-rounded individuals. So, when we aren’t on adventures, we encourage them to try new things. Our youngest loves to cook and our oldest is stoked about coding, but we also try to expose them to a variety of skills and topics to see what peaks their interest.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Learn how to bake bread.
• Learn a new language together. We love and use Talkbox.Mom for this! We’re learning Spanish as a family (and actually remembering it, which is awesome!) If you want to give it a try, you can get $20 off your first box with code: thestokefam20 (it works for any language!)
• Learn a new art or skill. Always wanted to know how to knit but never tried? Learn together now. Ever wanted to hone your photography? Take a class and practice in your house and backyard together.
• Learn a new instrument.
• Learn a new song.

Outdoor Family Adventures to do in Your Yard or Neighborhood

I don’t know about you, but I remember when I was a kid. My adventures were almost always at home – or at my grandparents house. My siblings and I spent countless days playing in the yard or neighborhood and entertaining ourselves.

So, sometimes (gasp!), I don’t do these activities with my kids. Sometimes we send them out to enjoy the yard and neighborhood on their own with ideas to keep them busy (or just their imagination) – it’s good for them!

• Go camping in the backyard.
• Create a scavenger hunt.
• Play Frisbee. (With your housemates only, obviously, during social distancing.)
• Have a picnic in the yard.
• Find a spot in your neighborhood to watch the sunset.
• Get up early for a sunrise walk in the neighborhood.
• Go stargazing in your yard. Toss out a blanket after dark and watch the sky light up.
• Create an obstacle course outside.
• Have a water balloon fight.
• Go cloud watching.
• Create art with sidewalk chalk.

Family Adventures that Keep You Moving

When we’re traveling or adventuring, we have no probably staying active and keeping everyone moving. But, when we are at home, it gets a little more challenging to fit it.

But, we can still totally find family activities to stay active, even when we aren’t on the go.

• Workout at home. Bonus points if you’re planning for your favorite outdoor activities, like with these Snowboard Workouts for Kids (and You).
• Learn to dance.
• Remember that WiiFit game that’s been sitting around your house? Pull it back out and have fun playing and being active together.
• Go on a bike ride in your neighborhood.
• Take a walk or bike ride at night with flashlights.
• Work on your balance with a balance board.

• These ideas for staying active at home.
• Grab a Stomp Rocket for a fun STEM activity that encourages movement and learning at the same time!

Family Adventures at Home to Inspire Future Travel

Wanna know what I do when I’m not traveling? Plan more travel. Well, that and clean up after kids, that is. 😅

These are some ways we start thinking about our next adventures and planning future trips when we are at home:

• Dream about and start planning your next family vacation (maybe Yellowstone National Park) with the Roadtrippers app. (If you subscribe to the Plus plan, make sure to use STOKEFAM for $5 off!)
• “Visit” a location you’ve always wanted to travel to but haven’t had the chance. Watch a travel documentary about the destination, make a local dish, and take virtual tours of the museums in the area. Kauai, anyone?
• Plan a Family Bucket List together.
• Go on a Virtual Tour of a Museum.
• Teach kids how to read a map (a real, paper map 😉)
• Let your kids plan your next road trip with their newfound map skills.
• Take a virtual tour of a National Park.

Final Thoughts about this List of Family Activites at Home

Even if you’d rather be outdoors or traveling, there are still plenty of ideas on this list for adventures you can do at home to keep everyone happy and busy. If you can think outside the box a bit, it can help a LOT to avoid that dreaded “Mom, I’m BORED!” Who knows? You may even find a new hobby you love!

What are some of your favorite family adventures to do at home?

Related Family Adventure Posts

• Hiking with Kids Near Portland
• Hiking for Beginners: Get Started with These Helpful Tips
• What to Bring on a Hike (And What to Leave at Home)

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