Arts and Culture

At Home Activity: Secret Puzzle Game

Secret Puzzle Game is a simple, outside-the-box way of sitting with the words, feelings, and thoughts we’re experiencing during this wild time. Think of a word or image, keep it secret, draw it on the back of a cereal box that you’ll cut up to make your own puzzle. Then, hide the pieces around the room and hunt for the rest of your family’s pieces.

At Home Activity: Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Today’s at home activity lets your children show off their literacy skills by finding items beginning with every letter of the alphabet. So explain the rules, maybe provide an example, and let them explore your space to find each object.

And while they do, take a minute to sip some coffee, look out the window, or even just stare at the wall for a little bit.

At Home Activity: Sink or Float

Sink... or float?

And no, we’re not talking about how we feel right now—we're talking about today’s at home activity for your kids, which happens to be all about trial and error.

It’s a good way to encourage kids to experiment, test, adjust, and test again.

At Home Activity: Body Tracing

At around 3 pm every afternoon, we find ourselves just wanting to lie down for a bit.

Today’s at home activity not only requires you and your little ones to lie down—it turns sprawling out on the floor into a fun art exercise designed to sharpen children’s gross and fine motor skills, as well as their observational abilities and creativity!

At Home Activity: Scrub a Dub

Today's Chicago Children’s Museum parent PSA: not every at home art project requires drawing or crafting.

If you’re worried about running low on art supplies, or simply just not feeling up for more traditional arts and crafts activities, Scrub a Dub has you covered! Simply find a spot that’s safe for splashing (think kitchens, bathrooms, or even outside), fill up a couple of buckets or bowls with water and dish soap, and let the foam sculpting begin.

At Home Activity: Chalk Painting

We’re taking #chalkthewalk to a whole new level.

This at home art activity for kids comes from Chicago Children’s Museum Lead Arts Educator Liz Rosenberg (@lizziemaerose on Instagram). Follow along as Liz brings our Art Studio to you, and share your pics of what you create with us!

At Home Activity: The Element of Surprise

Today we’re sharing an activity that is all about how you and your littles can take the most familiar objects around you and turn them into something brand new. And since we’re all about quality play at Chicago Children’s Museum (that’s also a blast)—today’s activity also allows your kids to flex their imagination and literacy skills at the same time.

The Power of Pretend Play: More Than Just Make Believe

Another thing we keep hearing over and over again during the COVID-19 quarantine:

Fake it until you make it.

In trying times, experts encourage us to slap a smile on our face and pretend that things are easier than they are—and sometimes, we might even start believing it.

Lucky for parents and caregivers—our kids are natural pretenders.