More Creative Challenges for Kids

When I wrote my post about art challenges for kids and adults, I knew I wanted to share some more creative challenges for kids that you might want to try while everyone is home.

Why Use Creative Challenges?

I like creative challenges because they give us a starting point for a range of themed activities. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with a bunch of ideas that relate to something your kid is really into or something you hope they’ll become more interested in.

Even if you don’t use a challenge in the conventional way (doing one activity a day each day for a number of days in a row) they give you a lot of options that hopefully will keep your kid from saying they are bored.

There are all sorts of challenges out there, from building with Legos to STEM challenges, nature ideas, writing challenges, fitness and more.

Easy Creative Challenges for Kids

If you want to use a pre-made challenge, here are some great options. Some of these were designed as challenges while others are just great lists of options you can pick and choose from to make your own challenges for your kids (more on that below).

Building, STEM and STEAM

• 10 Days of Easy Easter STEM: Team Cartwright
• 100 Little Homes: Barley & Birch (this one is ongoing and regularly updated, and SUPER cute)
• 30 Day Science Activity Planner for Kids: Darcy and Brian
• Building Challenge, Spring Lego Challenge and Winter Lego Challenge: Year Round Homeschooling (note throughout that she charges 99 cents for printable lists)
• 31 Days of Low-Prep STEAM Activities for Kids: Our Family Code

Reading and Writing Challenges

• Book Bingo Reading Challenge: Team Cartwright
• Spring Writing Challenge, Book a Day Challenge, Bible Love Challenge: Year Round Homeschooling
• 30 Day Doodle Challenge: Diary of a Journal Planner
• 25 Day Reading Challenge for Kids: Natural Beach Living
• A Year of Reading Challenges for Kids: Imagination Soup
• More than 250 Creative Writing Prompts for Kids: Journal Buddies
• 20 Fun Writing Prompts for Kids: Poetry 4 Kids

Nature and Health

• 4 Weeks of Nature Bucket List and Activities: Take Mom Outside
• Get Moving Challenge and Get Healthy Challenge: Year Round Homeschooling
• 23 Nature Activities for Kids: Hands on As We Grow
• 25 Outdoor Nature Science Activities: Little Bins for Little Hands

Boredom Busters and Screen-Free Challenges

• Screen-Free Activities for Kids: NutureStore
• Winter Boredom Buster Challenge: Year Round Homeshooling
• 50 Screen-Free Ideas: Your Modern Family

How to Design Creative Challenges for Kids

If you want to develop your own creative challenges for your kids, it’s pretty easy to do so starting from the ideas above or searching online for activities specific to whatever you want your challenge to be about or your child’s age, like my 64 toddler activities list.

Here are some specific things to keep in mind:

• Keep your kids’ interests in mind. While of course a challenge can be a fun way to stretch your skills, if your kid isn’t into painting at all, they probably won’t enjoy a 20-day painting challenge.
• Will your child or children need to/be able to do the challenges alone or will they need your help? If you’re giving them something so you can get some work done, make sure they can do it on their own.
• Are any supplies needed for the challenges and do you have them?
• How much time will the challenge take and is that too much for your kid?
• Are the activities too hard or too easy? A mix of things that are easy or that they are comfortable with along with some things that will take more effort/time/thinking skills is a great idea.
• Consider a variety of activities/prompts. For example, if you’re developing a Lego challenge, building a tower and building a building can be very similar. Change it up by asking how tall a tower can they build or can they design a building that could be built on the moon?
• Ask your kids for input. Tell them you are coming up with ideas related to fun things to do outside or different ways to read. They will probably have some ideas of their own to add.

What Challenges Are for

Remember that a challenge is a starting point, but it doesn’t have to be rigid. Some days the kids (or you) might not be into it, and that’s fine. Maybe they’ll do it for a few days then forget for a while but come back to it later.

To me, the idea is having these options available for when kids say they are bored or when they’re not sure what they want to do. They can fill time between school at home activities or when you need the kids to amuse themselves.

They also can and should be a collaboration between you and your child to learn more about what they like and what is fun for them. Have fun developing and working through creative challenges for kids together!