Staying engaged during long days at home does not have to mean planning elaborate activities or purchasing expensive toys. Galvanize kids’ attention by keeping a fun list of projects that can be done with scant money and planning. Many of these projects encourage upcycling household items or picking up or ordering a few inexpensive items.

Consider any projects that may interest your children and print out instructions you find online. Then pull all your projects into a folder, make a list of supplies, and gather or order them to have on hand. Once the first chorus of “I’m bored” begins, you’ll be ready to dive into plenty of fun hands-on ideas.

1. Plant seeds for a vegetable garden that everyone will enjoy.
2. Bake homemade granola for energizing yet economical breakfasts.
3. Make a beanbag-toss ladder game for playing after dinner.
4. Sign up for a far-away pen pal and write weekly letters.
5. Grab binoculars, a guidebook, and a notepad, and take a bird-watching walk.
6. Create an ultimate croquet game with obstacles impeding each wicket.
7. Make sock puppets and construct a theater for performing with them.
8. Blow bubbles with kitchen items and homemade bubble formula.
9. Create bedroom window banners with craft supplies you have on hand.
10. Mix up a batch of strawberry shortcake biscuits and serve with berries and homemade whipped cream.
11. Plant sunflowers in cups on a windowsill and then transfer them outdoors once they have sprouted.
12. Start a homemade instrument band.
13. Paint colorful garden rocks and encircle the house with them.
14. Gather items that signify your era and bury them in a time capsule.
15. Set up a table, chairs, and teacups for a fancy tea party.
16. Melt old crayons into rainbow crayons using muffin tins.
17. Make a watch-me-grow-up slideshow and send it to far-away relatives
18. Construct an indoor or outdoor fort.
19. Have pets pose for photos you can use to paint watercolor portraits.
20. Hold a paper airplane making and flying competition.
21. Once it’s warm enough, camp out overnight in the backyard.
22. Recycle whimsical items into a fairy garden in a shady spot.
23. Spray a glow-in-the-dark maze onto the lawn for evening fun.
24. Put on an outdoor play, original or adapted.
25. Pack up juice boxes and snacks for a leisurely bike ride.
26. Spend the day learning to juggle.
27. Lay on blankets in the yard and read books or poetry out loud.
28. Make muffins or coffee cake with blueberries and share some with an elderly neighbor.
29. Make models from kits on a sunny porch or patio.
30. Plan a hydrated hike destination you can reach from home, then rest, then go back.
31. Paint words, names, or destinations on scraps of wood and make them into signposts around the yard.
32. Make a role model collage with images and words and then share what you admire aloud.
33. Gather up white clothing and shoes, then tie-dye them or decorate them with permanent markers.
34. Come up with a fantastic family vacation then start a vision board you can add to over time.
35. Research, practice, and put on a magic show complete with hats and capes.
36. Create a family nature journal that includes pressed samples and photos you can add to all summer.
37. Hang rolled paper against a flat wall and let each child make a colorful graffiti statement.
38. Research another era and make retro paper dolls and outfits.
39. Make found-object wind chimes to hang by front and back doors.
40. Grab a couple ladders, pool noodles, and folding lawn chairs and construct an over-under obstacle course.
41. Make up photo scavenger hunts for each other.
42. Pick up a putter, sink some plastic cups in the lawn, and turn your yard into a mini golf course.
43. Research group dances and have after-dinner practices.
44. Search online by day and study the constellations you will watch for by night.
45. Virtually visit a faraway place of each child’s choosing through the internet.
46. Make a family patchwork quilt by giving each family member a certain number of squares to finish. Use fabric scraps from around the house.
47. Make homemade pizzas from scratch.
48. Make origami with waterproof paper and hang them from tree branches in the yard.
49. Practice all day for a family talent night.
50. Practice colorful cookie, cake, or cupcake decorating.
51. Study fashion history and then pull together fashions out of recycled materials.
52. Sit around the fire pit and share what you like about books you are reading.
53. Set up an indoor or outdoor theater, pop popcorn, and stream a favorite movie.
54. Arrange a stuffed animal parade.
55. Drape together a napping or reading tent with sheer drapes hung from the ceiling.
56. Create an oversized map for an outdoor treasure hunt.
57. Construct a city out of recycled items.
58. Craft a maze in the yard with masking tape or painter’s tape.
59. Learn a new card game.
60. Share what you appreciate about time together with your family over homemade pie or cake.