Power outage? Kids need to be entertained? Here are ideas for what do you do with the kids when:
- the power goes out?
- you’re stuck at the airport?
- you’re stranded in your car during a snowstorm?
- you’ve been evacuated to a temporary shelter due to a natural disaster?
- for whatever reason, your kids are without their usual toys and diversions?
If you’re not prepared, children will likely find their own creative ways to occupy their time – whining about how bored they are, harassing siblings, or tearing up whatever is nearby.
With a bit of advance preparation and some simple toys, you can create an emergency entertainment kit that makes downtime pass quickly and gives kids something creative and stimulating to do.
Along with keeping children constructively occupied, an emergency entertainment kit can help kids in other ways:
- Sports and large-motor activities have been proven to be an effective form of trauma therapy and stress relief.
- Structured activities provide a sense of comfort and security to children whose regular lives have been turned upside-down.
- Interacting with parents and siblings in a new pastime can bring families closer together and open up new lines of communication, which is especially important when a family is under stress.
20 Items to Pack
- Deck of playing cards
- Small guide to card games and rules of play
- Handkerchief to use as a blindfold, a flag, a blanket, a headband, etc.
- Sidewalk chalk
- Ping-pong balls for playing catch, blowing races, spoon races, table soccer, etc.
- Notepad and pens, pencils, crayons, or washable markers
- Chinese jump rope
- Bag of balloons for playing catch, Keep It Up, etc.
- Tape measure for marking off playing areas, measuring things in the room, etc.
- Jacks
- Yo-yo
- Dice
- Frisbee or Nerf ball
- Nail polish, cotton balls, barrettes, clips, comb and brush for playing salon
- Comfort items, like small stuffed animals
- Paper cups for tossing games, stacking contests, relay races, etc.
- Paper plates to draw on, for flying discs, masks, etc.
- Straws for blowing relays, pick-up sticks, etc.
- Book of read-aloud stories
- Small packages of nonperishable snacks
Keep your entertainment kit in a waterproof bag or backpack near other emergency supplies. Add some to your “Grab-and-Go” kit, car emergency kit or a carry-on bag – just in case.
Games
Caught unprepared without your supplies? Try these no-items-needed games and activities to pass the time.
- Categories
- Simon Says
- Scavenger Hunt
- Twenty Questions
- I Spy
- Telephone
- Duck, Duck, Goose
- Red Light, Green Light
- Blind Man’s Bluff
- Follow the Leader
- Charades
- Sing-alongs
- Play school or office
- Put on a play or talent show
- Tell a chain story
- Take a walk
Photo Credit: Tina Floersch