Kids Activities When You’re a Tired Mom: How to Play when You’re Exhausted

Here are 28 kids activities so you can be the fun mom, when you’re the tired, sick or exhausted mom. You don’t have to move off the couch and they are screen free activities.

Kids Activities when you’re tired

Being a mom is exhausting. The end. I could just end that post right there and everyone would feel validated.

One of the hardest things is trying to be a mom while you are sick and exhausted. You just want a nap, but your kids don’t understand what it means to sleep. They definitely take it for granted.

When I come home from work, I am totally exhausted, but I also want to give my kids love and attention. My daughter wants to play the second I get home. Some days are hard because I just want to crawl into bed. I had to change the way I viewed this time with my kids.

I discovered that I could still spend time with them, and not move off the couch. Even just giving your kids 20 minutes, makes them feel valued and loved. Don’t get me wrong, there are still days where I just turn the TV on and go to my room and sleep for as long as they’ll let me, but I try to make those days uncommon.

If you’re feeling exhausted, here are some quick games/activities you can do with your kids to give them love and attention.

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28 Kids Activities when you’re tired

I spy

My daughter loves this game. I swear she doesn’t pick out an object ahead of time; She just waits until I say something she likes. Haha. My 3 year old can also get into this game. He just keeps picking the same thing over and over again.

Paint toe nails

Kids LOVE painting nails. Even my son. This is an easy activity. Have them grab a towel, your nail polish kit and bring them to you. I only let them paint my toe nails, cause, you know.

Do your hair, or you do their hair

I love when people play with my hair. Get out your hair brush, clips, and bows and let them go crazy.

Make Up/face painting

You can also let them do your make up or paint your face, if you’re feeling brave. Side tip: You can get face paint from the dollar store. It all washes off, right?

Sing

Kids love to sing. We will sing songs with our Alexa, or nursery rhymes, church songs, jingles, children’s songs. Some of our favorite children’s songs are Where the Watermelon Grows and Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar.

Would you rather

My daughter loves would you rather questions. They are fun, and you can make it last quite a while. I have a post with 81 different would you rather questions. Print them off and have them handy when you’re feeling tired. Download by signing up below:

Jokes

Telling jokes is another great easy activity.  I also have a post with 81 jokes for kids that kids actually understand and will make you LOL. You can print off my jokes printable and make them into a game.

Doctor

Play doctor. Almost everyone has a play doctor set, if not, you should get one. Again, there are some at the dollar store. You just lay there while they take your blood pressure or hear your heartbeat.

Hangman

This is a great game for you slightly older children. My daughter is in 1^st grade and she just started playing it. She loves it. Here are some FREE hangman templates, or you can buy a hangman game if you’re feeling advanced.

Play with Alexa

Alexa does everything. We sing and play games. One of our favorites is Open the Magic Door. Alexa takes you down a path and you make choices along the way. Just ask her to Open the Magic Door. 

Pictures

Look at old pictures and videos together on your phone or laptop. My daughter loves this, and she loves to hear stories about when she was younger. Toddlers also love to look at themselves.

Tic Tac Toe

Another great game. If you need a FREE Tic Tac Toe Printable, look no further.

Dots game

My daughter loves and hates this game. She gets really frustrated. I’m still working on teaching her strategy. If you’re looking for a FREE dots printable, I got it.

Read books

Kids love to read books. Sometimes they forget that. If I know they want my attention, but aren’t asking for it, I just sit and start reading. They come gather around and then pick book after book for me to read. Here are a few of our favorites: The Mixed Up Truck, There’s a Monster at the End of This Book, and Look and Find Books. 

Puzzle

Both my kids love puzzles. My son really tries to do the advanced ones, but gets really frustrated. But if I just tell him where all the pieces go, he’s completely content. Even as a 2 year old, my son loved doing puzzles. If you need puzzles, you can find these super cheap on Amazon, or the dollar store.

Board game

Play a board game. They have board games for all ages. Below are a few of our favorites. You’d be surprised how quick a toddler can pick up on a game, especially if it’s repetitive. Plus, you can always make accommodations for the younger ones.

Uno
Hoot Owl Hoot
Jenga
Memory
Shoots and Ladders
Candyland

Spelling bee

This one would be for the older ones. My daughter is constantly asking me to give her a word to spell, and I love seeing how much she’s learned.

Drawing game

Most kids love to draw and color. One of my sister’s favorite games as a child was asking me to make a scribble on a piece of paper and then she would make something out of it. This is a great game for kids.

Color

Coloring, especially when you’re tired can be relaxing. Have some of the those adult coloring books handy, and bring them out for such a time as this. I like to have back up coloring books and sticker books from the dollar store. They always come in handy and kids love new coloring books. It keeps them entertained longer than an old coloring book. You could also buy yourself an adult coloring book that is just yours to bring out and color with them.

Check out the different coloring pages in my shop.

Paper airplane

You might have to brush up on your airplane making skills, but make them a paper airplane and watch them throw it around, or don’t and shut your eyes. I am bad at making airplanes, but here is a good resource for that.

Shadow puppets

Turn off the lights, use the flashlight on your phone, lay down and make shadow puppets. Maybe even wish that they will fall asleep on their own.

Simon says

If you are always Simon, you can play Simon says. Just give out all the orders.

Watch TV/educational YouTube videos

You can watch TV with them. Sometimes my daughter asks me to watch a movie or something with her. She sees it as valuable time together, as do I. There are great educational movies and YouTube videos out there too.

20 Questions

20 questions is another easy game. It might not work for toddlers, but 4 years and up can certain do it. Also, Alexa has a 20 questions game. If you don’t want to play 20 questions specifically, you could just ask Alexa a bunch of questions. Like what sound does a Lion make? How many countries are in the world? What is the capital of Maine?

Rock Paper Scissors

An oldie but goodie. Play rock, paper, scissors. Did you know that I participated in the Guinness book of world records for the biggest Rock, Paper, Scissors game!? I was out in the first round, but it was fun. I go the T-shirt to prove it.

Mommy is the road

Lay down and let your kids drive cars up and down your arms and legs. Why this is so entertaining? I don’t know. But I know my son loves it.

Staring Contest

My daughter loves this game, but I am not very good at it…at all. We often play this game in church.

Play pretend

Lay on the couch and tell your kids to pretend to be a monkey, dog, cat, etc… You could also judge their attempts.

Kids are fun and funny. They are relatively easy to please. Don’t drive yourself mad trying to do some big lavish activity all the time. Just spend time with them. It’s possible, even if you’re tired. (which is probably always, let’s be honest).

There you have it, Kids activities when you’re tired.

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