As parents, we always hope that our kids will be safe and sound when a power outage strikes.
However, we can’t always be there to entertain them. That’s why it’s important for kids to do some fun activities during a power outage.
With a little creativity, power outages can be a fun and bonding experience for the whole family.
So next time the lights go out, don’t panic – let your kids try out some activities and see how much fun they can have in the dark!
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Table of Contents
9 Things For Kids To Do During A Power Outage
There are many activities that kids can do during a power outage. Here are 9 ideas to get you started:
- Play card games
- Play Sorry! (Board Game)
- Play Mouse Trap (Board Game)
- Do a science experiment that creates lightning
- Play charades
- Play “I Spy” using things you can see
- Draw pictures or paint by candlelight
- Stargaze in the backyard or from inside if it’s too cold outside
- Make a homemade elastic band guitar and have a mini-concert
What Can Kids Do During A Power Outage?
1. Play Card Games
Some activities that kids can do during a power outage include playing card games. It’s also a great way to get them away from electronic devices!
Card games like War, Go Fish, and Old Maid is perfect for playing by lantern light.
War
War is a classic card game that is perfect for playing during a power outage. To play War, you need two players and a deck of cards.
Shuffle the cards and deal them out evenly to each player, face down. Turn over the top card of each player’s deck. This is the first card of the battle.
The player with the higher card wins the battle and takes both cards. If the cards are equal, both players must turn over another card.
The player with the highest card at the end of the battle wins and takes all of the cards.
Go Fish
Go Fish is a card game that is perfect for when you have a power outage. Play the game with two or more players.
To play, each player draws seven cards and sets them in a stack in front of them. The player who goes first either draws a card from the deck or takes one from the face-up stack in the middle of the table.
They must then put it in their hand, and if they have any pairs, they must lay them down on the table. The player then takes another turn. If the player cannot put down any cards, they must draw one from the deck.
The winner is the first player to get rid of all their cards.
Old Maid
Deal out the entire deck of cards, face down, to all of the players. Each player turns over one card at a time until all of the cards have been turned over.
The player who turns over the ace of spades (Old Maid) will become Old Maid, and all of the other players will exchange one card with her. Play then proceeds as normal, with the player who has the next highest card taking the first turn.
If a player does not have any cards left in their hand, they must draw from the deck until they have five cards again.
The winner is the first player to get rid of all of their cards.
2. Play Sorry!
Sorry! is a board game for two to four players. The goal of the game is to be the first player to get all four of their pawns from their START space to their HOME space.
Each player selects four pawns of the same color and places them on the START space of the corresponding color. Place the remaining at the side of the board. Shuffle the cards and place them face-down on the “Cards Here” space to form the Draw Pile.
Choose one player to start and proceed clockwise from there. On a player’s turn, they draw the top card from the Draw Pile and move their pawn based on the card’s instructions.
The player forfeits their turn if they cannot move their pawn based on the card. Some cards allow players to jump over their own or another player’s pawn, while others allow players to move backward.
The first player to get all four of their pawns into HOME wins the game. If playing again, the winner goes first.
With these simple rules, Sorry! is a great game for kids of all ages. So next time there’s a power outage, be sure to give it a try!
3. Play Mouse Trap
During a power outage, kids can have fun playing Mouse Trap. Mouse Trap is a board game for two to four players. The goal of the game is to be the first player to collect six cheese wedges and make a complete cheese wheel.
The game board is a path around a square track, with spaces numbered one through twelve. Along the path are various obstacles and challenges that players must navigate in order to reach the cheese wedges.
The game begins with each player receiving one cheese wedge. Two additional cheese wedges are placed on the Start space, and the first player to reach this space collects these wedges as a bonus.
Players then take turns rolling a die and moving their mouse pawn clockwise that number of spaces along the path. If they land on a space with instructions, they must follow the instructions on the space.
A player who lands on an opponent’s mouse trap forfeits one of his cheese wedges if their mouse pawn is captured. If a player lands on one of their own mouse traps, their mouse pawn is captured and they must remove one of the pieces from the mouse trap.
The first player to reach six cheese wedges and make a complete cheese wheel wins the game.
4. Do A Science Experiment That Creates Lightning
The purpose of this experiment shows how static electricity creates a spark. Static electricity is the build-up of an electric charge on the surface of an object. It is often caused by rubbing two objects together.
In this experiment, you will use static electricity to create a spark.
To create lightning, you will need a plastic fork, tin foil, a rubber glove, a wood cutting board, a rubber balloon, and a head of hair or wool.
Fold the foil around a plastic fork, to create a big, flat spatula that is easy to hold. Rub the rubber balloon on your hair or wool, which creates a static charge.
To pick up the balloon, use the tin foil spatula to place it on the cutting board. When you touch the foil with your other hand, you should feel a spark.
5. Play Charades
Whether you’re a kid or an adult, Charades is a classic game to play. This game involves physical activities for kids and is perfect for a power outage because it doesn’t require any materials and can be played indoors or outdoors.
To play charades, divide the players into two teams. One team will select a word or phrase and pantomime it while the other team tries to guess what it is. If the team guessing the word or phrase gets it right, they get a point.
The first team with the most points at the end of the game wins!
6. Play “I Spy” Using Things You Can See
“I Spy” is a classic game that can be played anywhere, no matter the situation. All you need is your imagination and some keen eyesight.
To play, one person starts by saying “I spy with my little eye something (color, shape, object)”. The other players then take turns guessing what the object is. The first person to correctly guess the object wins the round and gets to start the next one.
This game is perfect for kids because it helps them use their imagination and observational skills. It’s also a great way to pass the time during a power outage!
7. Draw Pictures Or Paint By Candlelight
Other activities that kids can do during a power outage are drawing pictures or painting by candlelight. This can be a great way to get creative and use their imagination. All you need is some paper, pencils, and candles.
To set up, simply place the paper on a surface where it won’t be blown away by the wind and light the candles. Then, let your child start drawing or painting! If they need some inspiration, you can give them a topic to focus on, like nature scenes or portraits.
When they’re finished, they can hold their artwork up to the light of the candles to see how it looks in different lighting. This is sure to be a fun activity for kids of all ages.
8. Stargaze In The Backyard
Stargazing can be a fun and rewarding activity for kids of all ages.
First, it is important to go out in the right conditions. Stargazing is best done on moonless nights with clear skies.
Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Next, bring along some stargazing tools. A sky map can help you identify what you see in the night sky. Binoculars or a telescope will allow you to see celestial sights more clearly and up close.
Keep a notebook with you to sketch what you see and to keep track of your sightings. You may also want to bring a flashlight to help you see your notebook or sky map.
When stargazing, it is important to stay safe. Do not let your kids wander around and accompany them at all times. It is easy to get lost, so keep track of your surroundings.
Also, remember that not all points of light in the night sky are stars. Airplanes, satellites, and meteors can be mistaken for stars. However, one clue that can help you tell the difference is that planets do not twinkle like stars.
You can view all the planets that are currently visible at night by looking at Timeandate.com’s interactive night sky map. With a little practice, your child can become an expert at stargazing!
9. Make A Homemade Elastic Band Guitar
It’s time to make a new guitar! Get your tissue box, poster or acrylic paint, 2 lolly sticks, a long cardboard tube, elastic bands of different sizes and thicknesses, colored paper, and buttons or decorations ready.
The first step is painting both the cardboard tube and lolly sticks with something colorful paints so they’ll look good when we are done decorating our instrument later on in this project.
Paint the inside of the tissue and allow it to dry. Cut out some colored paper that is appropriate for your desired color. Glue them together with their painted sides facing each other and let these glued pieces set before continuing onward!
Insert the cardboard tube into a hole cut at top of the tissue box then secure it in place with sticky tape. Glue lolly sticks on either end for stability and allow drying before stretching different sizes or thicknesses of elastic bands around the box. Finish off with decorations as desired!
Final Thoughts
The 9 activities we’ve listed here are all fun and easy ways for kids to entertain themselves during a power outage.
Whether they want to get creative with drawing or painting, explore the night sky, play card or board games or make their own musical instrument, there’s something here for everyone.
Just be sure to take precautions when stargazing or wandering around in the dark, and have fun!
