Are you looking for some fun home improvement ideas to do with your children?
It’s difficult enough to keep your kids occupied on an average day. But quarantine measures due to COVID-19 have us all feeling a bit cooped up!
Children of all ages have active, inquisitive minds. The adjustment from seeing their friends and family members on a daily to homeschooling and near complete isolation is going to be a tough sell.
Fortunately, there are plenty of projects you can enlist your children into completing with your guidance.
Some are more ambitious than others, but they will keep your toddlers, kids, and teens busy and out of trouble. These projects are great for keeping your entire family sane and occupied—yourself included! And as a bonus, you get some neat home improvements out of the deal, too.
8 Home Improvement Ideas
Home Improvement Ideas #1: Maintenance
While not technically a renovation, there is no reason not to begin investing your children and teens in the maintenance of your home.
It is never too early to teach kids that their home is their shelter and sanctuary and ought to be taken care of as such. Treating it right means taking care of it properly.
Showing them how to maintain the gutters and HVAC systems throughout your home are all vital skills that they can use for the rest of their life. If you really want to up the ante, you can even guide your children through more advanced repairs needed to maintain your house.
“Of course, you should teach your children to always know when to ask for help from reputable professionals,” says Simply Mechanical Co, a company that provides air conditioning repair in Littleton, CO.
Home Improvement Ideas #2: Replacing Your Driveway
The most ambitious project on this list is definitely undertaking an overhaul of your driveway. Whether you have blacktop or concrete, this is a renovation that will require some research on your end.
Older children and teens are the perfect demographic for this project. There are some safety concerns involved in the process that ought to make you think twice about roping in toddlers and younger kids, who may feel left out if they see their older siblings having a go of it, so consider this before making any plans.
According to the CEO of Asphalt Industrial, “Involving children and teenagers in driveway renovation projects can be both educational and enjoyable. It’s an opportunity to teach them about the importance of maintenance and the different materials involved, such as asphalt sealer material, while also fostering teamwork and practical skills.”
Home Improvement Ideas #3: Re-Caulking Tile
Re-caulking tiles in your home is a tedious project for us as adults and for older teens, but children and younger kids will get a kick out of the process—with a little incentivizing, of course!
After you show them how to correctly apply the caulk, you and your kiddos can make quick work of a fairly low-stakes project that would have dragged on for days if you had taken it on yourself.
Home Improvement Ideas #4: Retiling
Similar to caulking, retiling is a straightforward process. Its only downside is the monotony of the act itself, but children will take joy in fitting together the tiles like puzzle pieces.
Retiling is a satisfying process for your kids because it is instantly gratifying: they can see the fruit of their labor come together in real-time.
Plus, they will be walking on it for years to come, and each time they do they will remember the hard work they put into it.
Home Improvement Ideas #5: Outdoor Obstacle Course
If you are at your wit’s end trying to wrangle your kids seemingly endless energy within your home, why not kick them out? I kid, I kid, of course!
But there is something to be said for the peace of mind that comes with getting your children out of the house occasionally. It is great for everyone’s sanity, as well as their growing bodies, that they tire themselves out and stay appropriately active.
Involving them in the process of building a makeshift obstacle course in your backyard is a surefire way to guarantee they will actually use it. They will feel invested in the final product.
Home Improvement Idea #6: Painting Walls
Accent walls are a great way to add some flavor to a room that has grown stale. Even the simple act of picking out a satisfying color will delight and amuse the most irate of children.
As long as you provide clear guidelines for painting and the right tools, this is a project that your older kids might even feel comfortable taking on independently.
Home Improvement Idea #7: Pallet Wall
Pallet walls are an up-and-coming design trend involving the smoothing, refinishing, and application of pallet boards to a wall.
Much like one would paint a wall for an accent to spice up a room, pallet walls add depth and character to any room or space they are in.
There are so many aspects of the application that children can get involved in, from sanding to refinishing the boards themselves to finding ways that they can fit into the given space on a wall.
The best part about pallet walls is that the wood is NOT supposed to align perfectly, so the haphazard finish your children might tend towards is actually ideal!
Home Improvement Idea #8: DIY Light Boxes
Light boxes are a fun alternative to simply replacing the light fixtures in your home. They are customizable and super engaging for children, especially younger kids, and they can match the décor of any given room. Making light boxes yourself is a straightforward process with materials you can find in any home.
Conclusion
We hope that you have found at least one home improvement project in this list that you can complete with your children while they are stuck inside. Remember to be safe and take precautions when working with tools or using hazardous materials, but most importantly have fun together! As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us. We would love to help where we can. Stay safe and healthy everyone!
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
