Five Fun Things to Do with Your Kids on a Rainy Day

Five Fun Things to Do with Your Kids on a Rainy Day

Oh no! It’s raining! What are we going to do with the kids!? If this has been your reaction to bad weather, then you are one of millions of parents who fear keeping the kids indoors. Children have lots of energy and need an environment where they can let it out, but when the wind picks up and the rain pour and the lightning flashes, that energy can burst out in chaotic ways if you don’t keep your kids entertained and occupied.

Here’s a list of things for your family to do together during days when playing outdoors is not an option and these are all activities that do not include any video gaming or YouTubing.

• Read Together

That’s right — read! Instead of turning on the TV or popping a DVD on, sit down on the couch or lay down next to each other on the shag rug and read to each other. Take turns reading chapters if your children are older; help them with the words they don’t know, show them the words you think they should know.

If your children are smaller, have a stack of books to read to them since their books tend to be shorter and full of pictures. It’s a lovely thing, sharing an adventure with your little ones.

• Puppet Shows

Puppet shows are not that popular with older children, but we’ll get into that in a minute. If your children already have puppets to play with, that’s great! Puppets seem to be a dying toy that are getting harder to find now that a popular toys store giant closed its doors. If you do not own any puppets, that’s okay, there’s an alternative for you…

Kids love to play with their stuffed animals or dolls/action figures. Let your kids use their imagination and put on a skit for you using these. Their adventures will be even more amusing when you have a plush shark interacting with Pikachu. Help them create sets and props from everyday things and items lying around in their rooms. Watch and laugh, pretend cry, ball your fist at the meanie. Have fun with the show and get involved!

This next suggestion for older kids may seem absurd to most adults, but you will enjoy it if you try it. Play dolls/action figures with them. Get involved with their stories and participate. Grab that Shredder figure and have him fight the Ninja Turtles or have Barbie and her endless array of sisters (in the forms of My Little Ponies and DC Superheroes) go to the dance with a one-footed Ken. It will do more than just pass the time, it will give you and your child some bonding time that you will wish you could have more of as they grow older.

• Baking

Kids love to bake (really, they love to make a mess, don’t they!). Just look at all of the kids cooking shows spring up all over TV. And they can be shockingly good at it too. If your children have an interest in the culinary arts, and you have the talent as well, then make use of this time to whip up something delicious. Teach them a new recipe. Let them try to change an existing one; discover the results together.

If neither you nor your kids have the knack for baking, you can still enjoy doing so. Grab the cookie dough and let them put it on the baking sheet, then share the treats. Don’t forget the milk!

• Board Games

Even though this is one of the top selling categories during the holiday season, many kids (and parents) don’t think about playing board games when it is raining. With all of the electronics available, kids are becoming technologically sophisticated. It’s getting harder to keep a 5 year old out of the Leap Pad. Don’t let that deter you. There are many great games available for different ages.

My son loved playing Clue at age 7 and absolutely loves Life (I hate it!). My daughter has discovered a new game called Cobra Paw where you match the dice to the domino tiles and snatch it from the pile before somebody else gets it. The entire family enjoys Mexican Train, another domino game. Pie Face was big there for a while in the household. Find some games to have on-hand for rainy days, dust off some old ones and try them out.

• Arts and Crafts

There are a million and a half varieties of crafting kits out there! Some make necklaces, some make plush characters. Even if you are not the crafty type, you can still work from one of these. And who cares if your googly eyes are on upside down (would anyone notice?), the point of it all would be to have fun with your kids.

If you don’t have a kit, don’t worry. You probably have construction paper and glue lying around somewhere. Grab them and start crafting. Cut out images from old magazines or newspapers or junk mail catalogues and create a collage. Glue photos to paper, add some glitter, draw some pictures around them or make a scrapbook.

Science is not only weird, it is fun. Keep one of the many science kits available to conduct experiments on rainy days. Create slime with them, discover what happens when you mix chemicals, study the insides of a geode. Ignite their interest in the subject and they may one day discover a breakthrough that would change the world!

So like I said, don’t fear the rushing sound of rain. There is plenty for you and your kids to do inside. You just have to put your own devices down and engage them in one of the fun activities above.

Guest Article.