What do the kids do when they’re stuck inside for a week because of rain? If you saw my video on my Facebook page, you’ll understand that we’ve had major rain happening for a full week. The backyard is all soggy and the kids can start going a little stir crazy. But mine have been having a pretty fun week, so I thought I’d share their favorite things to do inside when its raining (or snowing or too hot).
Don’t ever skip out on the value of spending some time outside in that summertime rain, though. Kids love to stomp in puddles, use an umbrella or just get wet in the rain and even though it makes for extra laundry and toweling everyone off as they walk in the door — these are great experiences for kids to have. One of my favorite memories as a kid is skipping up and down my grandma’s driveway singing at the top of my lungs with my cousins as an Arizona rainstorm poured down on top of us.
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But, you probably won’t spend every moment out in the rain. So, here’s the top 10 things my kids love to do when they’re stuck inside:
- Build forts — They will pull out every blanket and use every table, shelf, chair, etc. or just find a cozy spot in the closet to throw a blanket over. It doesn’t really matter, nothing fancy required and no advance preparation needed. What’s important is the blanket over the top of something and maybe even a flashlight . . . and an agreement that they’ll clean up the messes they make!
- GoNoodle — Getting the wiggles out is important and my kids love doing the videos on www.gonoodle.com at school but they never get tired of them so we use them at home, too. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do it now! Lots of fun songs to dance along or do fun activities with. And we love the calming ones, too.
- Cooking Together — My kids always like to help in the kitchen. 5 sets of grabby hands and clamoring bodies are a little much at once while I’m trying to cook. But I’ll work with them one on one. And the older kids have even discovered a 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe they can easily make on their own. Plus, then there’s cookies afterwards – so they’re always up for that!
- Movies — A great family friendly movie is always a fun way to spend a couple hours. Be sure to add some popcorn to make it extra special!
- Dance Party — Maybe its just cranking up some tunes to dance along with — that works! Our family discovered the High School Musical Just Dance Wii game this summer and its become a favorite for us. I wasn’t sure about it when we first got it because its more hand/arm moves than dancing but it has grown on us and quickly became something we all love. Even the little ones have figured it out, with practice, and the older ones (including the parents) love it, too.
- Drawing/Crafting — We love to draw around here. The kids inherited their Dad’s art gene and I’m grateful for that since the extent of my art ability is stick figures. They can be found drawing almost every day so to make it more special we’ll pull out the craft box. Its just a box of stickers, stamps, scrapbook paper scraps, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, craft sticks, etc. They love to create all sorts of fun things out of the goodies in that box.
- Board and Card Games — As a family, we always have a good time with Zingo, something that everyone can participate in. But the older ones have taken on our love for the classics: Clue, Sorry, Battleship, Uno.
- Hide & Seek — When Dad is home, he always gets involved in the games of hide and seek. And he always finds the best hiding places. I know when our kids grow up they’ll remember those kinds of things.
- Puzzles — We have a table in our “library” (Which is really the formal dining room, but who uses a formal dining room anymore anyway?) that is perfect for doing puzzles because they don’t have to be put away when its time for a meal at the kitchen table. My mother-in-law puts up a special table for puzzles when we come to visit. Just a simple card table and a puzzle can keep the family occupied on and off for days or if they’re really into it, for several hours at a time. Our favorites are Eric Dowdle puzzles!
- Being Bored — Yep, I put it right there! Boredom is on our list of top 10 things the kids love about being stuck inside. They said they like to do things like count as high as they can, play make believe, and use their imaginations to come up with inventions. Stuff like that doesn’t happen unless kids have an opportunity to be bored. They need that time to develop their imaginations and learn how to handle boredom for when it hits when they’re adults. So, however much you fill their time with good stuff, don’t forget to give them time to be bored.
How do your kids like to spend a rainy day?
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