Activities For A Rainy Day
Bad weather is hard on children. They want to run and play, but the weather won’t let them. That can lead to a serious case of the doldrums and cranky children! It’s up to parents to stop that from happening. Here are some fun rainy day ideas that will keep the kids engaged and happy.
Get Them Moving
The first problem is that your child is not getting enough movement. This can be a real source of boredom, and if he’s not active, he probably won’t tire out enough to sleep well. Here are some fun ways to get him moving:
Teach your kids to dance. There are a ton of YouTube resources where your child can find dance moves or the routines that pop stars use in their hit music videos. Check out Fit For A Feast, a website full of free online dance lessons, gymnastic tutorials, and more!
This is an excellent time to help your child learn about how to exercise in both rain or shine. Search YouTube for kids’ exercise videos. The Realistic Mama shares her picks for the 9 best videos that teach kids fitness.
You can also get creative and think outside of the box. Sure, building a couch fort and staging a battle can be fun, but with a little painting tape, you can create all kinds of neat activities for your kids indoors. Check out these 5 interesting ways to get them moving from Super Healthy Kids.
If your child is not averse to getting wet and the rain lets up a bit, you can pull out the galoshes and let them play outside for a brief period to cool off. Of course, be sure that the weather is warm enough and you are not in severe weather conditions.
Sharpen Their Brain Skills
A break from school can cause kids to lose focus and even skills they learned in the classroom. Keep their brains sharp by engaging them in math and science activities and in everyday applications. Here are some great options:
Did you know that teaching your children to cook is a great way to help them learn math as well as a valuable life skill? Measuring, mixing, and cutting ingredients into halves or quarters teaches math without them realizing it. Here are 5 family-fun recipes from Delishably.
Board games are a great way to learn math as well as other skills. However, you can also create games of your own if the kids are bored of your current collection. Check out this Pinterest board full of math gamesthat you can make yourself. You should also take a look at this list of real-world math activities for kids from HomeAdvisor, which has over 100 ideas on games that kids will love that also boost math skills, including building a rubber band helicopter and designing a Barbie dream house.
How about a science experiment with ingredients you have right in your kitchen? Show your kids how to make their own glass of “lava” with this tutorial from Earth Science Jr.
Fun Online Activities
There are plenty of other online activities that they can do to enjoy the day as well, including:
Learn magic: This article from The Spruce Crafts teaches kids the basics of 11 magic tricks that are actually science projects.
Drawing: Is your child interested in learning to draw? There are many artistic styles he can choose from, including line drawing, pen art, and cartoons, to name a few. Check out ThoughtCo.com’s list of drawing resources to find a lesson he enjoys.
Online Learning: If your child doesn’t exactly know his interest, this site offers a comprehensive list of free courses for kids, covering everything from game creation to learning the piano.
Bad weather days can be challenging for kids, but with a little creativity and supervised online access, they can actually learn something new and have some fun. You may even find your child wishing for rain.