What do you do with the kids on a rainy weekend day?
If your weather is anything like ours, there is always a rainy, windy or a simply cold day every weekend. I am not willing to let my children’s brains rot in front of the TV or a tablet so on these days, I go into the craft room or our closet of goodies to pull out activities that keeps our minds sharp while having a good time. The best part is, most of the things we do are not extremely expensive and if you have the supplies already, it’s a no spending day!
- Creating Costumes And Acting Out Scenes. This could be as easy as pulling out old Halloween costumes to making pieces from felt or construction paper. My kids will sometimes take it a step further by drawing the backgrounds on poster board or big boxes. Occasionally, one of the kids will play on the piano or use a plastic instrument such as a kazoo for music. I have seen many great plays and musicals without ever leaving my house!
- Painting pictures. I usually have some paint supplies in the house and they are not extremely expensive. Most of the supplies come from the dollar store, grocery market or a discount shop. We normally have some wood cutouts, big rocks, canvases and even construction paper to paint on and use washable paints that can be used several times before they have to be discarded. Bonus tip! When we buy art kits, we wash the brushes and save any unused paint. Give them new life and save yourself from having to restock so often.
- Craft Kits. You can find these as low as five dollars and they can include many things such as friendship bracelets, crocheting characters and making felt stuffed animals. They can be a two for one activity with taking up time and having something to potentially play or gift later. Many of these craft kits allow kids to use their fine motor skills as well as practicing what they learned in math.
- Making Books. This type of activity is so huge in my house and is not reserved for just rainy days. We have at our home two different types of book binding machines as well as a laminator, but a cheap stapler and construct paper can certainly do the trick. The kids will draw their pictures and write their words (or have you write down the story). My middle daughter has even entered a book that she wrote into a contest and it was available for several months to be checked out of the library. Bonus tip! These homemade books can make really good grandparent presents!
- Pulling Out Old Toys. My thrifting friends, this one is for you. I love thrift shopping and finding classic toys from my childhood to share with the next generation in my family. We also love finding things at Grandma’s house too! Normally these toys are hard surfaces which are easier to wipe down, especially if you get them at the thrift store. We usually pull these toys out of the storage closet when it is raining and they love playing with something new. So if you love a certain dollhouse or racetrack, share it with the little ones!
- Making Homemade Snacks. On those rainy days and even more on the wintery ones, making snacks and baking always help pass the time away. We love making desserts like cookies from scratch, but we are not afraid to making them from premade dough either. If you are not big into baking, no worries! My kids love throwing trail or party mix together in a bowl.
- Not Feeling Creative, Try These! Board games, coloring books, paper with crayons, making blanket tents and playing with their favorite toys are nothing to frown at. They can be fun too!
While rainy days are a bummer when it comes to playing outside, they can be opportunities to having fun inside!
