When you’ve got all summer to be with the children, you might worry you’ll run out of ideas to keep the active and entertained. There’s no need to plonk them in front of the TV, even if it is raining. Instead, why not try out one of these kiddy inspired ideas? They’re great fun, and they help you to spend quality time together as a family.
Treasure Hunt – This one is great for a rainy day. It can be set up in the same way as an Easter Egg hunt. You can leave strategically placed candies around the house. Alternatively, why not set some cryptic clues so the children have to do a little thinking before they can find their reward? For a greater range, you can use an online store like Candy Favorites to pick your candies. That way you can pick different colors of sweets to represent your treasure jewels. This could also be a fun one to do when the children’s friends are over.
Make a Memories Box – For all the arty and crafty families out there, this project is perfect for a rainy day indoors. Any small to medium box will do, but you can start with a gift box if you like. You’ll need some decorative beads, glitter, pens, and glue. The idea is to customize a box for each member of the family to keep some of their most treasured possessions inside. Each item should remind them of a time with the whole family. You could make the boxes themed, like dinosaurs or animals to add to the occasion.
Obstacle Course – To create an obstacle course, you can use everyday household items like chairs, laundry baskets and cushions. You might want to include balls, wooden spoons, and even an old sheet for a scramble net. If the children are of different ages, why not have them each compete against the clock rather than against each other. It doesn’t take up too much space but may be easier as a garden game.
Teddy Bear’s Picnic – For the little tots in your family, a picnic for the teddy bears is a wonderful activity. Be prepared to need to wash a few soft toys, though! This one is great practice for setting the table and trying new foods. Encourage your children to sing songs with their bears, and to read them a story from their favorite book. With the kids helping out their toys, you can see just how much of your parenting they are taking on!
Write A Story – This last one requires a little preparation on your part. It is really good for encouraging the younger children to use their imaginations. School-age kids can write out the words. Create a lucky dip bag with keywords or object written on pieces of paper. The children can make up character names, and determine what they do with the objects or actions they get out of the bag. Each sentence can be written up by the children in a scrapbook or notebook for the story. A perfect rainy day activity.
Some of these are active, and some are educational. All of them are fun and can (just about) be done on a rainy day indoors. See what you can get up to with your kids this summer. Enjoy!