It’s raining, it’s pouring, the creek bed is roaring, schools are closed, roads are hosed, couldn’t get out in the morning.
As I sit here and write this there is an aquatic river dumping on Central California and it has me thinking about how to keep my boys busy with indoor activities. I’m not opposed to taking them outside and splashing around in some puddles for a while but once we get indoors I need a game plan. So here it is, five rainy day activities to keep kids busy indoors. If you are lucky enough to get a break in the weather you may be interested in 10 Free Things To Do With Kids.
1. Exercise – This is a good activity to start with because kids need to burn off energy regardless of what the weather is doing. So I say, wear them out with some exercise. Along with all of the obvious benefits like heart and lung health, exercise has the added benefit of bringing on a calm state that helps them see things more clearly, settle down, and relax. Here is the catch, if it isn’t fun, they won’t do it. So, just join the party.
If you are staying indoors, YouTube is a good place to start. This fun home workout video is a nine-minute workout for kids that will get them moving. It is led by two animated characters that will entertain your kids while they do back turns, jumping jacks, side bends, squats, side deep squats, and ski hops.
Another great exercise for the littles is Yoga. In this four-minute exercise video, Yoga for kids with animals, real kids exercise with cartoon animals as they learn the cat pose, downward facing dog, upward facing dog, easy pose, and bound angle.
One last video that your kids may enjoy is this 7 Min Fun Children’s Rebounding Story on a mini fitness trampoline for ages 3-8 Years old. This video is led by a dad with his son and daughter. Following along requires a trampoline and enough indoor space to use it. This video is fun for the kids and speaking from experience, trampolines can really wear them out.
2. Target Practice – Oh the fun we can have with rubber bands! This one is easy, just take a sheet of paper, draw a target on it, and tape it to the wall. Then get some rubber bands and try to hit the target. It may help to put a second piece of tape on the ground to set up a firing line to make sure they are shooting from a safe distance every time. If you are unsure about how to shoot a rubber band, this video does a great job of demonstrating how to make a rubber band gun with your hand. If you want to take it to another level, try building your own rubber band gun with the help of this video. Target practice can also be great fun with nerf guns.
Now is probably a good time to talk about gun safety. I realize that we are only talking about shooting rubber bands but it is always a good idea to use eye protection when shooting anything. That means safety glasses or goggles if you have them. This is also a good time to discuss the importance of respecting firing lines and what it means to cease fire. After all, mom probably doesn’t want to be shot by a rubber band.
3. Art Time – Now that the kiddos are worn out, hit them with the arsenal. Bring out the colored pencils, crayons, washable markers, sheets of paper, coloring books, glue, scissors, and construction paper, then give them a simple project. Give them the space to be creative, this is their chance to shine. But it is important to pay attention so you can step in when they need help or reassurance. If you stay engaged, they will likely stay engaged.
When you start thinking about all the art projects that are available you are only really limited by your time and imagination. Have you ever tried paper mache with kids? If not, here is a really great video of a kindergarten teacher describing how she makes paper mache insects with an entire class of kindergarteners. Or this one of Cassie Stephens teaching us how to make clay turtles while promoting her book “Clay Lab for Kids”. It’s cool because she is using air-dry clay that does not require a kiln.
4. Jigsaw Puzzle – Do this when your kids are calm and don’t have the zoomies, otherwise it won’t work. Jigsaw puzzle building is an age-dependent activity for sure. For example, my five-year-old can easily knock out a 200-piece puzzle in an hour or two. My two-year-old, not so much. But he is perfectly capable of doing puzzles designed for kids his age. So put a little thought into the puzzle you give them, too difficult and it will go right over their head, too easy and they won’t stay engaged.
Puzzles are great for kids because they help them think critically, problem-solve, recognize colors and shapes, test, and plan ahead. Here is a fun 60-piece Toy Story puzzle to get you started.
5. Roll Coins – I know this makes me sound like an antique, and yes, I’ve heard of Coinstar. But seriously, putting coins into rolls is a great way to teach kids about money. It requires them to have some level of coordination and dexterity. And while you are rolling coins with your kids, you can make it an opportunity to teach them how to count. It’s a great way to visually show them how to count with multiples. Just separate the coins into groups of fives or tens to give them a good visual.
If you are not sure where to find coin rolls I’ve included an Amazon affiliate link to coin rolls here so you can buy them. Once you roll them up, take them to your bank and make a deposit.
Hopefully, by the time you have gone through my 5 rainy-day activities, it will be nap time. At the end of the day, if you can get your kids to burn some energy, think for themselves, and teach them a thing or two along the way, you are winning as a parent.
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