Fun and Educational Ideas for the Indoors
Being stuck indoors due to bad weather doesn't have to mean instant boredom. There are ways to turn a wet, soggy day into a fun-filled, indoor experience for everyone!
Many children seem to be filled with limitless energy and absolutely love to run and play outdoors as often and for as long as possible. However, the weather is not always conducive for outside play and parents sometimes end up having to keep their children indoors for lengthy periods of time.
Unfortunately, many parents find themselves distressed just at the thought of having to spend time cooped up in the house with their children! Children can quickly get bored, restless, and cranky. Although, television often becomes the quick fix, it does not have to be the only way to keep children happy. Check out these great ideas to keep children cheerfully engaged in constructive indoor activities on all those rainy days!
Coloring and Painting Can Brighten Up Any Rainy Day
Provide children with lots of colorful crayons, colored pencils, and washable markers along with drawing paper so that they can express their creativity. Keep a collection of fun coloring books and water color paints on hand for easy access. Check out on-line coloring pages where children can color on-line pictures by clicking on the screen. These types of sites also allow parents to print out the coloring pages according to the age of the child and their particular preferences.
Jig-Saw Puzzles Can Keep Children Engaged for Hours
Traditional puzzles like jig-saws are a wonderful way to keep children busy on rainy days. Jig-saw puzzles are great because they help to develop problem-solving skills as well as fine-motor skills. Choose puzzles with an appropriate number of pieces for the age-group of the child. It can also be fun for families to work on larger puzzles together. Look for on-line versions of jig-saw puzzles as well!
Building Sets Make Wonderful Rainy Day Activities
Construction sets such as Lego's, Tinker Toys, and Lincoln Logs have been around for what seems like an eternity and for good reason! These types of building toys are wonderful for children of all ages. They encourage creativity, foster problem solving skills and enhance fine motor development. Another newer type of building set is called Gears, Gears, Gears. Parents may find that their children can't get enough of playing with these types of educational toys, rain or shine!
Board Games Make for Indoor Family Fun
Rainy days don't feel so long when children are actively engaged in playing classic board games such as Scrabble and Scrabble Jr, checkers, and chess. These types of games are more fun when everyone gets involved. Gather some snacks, put on some fun music and pull out the board games to help make rainy days more tolerable!
Books Can be an Exciting Escape on a Rainy Afternoon
Reading is an excellent way for children to spend their time when they have to stay indoors because of the weather. Parents should always make the time to either read with their children or have them read to them and rainy days make perfect opportunities to get this done! Parents can provide lots of high interest, age appropriate books for their children and then gently make the suggestion that they find a comfy spot to curl up with an old favorite or a new pick! One of the best ways to pass the time on a rainy day is to pull out a great book. Check out some of the reading incentive sites available for children on-line.
Music and Dance Can Be Great for Restless Children
Turn on the radio or CD player and put on some favorite hits. Clear the floor and get moving! Children usually love to jump, dance, stretch and just generally let off steam. This is especially important when the weather is so bad that they cannot get outdoors at all. Exercise is wonderful for both children and adults and it makes everyone happy! Pop in an exercise video or tune into one of the many exercise channels available on television. Actively participate with children and watch their excitement grow and grow!
Rainy days can become the portal between children and their next great adventure. Parents just need to provide meaningful activities to engage their children, offer gentle support, encouragement and specific praise when needed and then sit back to watch the magic unfold!
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