You wake up to a cold morning hearing the soft tapping of the rain on your roof. You find it music to your ears. You look out the window and observe how the raindrops make your garden greener. You find that fascinating. You curl up in bed, much loved book on hand, allowing your blanket to keep you warm. You declare to yourself how calming this day is. Not until your kids come in the bedroom wearing gloomy faces blurting out, “We’re bored”.
A rainy day should not in anyway leave a child, or an adult, in low spirits. It should be seen as an opportunity to deepen the bond between family members. Here are 11 engaging family indoor activities to keep the kids and adults eagerly occupied on a rainy day.
1. Create your Family Tree. Wouldn’t it be nice to understand how your family is rooted together? Involving your kids in creating a family tree will keep them engrossed and at tune with their creativity. It makes them appreciate their family origins too.
2. Go camping. Who says camping can only be done outdoors? Your living room is just one of the many areas in your home that can be a campsite. Grab those colorful blankets and hang them as makeshift tents. Switch off the lights. Gather all your emergency lamps and flashlights in the middle of the campsite to make an instant campfire!
3. Play Hide-and-Seek. This has been an all-time favorite game even when our grandparents were grade schoolers. Your home, being a controlled environment, makes the game more challenging and entertaining.
4. Switch roles as parents and children. Children love to do role-playing. Switching roles at home will definitely delight them. At the same time, this activity will help you realize how your children see you as a parent.
5. Be creative and do a marathon story. Every child adores being read to and listening to a story. But it’s twice the fun when they create their own story by adding imaginative sequences of events! Begin by saying “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a…” then let each child add strings of events.
6. Have a Sandwich Making Contest. A cold rainy day makes eating more enjoyable. So put those loaves of bread, spreads, cheese and cold cuts on the kitchen table. Have every child create the most delightfully looking and yummiest tasting sandwich. By the end of the activity, you might even realize your smart little kiddo is a potential Chef!
7. Build an indoor spa. For families who would rather have a quiet moment together, building an indoor spa is fitting. Pull together those heavy curtains, dim the lamps, light those scented candles and play some very relaxing music. You may hire a masseur or each member of the family could take turns being the masseur!
8. Go wacky and be an animal for a day. Think animal kingdom. Make a list of animals and have each member of the family pick one. For the whole day, everyone acts like that chosen animal and makes those funny animal noises and behavior. Imagine how wacky the house will be!
9. Have a Tea Party. Have the girls put on those cocktail dresses and jewelry. Have the boys wear those smart-looking attires. Bring out the chinaware and setup the table in a fancy way. Instead of serving tea for kids, serve them a warm chocolate drink or a cold glass of fresh juice, and speak to them in a conventional way. Aside from being fun, this activity will help you as well to train your kids for social gatherings.
10. Play the game Sink or Float. You may use the bathtub or that large basin for this game. Just fill it up with water and make the kids guess if the object you are going to put will sink or float. This simple activity is a combination of Science and a lot of fun.
11. Set up a Scavenger Hunt. Let the kids gather in one room while you set up the game. To make the game challenging, hide objects in unlikely places in the house. For younger kids, give graphical clues while verbal clues will do well for older kids. Reward the winning child with a pint of ice cream or a slice of pizza.
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*Parts of this article has been published in Keys to Wellness, the Keys Grade School Wellness Center newsletter.