Written by Jenny Wise.
All parents know that children can get restless if asked to stay in the house for too long. Luckily, the Internet is filled with creative, educational and fun ideas for activities that can keep you and your children occupied on a rainy day. Here are some of our favorites.
Compete In Pillow Fight Games
Pillow fights are a timeless classic of rainy days inside. As well as being incredibly fun and easy to put together, pillow fights let kids spend a lot of energy in a way that is completely harmless and safe if done correctly.
However, you don’t have to be limited to a simple old-fashioned pillow fight. This guide talks you through several pillow-based games that the kids can compete in, from building forts to pillow dodgeball. These games are unique ways for your kids to get active inside while also learning game strategy and how to follow instructions. Set up a Pillow Games tournament with rounds for different games, and let one kid be victorious among the rest. You could even take some time to craft a trophy for the winner for some extra fun.
Do A Science Experiment
Hands-on experiments are a great way to get kids excited about science from a young age. The Internet has tutorials for any science experiment you can imagine, many of which are easy to put together with things you have at home.
If you really want to wow the kids, try this elephant's toothpaste experiment, which creates an expanding tube of foam that is fascinating to watch and play with. The only difficult ingredient is 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, but you can pick this up at a hair salon or online.
Learn Something New
A rainy day is a perfect opportunity to learn a new skill and maybe even develop a new passion, using the multitude of child-specific tutorials and resources you can find online.
For example, why not introduce your child to a new instrument? Ukuleles are a conveniently small and easy instrument to teach a young child, and a beginner can come in quite cheap. Check out this guide to the best ukuleles for kids by Ukulele Music Info to choose an instrument. Then, you can either find a free tutorial on YouTube or pay a small fee for a dedicated online course.
If your child is more visual than musical, you can turn to the vast selection of video tutorials on YouTube for drawing, painting, and crafting. Art For Kids Hub has an extensive selection of kid-friendly tutorials perfect for young children, while older kids can look up videos on specific mediums they want to learn about, like watercolors or pastels.
Get Moving
Finally, if you’re worried your kids are spending too much time sitting in front of a screen, you can get them moving in front of a screen instead. You can find dance and workout videos for any age and any level of intensity on YouTube. There are even videos designed to work both for you and the kids, such as this mommy and me dance workout by Fabletics.
For something more relaxed, Cosmic Kids Yoga is a popular channel that teaches young children and toddlers the basics of yoga and meditation using fun, interactive stories and characters. This is a wonderful way to teach them about relaxation and mindfulness in a way that is tangible to them and which they can build on as they grow older.
Next time a rainy day keeps the kids indoors, don’t just sit them in front of a TV or video game. Instead of using technology to mindlessly distract them, leverage the huge amount of information and knowledge at your fingertips to have fun with them in a way that can also teach them something. As well as being educational, you will get to spend some quality time with your kids and will most likely end up having a load of fun yourself!
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