Rainy Day Fun for Kids of All Ages

When it's a rainy, dreary day, it is hard for kids to enjoy things they love to do because a lot of those things involve going outside. To help your kids make the most of a rainy day and have some fun at the same time, you could try some of the following suggestions that always but a smile on my kids' faces.

Listen to the story of the rain. The rain has a rhythm all of its own and it can help encourage a story teller in all of us. Start out telling a made up story and let each kid add a part to the story. Keep going taking turns adding ideas, events, and characters to the story. Before you know it your kids will be enjoying the little project and learning how to use their imaginations as well.

Play the good old standby inside games we all have played. Hide and seek, Simon says, I spy, and the alphabet game, you know the one where you use each letter of the alphabet to name a food item you took to the picnic and the next person must remember your item and add one for the next letter. These are great fun and past the time away quickly.

If you have more than 1 child let each child choose a movie. Put each child's name on a slip of paper and put them into a cap or hat. Draw out one name and that's whose movie you all will watch together. Just make sure that child knows the next rainy day he or she can't select that same movie again.

Make a treat together. Get out your recipe book or jump online for quick, easy, kid friendly recipes that everyone will enjoy. Let them do as much of the "work" as possible. And don't forget to get the little cooker helpers to be cleaning helpers as well. This will teach them things about the kitchen, food, and cleaning. In the end everyone gets to enjoy the delicious treat you have all made together.

Make a masterpiece. Whether it be a painting, drawing, sculpture, it really doesn't make any difference. Take out all the craft supplies you have on hand, markers, crayons, pens, pencils, papers, glue, scissors, yarn, ribbons, scraps of material, buttons, you could even use uncooked macaroni or spaghetti noodles, just let your imagination run wild. Let the kids have a large area to work in maybe the floor of the kitchen or laundry room or the dining room table. Tell them you want them to create a masterpiece and the only rule is that no one can tell anyone what theirs is until it is complete. You work alongside them and create a masterpiece of your own. Once everyone is done find a nice place to display all the works of art.

These are just a few simple ideas of things you can do with your kids on rainy days. And just an added note, if it's not a cold rainy day, put on the raincoat and boots and just go puddle hopping, this is great fun too and of course can only be done on a rainy day.