Rainy days can be really boring. And here in the Midwest we’ve certainly had our share lately. In fact, as I write this, the rain is pouring down and the noise is escalated by our wonderful sky lights. Yes, that was a tad bit of sarcasm.
So what can you do to entertain the kids on a rainy day that doesn’t cost a lot? Lots of things! I asked my two eleven year olds to help me brainstorm some ideas. Here’s a nice long list of things to do together when the weather is less the cooperative.
- Read a book
- Read a book together
- Do a science experiment
- Learn about a new animal
- Learn about different bugs
- Cook/Bake (provided there is no interruption in electricity)
- Cook/Bake entirely from scratch
- Try a new recipe
- Put in a funny movie
- Put in a funny movie and do voice overs for them
- Play a board game
- Create your own board game
- Play a challenging board game (perhaps one that takes longer to complete)
- Do a puzzle
- Write a short story
- Write a family story (each person write a chapter of the story)
- Do mad libs
- Draw pictures
- Color in a coloring book
- Organize your room
- Clean the kitchen or a bedroom
- Sort through old toys
- Play Hide and Seek using the whole house, maybe even with lights off and candles burning
- Tell ghost stories by candle light
- Play in the rain (please do not do this if it is lightening!)
- Dance in the rain
- Do some crafts
- Learn a new craft medium (try cross-stitch, working with clay, quilting, beading, etc.)
- Look at old pictures
- Check out the family scrapbooks
- Make scrapbook pages together
- Try making something new out of an old pair of jeans (ideas: purse, book cover, tote bag, stuffed animal – you can use glue to secure instead of sewing if you don’t know how)
- Try the same thing with socks, tshirts and also everyday items around the house
- Record family memories in a family journal
- Invite a friend to come and play with you
- Build a tent in your room and pretend your camping in the rain
- Do a word search or cross word puzzle
- Make your own crossword puzzle or word search
- Sing karaoke
- Write your own song and then sing for everyone
Spend time together! No matter what you do, my two eleven year olds suggest spending time together and the one key ingredient to a rainy day. Since on sunny days, with good weather, everyone is always outside or busy with other things.
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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