Many moms hate the rain because wet weather forces those rambunctious tots inside and presents a challenge for an already overworked mother. Raindrops on the window, however, do not have to be a dreaded omen. With a little ingenuity, you can make your rainy days just as enjoyable as fair weather ones and keep your kiddos both dry and happy when the rain pours down.
Considerations
When deciding what to do with your munchkins on the next rainy day, consider their interests and the types of activity you can stomach inside. Some moms do not mind chaos in their homes, while others work hard to ensure that everything is in its place. Whichever type you are, activity options are available to your kids to keep your abode in requisite organization while you entertain your kids for hours.
Build the Excitement
Your kids will feed off your attitude. If you are noticeably dismayed over the rain, they will likely see the weather as a negative factor. However, if you convey a cheerful and chipper attitude, they may be equally excited about the inclement weather. Instead of bemoaning the rain, tell your kiddos how excited you are that it is raining, because it gives you the opportunity to do something fun that you have been wanting to do for a long time. Your kids will likely eat it up and eagerly anticipate the promised activity.
Keep Them Quiet and Still
If you can’t stand the noise of eager kids bouncing from wall to wall, consider a quiet game. Set up a board game tournament and pit your kids against each other or even weather-braving neighbors. Or let your kids practice their artistic skills by holding a trash-to-treasure art contest. Pull our art supplies and dig through the non-perishable trash for materials. Let your budding Picassos show their stuff in a competitive create-a-thon.
Get Up and Move
If your kids have too much energy to be contained, plan an organized movement game to allow them to burn off some energy. Hold a fort building competition by gathering blankets and sheets and allowing your little architects to craft structures in your family room. You could also organize a round of worm tag in which your kids have to wriggle their way across the floor and try to tag each other with their heads.
Learn Away
Use the rainy day as a learning opportunity with decidedly educational games. Play a movie for your kids. Instead of allowing them to just watch passively, ask them to play “I Spy” as they view the film, pointing out things that are certain colors or materials. Whip up some educational fun in the kitchen with an A-B-C cupcake creation competition. Assign each kid a set of letters and bake 26 cupcakes. Ask the letter-learners to decorate their cupcakes with their assigned letters. Vote on which cupcakes most deliciously capture the alphabet letters.
Photo Credit
- rain image by Dzhamilia Ermakova from Fotolia.com
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