17 Ways To Keep The Kids Busy On A Rainy Day…And Keep Your Sanity

17 Ways To Keep The Kids Busy On A Rainy Day…And Keep Your Sanity

“HELP! I will have 6 rambunctious 1-6 year olds in my house this afternoon, and IT’S RAINING. I’ve got some play dough. Any other ideas?” This was the text that went out to my sister and buddies this morning as I realized what lay before me. Thankfully, I have some amazing friends and a great sister. From their replies and my own ideas, I have compiled the following list. Hopefully, it will help you out, too!
1. Build a Fort. It may sound old news to us, but to the kids it’s all the rage. Pull out those old blankets, kitchen table, chairs, and whatever else you’ve got. Connect more than one fort together, and you’ve got your own village.

2. Play Store. Grab some boxed and canned good from the pantry (or use toy food if you’ve got it), some artificial currency (we used poker chips), and pretend like Mommy and Daddy are going to the store. Add some dramatic play by letting some kids pretend to be the whiny children. (See if this Mom and Dad can handle it any better than you and your husband.)

3. Play Centers. Set up stations around the room such as blocks, play dough, puzzles, etc. Set a timer for 3-10 minutes (depending on age and attention span) and switch centers when the timer goes off. This allows all children to play something different and saves you from coming up with something new every 2 minutes as they bore of an activity.

4. Old-school Games. Move furniture out of the way and play group games like “Mother, May I?” or “Simon Says.”

5. Cardboard Boxes and Markers. Let them create their own worlds out of these simple materials – spaceships, castles, submarines, you name it! Or for the littles, it’s just fun to “draw on the walls.”

6. Scavenger Hunt. Give them a plastic bag and a list of items to find. For older children, you can write the list down. For the younger ones, just give the list orally.

7. Write a Book Together. Get some paper and markers, and get creative together. The adult can write the story while the children provide the illustrations.

8. Act Out a Story. Either let the children improvise or read a book filled with do-able actions. Kids will love becoming the characters and acting out their adventures.

9. Car City. Use blocks and books to make ramps. Create city maps using markers on cardboard or old sheets. Let their imaginations run wild while revving up those engines using toy cars in your Car City playground.

10. Dance Competition. Turn on some tunes and let the little ones go! Have one child show off a dance move, then see if the others can match it or top it with moves of their own.

11. Freeze Dance. Keep the beat pumping until – STOP – the CD pauses and we see who’s out by forgetting to freeze. If your babes are little, just enjoy the whimsy of their dancing and forget the competition part.

12. Dress Up. Get out old Halloween costumes, Mommy and Daddy’s old clothes, scarves, etc. and play a good old game of pretend. All sorts of adventures can come from this.

13. Tea Party. Take your dress up to a new level with fancy cups, little sandwiches and cookies.

14. Photo Shoot. All dressed up and nowhere to go? No worries, take a gluttony of photos to print out later, or make a book from them.

15. Story Time. After all this activity, it’s time for a break. Give everyone a blanket or lovey. Let them curl up around you while you read a favorite or classic book.

16. Family History. Take this slowed-down moment to look through old family pictures and tell stories from when you or your children were little.

17. Movie Theatre. If all else fails, pop some popcorn, turn out the lights, and turn your family room into a theatre with a movie or show. You can always vacuum later!
One word of advice a friend gave for this day was, “Don’t attempt to get any housework done!” Great advice for a crazy, rainy day! What are your icky weather ideas? We’d love to hear more good thoughts from you great moms out there, so comment below!