5 Great Rainy Day Activities for Kids

When you’re a kid, there is nothing worse than rain.  It feels as though there’s nothing fun to do when you can’t go run around outside.  And with that feeling comes the dreaded cabin fever.  Luckily, there are a lot of activities to keep your kids entertained (and yourself sane!) when stuck inside on those rainy days.

 Movie Marathon 

So many children’s movies these days such as Shrek and Madagascar have a sequel or even more than two movies in a series, so a mini-marathon is a perfect rainy day activity.  Pop some popcorn, grab a blanket, and play your kids’ choice of movie series in order from the first movie.  They’ll enjoy seeing their favorite characters from the beginning and it will keep them occupied for hours!

 Games  

While we grew up playing board games, our kids are into more technologically advanced things.  Lately, a lot of video games that kids play have a reputation of being violent and leading to destructive behavior, so it can be extremely challenging to find appropriate games for them to enjoy.  I’ve found a lot of online game sites like www.iplay.com, have games in many different themes that will keep your kids entertained, and some, like Sudoku, will even exercise their brains.

 Baking 

My love for baking started when I was little and my mom let me assist her, and I’ve found the same thing with my kids, even my son.  Kids are always eager to help and this is a fun activity that allows them to use their creativity.  You can let them combine the ingredients and help with the actual baking, or just let them lick the spoon and decorate the finished products.  They will feel useful and they end up with yummy desserts, always a plus!

Museums 

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you have to stay at home.  There are a lot of great indoor venues such as museums that are not only fun, but educational!  I live near Philadelphia where they have the Please Touch Museum and my kids love it, they get to learn and play at the same time.  Check online and see what museums are in your area, and they don’t have to be specifically for children.  Natural history museums, for example, are likely to have dinosaur artifacts and other things that are just as fascinating for kids.

Crafts 

Kids usually love arts and crafts time at school, so why not have it at home?  Personally, I am not the most creative or crafty person, so I rely on websites like http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/ to give me ideas for the kids.  This site is broken up into categories, so whether they want to make something related to a subject like animals, or a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, there are suggestions for it all.  And the best part is that you don’t need to go out and buy a ton of materials.  They can all be made with items that are commonly found around the house, like egg cartons and string.

Next time there’s a rainy day, try one of the above ideas, cabin fever won’t stand a chance!

What are your favorite activities to do with your kids?

~ Cynthia

Guest writer for MomDot.com
Cynthia Andrews is the proud mother of a little boy and girl. She enjoys freelance writing, baking, and finding ways to save money! She hopes to one day save enough to travel to her dream destination of Italy.