by Nicky W. Small

Created on: October 21, 2009

Days when it's raining and the sky is grey are depressing children and parents as well. Staying inside all day - especially if it is raining on a weekend or during half term, when there is no school could be very long for both children and parents. The little ones can find something to do what they shouldn't if they get bored, and usually on these days they are not interested in their old toys. Of course you can all play board games and puzzles but those might not entertain your kids all day. How to keep the kids entertained all day without letting them watch TV for long hours? First of all put some music on to cheer everyone up.

The most popular rainy day activities are painting and coloring, sticking and cutting. Some children can do that for hours, while others need a little more encouragement. You can make painting more interesting by cutting a big potato half, and make a shape on the top, creating a home made stamp. (It is very important that you do this part with a sharp knife.) Smaller children will enjoy finger-painting as well. For sticking; you can cut up some colored paper into small squares, the kids will love to make mosaic pictures. If you have some empty cereal, toothpaste and other boxes, they can stick them together, decorate them using their imagination, they might make a robot or rocket or even a doll house.

Get the aprons out and the kid's recipe book what they got for last Christmas from their granny. You can find some easy cake or biscuit recipe there; even if you are not a big fond of baking you will find this activity fun. You should make some biscuits; kids will enjoy rolling and cutting the dough into shapes. Cup cakes are easy to make and they can decorate the top with some icing at the end. If you like cooking and baking yourself you can involve your children by asking them to help you in the kitchen making supper. They will learn some basic skills while they are having fun. And these are one of the times that they will remember when they grow up.

The kids played with their toys, painted some pictures, the cake is in the oventime to play some more. Go for an adventure in the house! Hunt for treasures! You can make a simple map of the house (kids can decorate it if they like it) hide something and let them to be pirates looking for the hidden treasures.

When you all stuck inside the house for a long day, you can do some tidying with the kids. Probably they have a corner, or shelves which need some tidying ...you can sort the old toys out but it might be challenging as most kids suddenly likes to play with that particular old toy you just about to take to the charity shop...

If you tried everything and it is still raining and you must do something else with the kids, you can have a trip to the local Library. They can choose some books to take home to read. For smaller ones there are some indoor play places where they can climb and run to burn some energy. You can check on the Internet to find something in your neighborhood. If you have a child in school age you might want to invite his or her friend for a few hours. His or her parents will be grateful and both kids will have a nice time together.

When it is raining next time, try some of these ideas and you will see that staying in not that awful after all.

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