On sunny days, it's easy enough to dispel some of that ever ready energy your children seem to have. Rainy days, however, seem to have both parents and children climbing the walls of rooms that seem to be shrinking. It's tempting to turn on the television for a few hours of zombie-like silence, but there are healthier and smarter ways to keep the kids entertained.

*Dance

From toddlers to teens, kids love to dance. Keep on hand a few C.D.'s of kids songs that your younger kids enjoy singing. Look for activity songs like "The Hokey Pokey", "If You're Happy and You Know It", or "Ring Around the Rosie" that will encourage your kids to get up and shake out some of that pent-up restlessness. Don't turn on the C.D. and go wash dishes; get your exercise by doing the dances with your kids. Your children will participate in the songs more and for a longer period of time if you are there to set the example.

*Puppet show

Choose a favorite story and read it with your kids. Then make puppets to act the story out. You can make them out of brown paper bags or old socks. Decorate with buttons, markers, pompoms, and construction paper. Set a broom across two chairs and hang a sheet or table cloth over it to make a puppet stage.

*Crafts

Keep a craft box with a variety of art supplies for occasions like this. Fun items to keep in a good craft box include glue, tape, glitter, feathers, scissors, craft foam, construction paper, craft sticks, Styrofoam balls, washable finger paint, a roll of poster paper for murals, and yarn. With those supplies and a few household items, there are plenty of crafts that take little planning and can be pulled off at a moment's notice.

Paper plate masks - Give each child a paper plate with eye and mouth holes cut in them. Let your kids decorate them to be a favorite animal, cartoon character, or monster. Glue a craft stick to the back of the mask so that kids can hold them in front of their faces.

Block city - Tear off a long section of poster paper and show your kids how to design a city with roads, parks, parking lots, and ponds. Use blocks to erect buildings. When the city is ready, they can populate it with matchbox cars and army men.

Pasta jewelry - Pull out a box of penne pasta or macaroni noodles from your cabinet. If you have time, dye them with rubbing alcohol and food coloring. It you're in a hurry to get the craft started, let the kids use markers to color the noodles then string them on a length of yarn to make necklaces and bracelets.

Cardboard box clubhouse - Cut a door and windows from a large cardboard box and let your kids cut pictures from magazines and sale papers to decorate the walls of their clubhouse. Give them markers to draw pictures on the box.

There are plenty of things to do on a rainy day that will have you feeling less stressed and your kids feeling less cranky and bored. You don't need expensive toys, just some ordinary items that can be turned into something extraordinary with a little creativity and imagination.

Learn more about this author, Trudy Brown.
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