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It's rainy today? Well, put on a smile and show your kids that no matter what the weather is outside, the day can be fun! A rainy day may put a kink in your plans, but it doesn't have to stop your family from having a good time. There are many fun activities that you can do on a rainy day either at your house or elsewhere. Here are some ideas for you to try with you children.

1. Visit a local museum. Save this for a rainy day. Children of all ages will enjoy visiting the local science center or art museum. Load up the car and get ready for some fun. Pair older kids with the younger ones and make sure that everyone learns something from the experience.

2. Bake a cake together from scratch. Pull out your cookbook or favorite cake recipe and get everyone involved in the process. Older children can measure; younger ones can pour and mix. Everyone can eat!

3. Host a talent show. This will bring out the true colors of your children. Have everyone prepare a talent to perform. This can be reading a poem, dancing, telling jokes, doing a magic trick, reading a story, acting out a short drama, singing, or drawing a picture to display. Set up a stage somewhere in your house and cheer as each individual performs their talent!

4. Have a board game marathon. Have each person choose their favorite board game and then have fun playing the games together. Remind them not to complain and that everyone will get to play their favorite game. Younger children can be teamed up with an older sibling or parent. Prepare a snack mix of peanuts, M&Ms, raisins, pretzels, and sunflower seeds to enjoy while you play.

5. Play Hide & Seek or Sardines. Who can pass up a fun game of Sardines? Choose one person to hide and then everyone looks for them. When you find the hiding person, hide with them and yell "Sardines!" at the last person to arrive. This is a blast!

6. Make a craft together. Take a trip to a local craft store. Let each child choose a craft to complete. You can give them a budget and guidelines. It's great to see what each one chooses and neat to watch them through the process of completing the final work of art.

7. Participate in a read-a-thon. Have each child choose a unique location in the house for the read-a-thon. A few favorite locations may be under the table or in the bathtub. Make the area cozy with a blanket and pillow and snacks of course! Set a timer and enjoy reading. Parents can read together with younger children.

8. Have an indoor scavenger hunt. Give each child a grocery bag and have them find an object that begins with every letter of the alphabet. Younger children can find an object for every letter of their name instead of the entire alphabet. Make it more challenging for older children and have them write a story using every item that they find. Be sure to return all items to their original location when you are finished.

9. Do science experiments together. You can find experiments online or at your local library. Kitchen chemistry experiments are the easiest to do since they use ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Make sure everyone participates in some way and as an extension of the experiments do research together to explain why or how the experiment worked. Science can be fun!

10. Enjoy watching a movie together. You don't want to sit in front of the TV all day when it's raining, but there is something nice about watching a movie together. Choose a classic movie or a fun cartoon and enjoy a giant bowl of popcorn!

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Blanke.
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