Got the rainy day blues? Here are some great ideas for keeping kids happy and busy when they are stuck inside due to bad weather.

1. Board games. These can be fun for the whole family and will certainly keep the kids occupied for hours at a time. Pick a game that is easy for you child to play at his educational level. Good games for younger kids include sorry, shoots and ladders or candy-land. Older kids and even adults will enjoy classics like monopoly, life or trivial pursuit. Hold tournaments for several children with board games like checkers or chess, invite the neighbors over and enjoy some adult company while their children join in the tournament. Prizes can include anything from a day excused from chores to special treats and the extra incentive will keep them interested in the games.

2. Cards. Many varieties of card games can be found on the local dime store shelf. If the kids aren't old enough to play with a regular deck of cards there are group games like uno, go fish, old maid and even memory match cards.

3. Puzzles and coloring pages. A great way to keep solitary children occupied is to present them with a great new puzzle or coloring book and crayons. Have them put the puzzles together and then glue them to cardboard so they can display their puzzle in their room as a poster. Coloring books can be just as fun, after they finish the pages, rip them out and hang them in the hallway to create a gallery of their work. Great coloring page printouts can be found on numerous sites on the internet as well. They can even choose themes that relate to schoolwork they are doing at the time.

4. Puppet shows. Who doesn't love a good puppet show? Give them some old socks, some markers or stickers and let them create their own puppets. Kids will really show off their imaginations with this one, and keep each other amused for hours creating their own fictional characters and story lines.

5. Interactive DVD's or computer games. Great for the solitary child or groups of children to keep them entertained. Choose a dvd or game based on the child's age level. Let the kids take turns being in charge of the dvd remote or take turns on the computer playing a game. Older kids can help the younger ones and caregivers can relax while the kids amuse themselves.

6. Exercise class? That's right, physical education is a great way to spend the time and wear off all that extra energy that's buzzing around the house when kids can't get outside to run it off.

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