Since most schools are closed today and many of us have decided to make it a stay-at-home day, here are some ideas for at home activities for the kids.
- Photography Day - Give the kiddos each a camera or an old mobile phone and let them snap away. Once they've got a collection, load them on the computer and let them choose their favorites. If you have a printer, they can then print them out (print four pics to a page for best results) and then let them staple or sew the pages together to create their own photo album.
- Treasure Hunt - Hide small balls and toys, trinkets and other fun items around the house and give them a list and let them search.
- Color Hunt - A variation of the treasure hunt, color hunts only require you to pick a color and let the kids find five, 10 or 20 items of that color in the house. The first to find all 20 wins.
- Spot the Shape - Choose a shape (circle, square, etc) and then send the kids around the house identifying all items that fit that shape.
- Neighborhood Story Walk - Once the rain stops, take a walk around your street or neighborhood and ask your children to write in their journal what they see. When you get home, write a story based on their observations.
- Make it a Yes Day - Say 'Yes' to all reasonable requests and give your kids a break from excessive 'Nos'. Learn more here on tips for how to have a Yes Day.
- Shoebox Cities - Using old shoeboxes, glue and magazines, let the kids cut out photos of homes, people, food, etc and paste into the shoeboxes to create story scenes. Older kids can then write their stories down in their journals or notebooks.
- Build a Fort - Kids love things they can crawl into and under. Drape a sheet over the kitchen table, throw a rug or blanket on the floor with some pillows and leave them to it.
- Learn to Shop - If you live close to a coop or grocery, walk with the kids to the store, give them a dinar or two and tell them they can only buy foods that are healthy. As you shop, discuss the various grocery items and teach them how to find healthy foods.
- Standbys - Playdough, finger paints and other crafts are also great for rainy days. Just remember to keep the activities moving along as children will get bored if let too long at one task. For example, Cutting up newspapers with safety scissors is a great activity that will keep younger kids occupied for 20 minutes or more but for older kids you'll need to make it more challenging by asking them to cut out only words they know or photos of one item. For more ideas check out Net Mums list of rainy day activities here.
RSS Feed
