Kids love being outdoors, and there’s an endless amount of things for them to learn and explore out in the big world. Sometimes going outside seems like the only way to fight off boredom, but what about on rainy days?
You don’t have to sulk around the house all day just because you can’t go outside. There are numerous ways to keep a child entertained, while still teaching them beneficial skills. Next time you’re stuck indoors, try one of these fun learning games that you can play inside with your kids.
Hide and Seek
If you’re looking for a game that will never fail to make your child squeal with joy, then hide and seek is your game! It’s a great way to introduce the concept of looking for things when they go away, and finding things that are lost.
Your child will quickly catch on to their role in the game, and spend hours hiding from you. Be patient though, it can take a while for the younger children to understand they have to wait until you hide, before they start to seek!
Make a Fort
Two chairs and a bed sheet could equal endless hours of fun for children. Tie a bed sheet between the chairs, or simply drape the sheet over a table. You can then crawl around and play using imagination, read their favorite books to them, or have a sing along. The ideas are endless, and your little one will love having a small place all of their own.
Puzzles are a great educational tool for children, and will keep them busy for hours. They may need your help to get started, but solving a puzzle will teach them many things ranging from patience, problem solving skills, and concentration. You can find educational puzzles for all different ages, and some teach color and shapes as well.
Have a Ball with Tubes and Buckets
Gather some colorful balls, a bucket, and some empty paper towel tubes. If you cannot find a ball that will fit inside the tube, you could get some Pompoms at your local craft store.
Tape the tube to a door or wall, and place the bucket under it. Show your child how to put the ball into the tube, and watch them learn about cause and effect. Older children can help to make a whole system of tubes that will carry the ball to another area of the room.
Trace and Stamp Fun
Coloring is fun, but young children don’t often have the fine motor skills to color yet, and get bored with it easily. You can change this by giving them some plain white paper, and different things to trace. Help them trace the unusual items and learn about which shapes each one makes. You could also make shape stamps by cutting shapes into a half of a potato and dipping it into paint like a stamp.
The five activities above are both educational and fun for young children, and are a great way to keep kids busy indoors when going outside is not an option. What are your favorite things to do indoors on a rainy day? Tell us in the comments below!