With the summer in full swing, rainy days are sometimes unavoidable. While it can be tough on parents and children alike to be cooped up inside all day, there are fun games and activities that you can do to keep everyone engaged. Please check out some suggestions below.
“I Spy” - Ages 2-6 and beyond
Starting off the list with a classic visual and verbal skills building game, “I Spy,” is an activity that children can start young and play for years. Younger children can start off simply identifying objects and as they get older they can spell objects out, or “spy” objects in alphabetical order. This is a traditional tool for beginning phonics and verbal training and a timeless fun activity.
Fingerprint Art - Ages 1-4
A fun, indoor activity for younger children that are not yet able to draw pictures, fingerprint art can be a creative game that is surprisingly not too messy. Using non-toxic inkpads, children can press their fingers into the pads and press their fingers onto colored paper. Recognizable items include hearts, caterpillars, butterflies, eggs or snowmen. Mom or Dad can even add bits of their own creativity to make more exciting pictures. If you use washable inkpads, this activity is relatively clean for an art pursuit.
Toy Town - Ages 2-5
Need ideas to put to use the endless toys children often accumulate? Make a toy town! On one of the floors in your home, tape down long strips of masking tape in various patterns. Make the tape form a system of “roads” around your home. Gather toys of all sorts and create a town with a railroad, farm, school, airport, ect. Drive cars or trucks around as you and your children make up amusing stories.
Paper Plate Tambourines - Ages 2-6
This is another great art activity with relatively little cleanup. This activity can also be adjusted to children of many ages by adjusting how much mom or dad has a hand in helping. Decorate paper plates with anything around the house – markers to tissue paper will suffice. Then staple the plates together, facing outwards, about three quarters of the way around. At this point make some final decorate touches and add beans or rice to the inside of the plates and staple completely shut. You now have homemade musical instruments!
For some more fun and enriching activities, check out Aristotle Circle’s Enrichment and Learning Kit!
Brad is an intern at Aristotle Circle and a senior at George Washington University studying American History.
Comments
There are more than a few great and fun activities for youthful children to do on rainy days.