Our guest blogger today is: Jenny White – the Special Home Educator. We hope you enjoy it!
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Rainy days can be tough on children. Being stuck indoors with nothing to do but watch television or play video games can be a recipe for restlessness. If you are looking to keep your little ones entertained, here are a few ideas.
Teach Them Kid-Friendly Recipes
At some point during a day stuck indoors, your kids will beg for a snack, so why not use it as an opportunity to teach them how to make their own tasty but healthy treats? Start with simple versions of their favorite foods, especially if they’re young. For example, popcorn is a favorite for many of us (no matter how old we are!), but the stuff you buy in bags is loaded with unhealthy salt, oil, and other unhealthy chemicals. Instead, pop some plain kernels in a popper you can stick in the microwave, and top it with some healthy, flavorful seasonings you also whip up.
If your kids are a little older and can handle a more challenging recipe, you could make pita pizzas for the whole family, and if you’re really ambitious, you can even give making your own sauce a try. To keep it a healthy treat, encourage your kids to load up on veggie toppings rather than meat. Even if they’re natural-born carnivores, being able to pick out what goes on their pizza and then getting to cook it will likely help them warm up to the idea of adding a vegetable or two.
Be Creative with Learning
Learning at home does not have to be a chore. Search online for activities that could be adapted to their interests. Do they love animals? Use their favorites as teaching aids. How about pirates? Consider an educational scavenger hunt! If they like building, they could learn by using blocks or Legos.
Art and Science
Art offers plenty of variety. Use a tray and get messy together with finger painting or shaving cream. If you would rather keep things clean, have your little ones practice their art on a tablet app. These can be perfect for creativity, as well as learning new styles of art. There are many tutorials online to get them painting and drawing physically as well. If they aren’t enjoying these types of activities, there are alternatives, including crafting, that may get them excited.
Science can be just as eye-opening and engaging. You can try countless experiments, such as making your own glass of lava, with your little scientists. Transform your kitchen into a scientific lab and use household items such as vegetable oil, food coloring, and salt to conduct your experiments.
Tell a Story
Most children have wild imaginations and love telling stories. Use their interests to stimulate their curiosity in storytelling, whether it’s about their favorite cartoon character, pet, or school subject. Make it a group activity with a “string along” where you come up with a line that is continued by another. Books without words are another tool, as your little ones can create stories behind the pictures.
Encourage Physical Activity
Being stuck inside doesn’t mean your little ones have to sit around, so find ways to get them moving. Do they love music? Use that passion to get them dancing around. Even if that entails manic wiggling, it’s a great way to get them working out, and you can join in, too. YouTube has a plethora of kid-friendly music videos for you to take advantage of. Yoga is another type of exercise that will keep your kids entertained and engaged. Poses can be adapted to specific age groups, and adding themes like puppetry
and magic can make them even more fun.
There is a lot you can do to make being stuck indoors not only fun, but educational, too. If you learn along with your little ones and unleash their creativity with entertaining activities, you’ll make rainy days something to get excited about.