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Five day forecast: rain, rain, blustery showers, rain, rain. There's nothing quite like persistent rain
to drive even the most long suffering mum slightly mad, particularly with boisterous toddlers and pre-schoolers
desperate to burn off some energy. We've compiled a list of fun activities to pass the time until the sun
shines again.
Before you dive into a frenzy of activity though, it's a good idea to sketch out a basic plan for the day
or week. It will help you get organised and it will feel more manageable than having an endlessly long
week stretching ahead of you that needs to be filled. Try to make sure that each day has a mix of activities
so that boredom doesn't set in. Ensure there is always some kind of energy burner activity, some
creativity, some quiet time and some getting out of the house time.
Music and dance
- Get a box of musical instruments and let your child make
music as you sing songs together. Encourage them to stand up and march around with their instruments to burn
off some energy.
- Put a children's music CD on, preferably
one with lots of action songs on it. Get into the spirit of it with lots of loud singing, jumping around,
marching and toe-touching.
- Put on any CD - classical is good - and get your child to imagine and move. For example, let's pretend
we're butterflies flying around flowers or let's imagine we're spacemen flying through space. Move to the
music while getting them to pretend to be different things.
- All of these activities are much more fun if they have a friend to do them with. So why not invite a
friend over for a Mini Music Party - ask the other mum to either join in or let her have some time off
and do a swap later in the week.
Arts & crafts
- First of all, make sure you have a good supply of arts and crafts materials on hand. Basics include paints,
brushes, crayons, safety scissors, glue, stickers and scraps of paper. Old toy catalogues are great for
cutting up so save those as well as old toilet rolls, egg boxes, wool or old wrapping paper.
- Don't bring it all out at once or they will be overwhelmed (and you'll have nothing left for later in
the week). If you're not artistic or creative yourself, invest in a arts and crafts book like this Rainy
Day Activity Book to give you inspiration.
- Cutting/gluing is less messy than painting and children love it. Let children browse through old toy
catalogues and ask them for example, to cut out pictures of different toy animals that they see and stick
them onto a piece of cardboard to create a farmyard scene.
- Playdough is a firm favourite and is easy to make if you don't have any in the house.
recipe for playdough
What you need:
1 cup flour
¼ cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons food colouring
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
What to do:
Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium pot. Add water, food colouring and oil. Stir over medium
heat for 3 to 5 minutes. When the mixture forms a ball in the centre of the pot, turn off the stove and let
it cool. Then take it out of the pot and put it onto a floured surface. Knead it several times. Store in a
plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge.
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Games
- Hide and seek: this could either be people hiding or if there's limited room, choose a toy and hide that and
let your child try to find it. Then swap and let them hide it with you having to find it.
- Dress up: children love wearing their parents clothes. So dig out some of your old clothes and let them get
kitted out.
- Something new: for toddlers and preschoolers - get a tray and put a few different items onto it - like a
fork, a crayon, a building block and a box of raisins. Get your child to examine the tray for a few moments. Then
get them to shut their eyes while you add another item to the tray. Get them to guess which thing is new.
- Guessing game: like the last game, get a bunch of different things and put each one into a sock (one at a
time). Let your child feel the sock and try to guess what each item is. Give them a sticker each time they
get it right.
- Get an activity book or look online for other game ideas
Mum's little helper
- The problem for many mums is that they need to get on with housework or cooking at some point and
can't spend all day playing. So get your child to help
- Everyday housework like sweeping, dusting and washing dishes can be shared with your child - either
giving them their own mini broom or bowl of water - or just letting them help you with yours.
- Cooking and baking are great ways for children to learn about food. Why not get them to help make lunch? Mini
pizzas using muffins and a range of toppings are perfect for kids to get involved. Make plain biscuits and let
them cut out the shapes with biscuit cutters and let them decorate them once they're cooked
Outdoor fun
- Just because it's wet doesn't mean you can't go outdoors. Dress them up in
wellies,
Macs or
all-in-one suits. Give them a
brolly and head
off on a puddle hunt. Children love puddles - jumping in them, dropping stones in them, stirring them with
sticks, floating boats on them. Let yourself be a kid again and get stuck in.
- Rainy day treasure hunt. Once they're wrapped up in wet weather gear, go in search of treasure - leaves,
sticks, pebbles, feathers, flowers, winter berries. Carry a plastic bag to put all your treasure into. Use the
treasure to make a picture or collage when you get home.
Energy burners
- A folding trampoline is a
great way for your little ones to bounce their excess energy away.
- Rough and tumble: prepare to let yourself be mauled. Pretend that tickles are hiding all over your
child's body and you have to get rid of them but tickling them out. Let them do the same to you.
Quiet time
- Although it's good to have a well planned day, it doesn't mean that every minute has to be jam-packed
with activities. Children also need quiet time.
- Read stories
- Let them play on their own with their toys
- TV in moderation
- Computer-based play. There are some great online games and activities that older children can play on
their own or younger tots can do with parental help
Get out of the house
- To avoid cabin fever, try to get out of your house for a change of scenery. Go to playgroups, soft
play centres, story time at the local library or simply visit a friend. You and your child will
appreciate the company
- Grocery shopping is something we all have to do and on a rainy day, it's a good time to do it. Turn
it into a fun experience by letting your child guess what each item is that you put in the trolley.
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