Rainy days can be a struggle for both kids and parents. Typically, kids feel limited in what they can do when it is raining. Rather than being able to go outside to burn off energy, they are stuck in the house all day. This can make it harder for parents to keep their children entertained. It is especially hard on parents who work from home, as they have to find ways to keep their children happy and occupied while completing their own work tasks.
Fortunately, a rainy day does not have to be a nightmare for your family. Moreover, kids don’t have to just depend on video games and smart devices to enjoy themselves. Instead, they can get involved in more productive, educational activities. In today’s guide, we will go over some of the best rainy day activities for kids and help you get through the next rainy day with ease!
How To Entertain Your Child On A Rainy Day
If you’re trying to figure out what to do on a rainy day, you’re not alone. While it is often more of a struggle for children and teenagers, adults also have difficulty coping when it is not comfortable or easy to go outside. When it rains, there is something instinctual that makes people want to stay inside and get cozy. However, being comfortable in your favorite sweater can only keep you entertained for so long. After a few minutes, you will be looking for activities to keep your mind occupied.
The same is true of just about anyone, regardless of their age. That said, children tend to have a lot more energy to burn than adults. As a result, they are more likely to feel frustrated when it rains, as they may not be able to enjoy some of their favorite games and activities. Additionally, by helping your kids find fun things to do, you might be able to partake and keep yourself entertained as well! So, let’s look at a few of the best ways to entertain your child on a rainy day:
- Board Games – Board games are a step above video games because they help children get involved with a tactile activity that also works out their brains.
- Puzzles – Puzzles have been a great source of family fun for years. You can even get puzzles of varying difficulties based on the age of your child.
- Movies – While we recommended limiting screen time for children as much as possible, movies can be a great way for children to stay entertained on their own or enjoy a movie marathon with their parents!
- Science Experiments – Doing science experiments at home will require you to do a little prep work and research in advance, but there are many simple, safe science experiments that you can do with household items.
- Baking – Cooking or baking a batch of cookies is a great way to keep your kids occupied and teach them an important life skill at the same time! (we will discuss more on the benefits of cooking a little later on)
- Arts & Crafts – Arts and crafts require some materials to get started, but you may already have many of them in your home. You can get started with something as simple as a piece of paper and some markers!
- Scavenger Hunt – Like science experiments, scavenger hunts will require you to do some planning and creative thinking beforehand. You will need to organize the scavenger hunt in advance — without allowing your children to catch you hiding secret items!
- Sing-Along Contest – Listening to music is a great way to help early-stage brain development, but turning it into a contest can turn ordinary music into a great rainy day activity.
- Group-Friendly Toys – Toys like Legos and building blocks can be used to let children express their creativity using physical objects. If you like building and have the time to do it, feel free to join in on the fun, too!
- Word Games – 20 Questions, I Spy, and Hangman are all great games that help get kids thinking. This type of game can even improve your child’s vocabulary, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
- Hide & Seek – Hide and seek is an easy game that most children love to play, especially if you live in a large home with plenty of places to hide. However, make sure that you set certain ground rules so that you can stop the game at any time and prevent your children from hiding in unsafe areas of the house.
Cooking On Rainy Days
While any of the activities above can help keep your children entertained on cold, rainy days, cooking is one of the best options. Why? Because cooking takes time, effort, multitasking, and a wide variety of skills that will serve your child well in the future. Rainy day cooking can be educational and eye-opening for many children, especially children who have never spent much time in the kitchen.
It is also important to get your children acquainted with the process of preparing and cooking food. When children are separated from food preparation, they cannot truly appreciate all of the work that goes into every meal. You can also vary the cuisine based on the season. For example, you may prepare tuna salad or something simple on a rainy summer day, while your rainy day meals in winter may be heartier and more comforting. Either way, cooking with your kids is a great way to keep them entertained on rainy days!
The Rainy Day Cooking Kit
It’s one thing to say that you want to cook with your children, but it’s something else entirely to actually make it happen. Kids cooking and kids baking differ from cooking or baking on your own, as you will need to ensure that your children are consistently involved in the process. Additionally, you should try to use the opportunity to teach your children valuable cooking skills, the importance of kitchen safety, as well as fun information about different ingredients and cuisines.
Fortunately, the Kidstir Rainy Day Cooking Kit can help you do all of this and more! With the Kidstir cooking kit, you get a complete shopping list to ensure that you have everything you need before you and your child ever step foot in the kitchen. Additionally, each kit comes with kid-friendly instructions and information that even younger children can understand.
This kit isn’t all about cooking, either. In addition to recipes and ingredient lists, the kit also comes with the instructions your child needs to create their very own pizza box solar oven! This creative STEM project could keep them occupied for hours, while also allowing them to produce an environmentally-friendly addition to your kitchen!
As an added bonus, the Kidstir Rainy Day Cooking Kit offers the chance to make many different types of food. You get multiple recipes to help you and your child cook yummy meals and snacks to enjoy on a rainy day, including pizza, lemon pepper wings, parmesan salad cups, and even vanilla cake pops! In short, using the Kidstir Rainy Day Cooking Kit to keep your kid happy and entertained is one of the best ways to stay productive, have fun, and pass the time on a rainy day!
Do you want to learn even more about fun rainy day activities for kids? If so, be sure to reach out to Kidstir today!