Is it just me, or has there been A LOT of rain this summer? I live in Southern Ontario, and it feels like every time I look outside or check my weather app… RAIN! I swear, even when the forecast calls for a mainly sunny day and I finally think we can get some good outside time, I look up and these dark clouds start moving in and ruin our plans.
Now normally, I like rain. I enjoy falling asleep to the sound of rain coming down. I enjoy cuddling up on the couch with a tea and good book while it pours outside my window. I’m even a big fan of thunderstorms. But when you have kids at home for the summer…it’s a different story. It’s not always easy to find new and exciting ways to entertain them when it’s storming outside. I mean, sometimes a day filled with Disney movies is perfect! But other days, kids get a little antsy and you need some fresh, new activities!
So, I’ve put together some different ideas to help get you through those rainy, complainy (see what I did there?) days of summer!
Hide & Go Seek…indoors! – Our boys LOVE Hide and Go Seek. So, if outside isn’t an option, I encourage them to play indoors! They know certain rooms like our bedroom and my office are off-limits, but everything else is fair game! I usually end up joining in.
Board Games & Puzzles – If you’ve read my previous Family Game Night article, you know our family likes games! We have quite the collection. We also enjoy puzzles! We have a few challenging ones that keep our guys busy for quite a while. They usually end up occupying our dining room table for days.
Baking – A rainy day is a great time to break out the measuring cups and mixing bowls and let the kids get their hands dirty! Muffins, cookies, a cake – or all of the above! Your house will smell amazing too!
Scavenger Hunt – Make up a list of items and send them on an indoor scavenger hunt! A piece of Lego, a spoon, a pillow – choose whatever you want and send them on their way. If your kids are a bit older, make the items a bit more challenging so they have to work for it a little bit.
Build a Fort – Remember building forts out of your bed sheets when you were a kid? Well, kids still LOVE doing that. In fact, just last week while I was cooking in the kitchen, our two boys came upstairs from their playroom and asked if they could use the living room blankets for the fort they were building. Of course…I said yes!
Nerf + Lego = AWESOME! – Okay, so I haven’t tried this one yet, but it’s on my list. Our guys have Nerf guns and I’m forever telling them to stop shooting the darts in the living room. They also have a fair amount of Lego. Well, I found a pin on Pinterest with instructions on how to make targets out of Lego to shoot their Nerf darts at. If you have a Nerf and Lego lover in your house – look it up!
Hopefully we get more sunny days than rainy days this summer so we can spend time outside enjoying the sun, the parks, the splashpads, the bike rides and the backyard sprinkler! But when those inevitable rainy days happen, I hope some of these ideas keep your kiddos happy and busy for a few hours! Or a few minutes at least!
