Rainy Day Activities for Children of All Ages.
Whatever your reason for being stuck in the house, we have activities for your little one! Many parents want to know, aside from playing with a tablet or phone, how can I engage my child on this otherwise gloomy day. Below is a list of many activities for children 12 and younger to play inside. Of course, one activity that transcends all ages is reading a story. You can read to your child or they can read to you. You can take turns. Or, you could make up a story!
Non-Mobile Infants
At this age, toys are unnecessary. Your baby’s favorite toy is your face. Face-to-face activities will be their primary engagement.
1. Peek-a-boo
Always a classic; Hide your face and ask “Where’s baby?” Then, uncover and show your baby how happy you are to have found them.
2. Scarf Peek-a-book
Instead of using your hands, find a light, breathable scarf. Lay your little one flat on the floor and let the scarf float until it gently lands on his or her face.
Any left over party balloons? Tie the string of a helium balloon to your baby’s ankle. They will enjoy watching the balloon dancing and soon make the connection that they control it.
4. Mirror Play
Place a mirror on the floor or leaning against the wall during tummy time and talk to your baby about what they see
Place your baby’s feet up against something hard (e.g. couch, box, pan, etc.) and let them make their own music
6. Make Shadow puppets
7. Sing a Nursery Rhyme
8. Put on a Puppet Show
9. Make a Sensory Bottle
Sensory bottles are easy and can be made quickly out of recycled materials. I would suggest using super glue or hot glue to seal the top and ensure that the content are not accessed.
Mobile Infants (Babies who can crawl)
As babies become mobile, their world is expanded beyond their parent's face and they want to explore it, primarily with their mouth.
10. Musical Band
Grab, or make, an instrument and jam out to your favorite nursery rhyme
11. Sandbox Discovery
Smash graham crackers (approximately 1 box) in a storage bag until it looks like sand. Then transfer the contents to a plastic container. Hide some trinkets that cannot be swallowed in the “sand” and let your little one explore. Be sure to do this activity in a contained space, it can get messy.
12. Make a Tent
13. Make a Sensory Bottle
Sensory bottles are easy and can be made quickly out of recycled materials. I would suggest using super glue or hot glue to seal the top and ensure that the content are not accessed.
14. Play Peek-a-Boo
15. Make Shadow Puppets
16. Put on a Puppet Show
17. Finger Foods
Self-feeding is an adventure in its own right for these little ones. Place them in a high chair with a handful of soft, bite-size, healthy snacks and let them have at it!
Toddlers (Children 2 years and younger who can walk)
The twos don’t have to be terrible with the right activities to engage and empower your little one. A toddler's misbehavior is often their way of exhibiting a need for autonomy. This need, coupled with their often immature communication skills can lead to minor, or major, meltdowns. Thankfully, most children thrive with structure and games are a great way to teach self-control, build language and increase autonomy.
18. Play-doh
Scary, I know, but Play-doh is great for strengthening fine motor skills and content areas. Start with a small amount of one color to introduce the texture and rules. Then, add more as you see your little one is ready.
19. Sticky Tape
21. Musical Band
Grab, or make, an instrument and jam out to your favorite nursery rhyme
22. Box Art
Recycle a large cardboard Amazon or moving box. Place your one inside with a box of crayons, markers, paints or all three and let their imagination roam
23. Make a Tent
24. Make a Sensory Bottle
Sensory bottles are easy and can be made quickly out of recycled materials. I would suggest using super glue or hot glue to seal the top and ensure that the content are not accessed.
25. Do a Puzzle: 5 pieces or less
26. Color a Picture
27. Make a Mask
28. Color Hunt
Make piles of different colors with things from around the house
29. Make a Sun Catcher
30. Put on a Puppet Show
31. Sort by Color, Shape or Size
Cut construction paper into various shaped pieces, then sort and glue onto a collage
32. Do a Contact Paper Craft
Preschoolers (3 and 4 year olds)
Your little one is blossoming into an independent child with increased fine and gross motor control as well as language skills. Sharing and taking turns is an important social skill that children at this age are learning to use as they begin to enter the classroom setting.
33. Musical Band
Grab, or make, an instrument and jam out to your favorite nursery rhyme
35. Make a Tent
36. Bake cookies
37. Make a Mask
38. Play-doh
39. Do a Puzzle: 24 pieces or less
40. Play Jenga
41. Color a picture
42. Do a Contact Paper Craft
43. Play Candy Land
44. Sort Lego or Blocks
Build a tower for each color then count and compare
45. Make a collage out of magazine clippings
46. Make a card for someone special
47. Play Hot Potato
48. Sort by Color, Shape or Size
Cut construction paper into various shaped pieces, then sort and glue onto a collage
49. Put on a Puppet Show
50. Color Hunt
Make piles of different colors with things from around the house
51. Bingo: Rhyming Words
52. Bingo: Colors and Shapes
53. Bingo: Numbers
54. Bingo: Letters
Primary Grades (K- 2nd Graders)
Almost all of the learning that takes place during these years is used for the rest of our lives, but interestingly enough, most of us cannot remember how we learned our ABCs and 123s. Here are some games and activities that they won't be able to forget!
55. Bingo: Letters
57. Bake Cookies
58. Musical Band
Grab, or make, an instrument and jam out to your favorite nursery rhyme
59. Make a Tent
60. Clean the House
Kids at this age love to help. This age group can help do anything that doesn't involve chemicals like sweep, dust, sort laundry, etc.
61. Play-doh
62. Play Simon Says
63. Do a Contact Paper Craft
64. Play I-Spy
65. Play Hot Potato
66. Do a Puzzle: 24 pieces or less
67. Make a Mask
69. Color a picture
70. Put on a Puppet Show
71. Play Connect 4
72. Play Goldfish
73. Play Twister
74. Make a collage out of magazine clippings
75. Make a card for someone special
76. Bingo: Sight Words
77. Bingo: Rhyming Words
78. Bingo: Numbers
79. Bingo: USA
Intermediate Grades (3rd- 6th Graders)
At this age, children can use what they have learned in school to engage in more complex games and activities.
81. Musical Band
Grab, or make, an instrument and jam out to your favorite tunes
82. Play Simon Says
83. Play I-Spy
84. Make Origami
85. Do a Puzzle: 50 pieces or less
86. Do a Crossword Puzzle
87. Color a Picture
88. Play Pictionary, Charades, Or Taboo
89. Play Hot Potato
90. Sort and Count the coins in a piggy bank
91. Play Solitaire
92. Play Checkers
93. Play Chess
94. Write and illustrate a story
95. Play Twister
96. Make a collage out of magazine clippings
97. Make a card for someone special
98. Bingo: USA
99. Bingo: Fractions, Decimals and Percents
100. Bingo: Multiplication and Division
101. Bingo: Telling Time
If you enjoyed reading this post and found it useful, please subscribe and follow us on Pinterest for our latest blog posts.
Commentaires