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8 Fun Rainy Day Activities for Kids

By Holly Campbell

As a mom with a young kid, I know how aggravating it can be having your kids stuck in the house on rainy days. You need new fun ideas to keep children busy. A kid stuck inside the house without a lot of space to romp around could start whining and get really cranky, and the same collection of old toys can do little to jolly a crying child. These creative and fun activities are really worth their weight in gold, low on cost and high on fun. Let's chase those rainy day blues away and bring the fun indoors!

Super Fun Indoor Activities that Kids Love!

1. Create an obstacle course in the house using common things like chairs, boxes, quilts to go under and over, couch cushions to climb over and toys to jump over. Or, play "hide and seek" – take 3 plastic cups and your kid's favorite small toy. Hide the toy under one of the cups and ask your little one to guess which cup has the toy.

2. Butterfly painting and hand printing are exciting, if you don't mind mess. Mix your tempura paints in 2 or 3 colors onto a paper plate. Fold a large piece of white construction paper in half. Show your kid how to spoon a little paint onto one half of the paper, taking care not to go over folded crease.

Then fold the paper in half on the original fold line and gently smooth over the outside and spread the paint between the folds.

Reopen the paper and you will have a mirror image on both sides of your paper. This activity is fun to repeat with a whole series of different patterns. Allow paintings to dry completely.

When paintings are dry, cut out butterfly shape wings while the paper is folded again on the original fold. If they're small then you can decorate your kid's masterpieces on bedroom window or if large enough, stick them on walls to admire.

To jazz up hand printing crafts, try gray paint for an elephant, paint junior's fingers for legs and thumb for the trunk. Then a finger print for eye and so on.

You can also paint just your toddler's palm and fingers black, and do two over-lapping hand prints to make a spider. Or, paint his fingers and palm with different colors and use the same over-lapping technique spreading the fingers around in a circle for a flower motif.

3. If your kid get tired of regular old paint, or if he enjoy finger painting, then this is a great activity to do. In a bowl, mix daddy's shaving cream with a little food coloring. Then, let little Picasso spread the colored cream over a piece of construction paper to draw creative designs that bleed into each other.

Finger paints need not be limited to store bought paints. Many food and baking supplies can be transformed into great edible paints. Edible paint is so much fun for young kids to explore texture, taste and create art at the same time!

To make pudding finger paint, gather these ingredients – 1 large package instant vanilla pudding, 2 cups ice cold water and food coloring

Whisk instant pudding and water together in a bowl for 2 minutes. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Divide the pudding paint into several small containers or a muffin tin and add different food coloring to each for a thin paint. If you want a thicker texture, just mix up the pudding as per package instructions or buy the canned, ready-made pudding in the grocery stores.

To make kool-aid finger paint, you need 2 cups flour, 2 packs unsweetened Kool-Aid , ½ cup salt, 3 cups boiling water and 3 tablespoon oil.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water and oil, stir. Kids just love to watch the color change. Use glossy finger paint paper sprayed with a bit of water.

For jello finger paint, simply mix 1 packet jello ( any flavor) into 2 tablespoons hot water until it is a good consistency for finger paint. Let cool for 5 to10 minutes before giving it to your kid. Kids love the smell and feel of jello finger paint, the trick here is to paint for a tin foil for a neat effect.

If you don't have the ingredients for edible paints, here's a "bread" art that toddlers love. Get a few slices of white bread, food colorings, milk, small cups, a new paintbrush and a bread toaster. Pour a little amount of milk into each cup and drop a few food colorings (different cups of milk for different colors). Using a new paintbrush, your toddler can paint designs or pictures onto the bread. Don't soak the bread, just use enough "paint" for the picture to show up. Now, pop the bread into the toaster for edible art!

4. Bake something without heat! You need a banana, 3-4 Graham crackers or digestive biscuits, a Ziploc bag and a dull butter knife. Place crackers in a Ziploc bag and get your kid to lightly crush the pieces while you peel and slice a banana into circles. When done, transfer into bag and let junior shake, coating each banana slice with crumbs. Such a wonderful treat for mid afternoon snack, isn't it?

5. Put on a DVD or CD geared for kids (such as "Old Den Tucker", "Muffin Man", "Polly Wolly Doodle" etc) or even switch on the radio, your little ones will jump right in and dance all over the place! Keep-fit exercise videos will get him boogie-ing too and the best deal is you'll get a hearty giggle at his expense!

6. If it has stopped raining, put on his gumboots, take your child out for some splashing in the puddles, search for worms, catch water coming out from rain spouts, etc. Or, stand him on a chair at the sink, fill the washing up bowl and give him plastic containers, jugs, sieves and funnels to play with. Pouring, filling and emptying gives your kid an off-the-cuff science lesson too!

7. Another fun activity for the water lover is to go fishing but indoors – create a fishing pond in the house – grab a small tub, add in some water, fake fish, and other little toys or things in it. Then take a fishing ‘net’, scoop and go fishing!

8. Build a tent out of blankets and kitchen chairs or other household furniture. Use pillows, stuffed animals or anything soft for the sides and flooring to protect your kids. I used some old sheets and tied some string to the four corners. Then tie them to door handles, bedposts, or baby cribs for their roof. Just be sure it is sturdy and nothing will fall on them while playing.

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