When the weather does not permit outdoor play, there are still plenty of fun activities that we can do inside the house.
Here are three rainy day ideas:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donna-andrew/ / CC BY 2.0
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donna-andrew/ / CC BY 2.0
Dress-ups
Children have great imaginations. They love pretending and fantasising and there is nothing like putting on a “costume” for them to really get into the spirit of the moment.
So before you pack your old clothes away for recycling, save some choice pieces for a dress-up box. One never knows when this might come in useful. Over the years, we have added to our box with assorted superhero capes homemade from recycled cloth diapers and old towels, cardboard Agito belts and cardboard Power Rangers weapons.
Accessories such as hats, gloves, ties, stockings, socks, belts, scarves and costume jewellery will add much to the mood so be sure to keep these handy as well.
Home Band
Kids and noise go together like bees and honey. Get a home band started by using materials from around your house to create musical instruments.
Make shakers by putting dried pasta shapes, dried beans, peas, lentils or rice into containers such as tupperwares, tins or yoghurt cups. If your container has no lid, tape some paper on the top to cover it.
Tie a couple of old metal keys together on a rubber band or a string. Make two sets of these finger cymbals, one for each hand. Use metal pots and pans, plastic bottles and other non-breakable containers for drums. A pair of chopsticks will do nicely for rhythm sticks.
Old shoeboxes can be made into stringed instruments of sorts. Cut a centre hole in the lid, stretch four or five rubber bands or elastic cords around the box so that they lie across the hole. Thicker bands make lower sounds, thinner bands give higher sounds.
Painting
Encourage children to express their ideas freely
Experimenting with paints is a fun way for children to learn about colours. Start off with the three primary colours of red, blue and yellow and allow the children to mix these paints up so that they can observe how colours can be changed and new colours created.
Encourage young children to express their thoughts and ideas freely and to paint unreservedly with no boundaries—there’s plenty of time later on for them to grasp the more disciplined skills of a good artist, if they are so inclined.
All you need are some art block or any other recycled paper, such as newspaper, brown paper, old envelopes, paper egg cartons and toilet tissue rolls, some paint brushes and paints.
Painting with children can get rather messy so be sure to use water-based paints that can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth. Lining the floor with old newspapers can help to contain the mess.
When the kids get bored with painting on paper, try these variations:
• Straw Painting: Pour some watery paint mixture on to a large sheet of paper. Use a straw and blow on it to scatter the paint.
• Wax Painting: Use a candle to draw a pattern on sheet of paper. Paint over the entire paper. The waxed pattern will stand out as it resists the paint.
• Sponge painting: Dab a sponge—a natural sponge will produce better effect than a man-made sponge—in paint and pat it over the paper. When the paint has dried, repeat with a different colour.
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