Rainy Day Activities
/As the rainy and cold weather season begins to arrive, I like to keep a few easy indoor activities on hand to do with my kids. Being indoors all day can be exhausting for little humans (and their big humans too!), and I find that a rotation of options helps alleviate stress, frustration, and boredom.
ADDITION PRACTICE
My oldest rascal is 4 years old and he is beginning to understand the concept of addition. He enjoys this activity because he is in charge (yay for control) and he can do it all by himself (yay for independence). My excitement comes from developing his motor skills and math practice.
You need the following:
Two sets of the numbers 1 - 6 on index cards
One set of the numbers 2 - 12 on index cards
Big child friendly dice (like these from Amazon)
A playing board to organize the dice
Let your child roll two dice. After rolling, your child places the dice on the playing board. Next, your child finds the corresponding index cards with the correct number for each die and places them on the playing board. Finally, your child adds the two numbers / dice to find the sum and puts that index card on the playing board. Ta-da!
You can extend this activity with ideas such as: teach your child to use the correct terms for addition (addend, sum, equation), use three or more dice for longer addition equations, convert this activity to subtraction, multiplication, or division, or use 9- or 12-sided dice instead.
COSMIC KIDS YOGA
When we get cooped up inside with the wiggles, I immediately turn to Cosmic Kids Yoga. You can find Jaime (the instructor) on YouTube, Amazon Prime, or their website. Before I forget, Cosmic Kids Yoga is free (though if you stream through Amazon Prime you have to use your Prime membership, which is not free). Using imagination, bright colors, and fantastical storytelling, Jaime leads kids through various adventures in many different settings using yoga poses. More often than not, I join in too! My 2 year old rascal follows along for about half the time, whereas my 4 year old rascal enjoys the full 30 minutes of movement.
CARDBOARD ART
This activity is simple and straightforward and uses whatever you have on hand. If your house is like mine, we tend to receive more packages than I’d like to admit. Instead of immediately recycling the cardboard, I save some for art. Yes, cardboard boxes can be used to make rocket ships and forts, and yes, cardboard boxes can be used to make excellent ramps for matchbox cars, but we also use cardboard as a paper substitute. We draw, color, and paint on the cardboard (instead of paper) for a quick art activity. Use whatever art supplies you have on hand: crayons, markers, paint, glue, tissue paper, stickers, stamps, etc. More often than not, this is not keepsake artwork. This is the artwork that you toss in the recycle bin when the rascals aren’t looking.
Stay strong, entertained, and creative when the weather keeps you indoors.
Written by Brandi Stanton, mom to two rascals, ages 2 and 4.
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