The summertime makes it easier than ever to simply open the door and let your kids play for hours. But if you're stuck inside with rain and nowhere to go, here are five ideas to get you through those days.
Create a Living Room Luau
If a family vacation to Hawaii isn't on the calendar this year then it's time to turn your living room into a tropical resort destination. Grab your favorite tropical fruits from the grocery store, hula hoops for workin' those hips and crank up the breezy beach tunes on Pandora.com. Dress the part in Hawaiian print shirts and grass skirts, and encourage some playful competition to see who's the better hula hooper.
Bring a Book to Life
If your child could live anywhere in the world in a particular time period where would that be? Find a corresponding book at your local library and bring that setting to life.
Then devote the day to acting out that story. Get the kids and their friends all involved—from actors and actresses, to prop and set designers. Let their creativity run wild! When the performance is done, gather round for a group discussion about which characters they liked best, what situation they related to and what they'd change about the story.
Oversee a Cooking Adventure
If you're busy with your own tasks at home, give the kids a chance to be semi-autonomous in the kitchen. Spatulatta.com is a comprehensive website with video tutorials of kids cooking, easy recipes and fun guides to basic cooking tips. If you spend the afternoon cooking, by dinnertime your kids will have an appreciation for food production and the meal will be ready!
Build Your Own Puzzle and Collage
You know those piles of old magazines you have lying around? Before getting around to that trip to the recycling center you've been putting off choose a few of your favorites (perhaps Lehigh Valley Style) and let the kids go collage crazy! With construction paper, scissors and a glue stick they can create collages of their favorite animals, favorite words or favorite places. Have fun with geometry by constructing a collage then cutting it into puzzle pieces for an original jigsaw puzzle design.
Let Music Be Your Guide
Let your kids pick their favorite songs, then send them to separate rooms to either choreograph a dance, film a skit, or write a story or poem that describes the song. Have them create for 30 minutes then share with the household. Film the performance and play it back so they can perfect the routine. Young aspiring writers can type their story and read it aloud.
Credits: lilsugar.com, Redbookmag.com
