Being cooped up inside the house on a rainy, snowy, cold, or dreary day can make all of us antsy, especially children. However, you can make the most of those days when you have a few activities up your sleeve! These nine low-cost activities will keep your kids from wasting the day away in front of the TV while providing them an opportunity to learn something new.
1. STEM Activities
Science, technology, engineering, and math are some of the most important skills a child can learn these days. Why stop learning just because of a little rain? Supply your kid with a set of LEGOs or similar toys and let their imaginations run wild while sharpening their STEM skills at the same time. The cost of such toys can add up quickly, so search for discounts online (retailers like Amazon frequently have deals) to help bring these items in under budget.
2. Science Experiments
There are numerous science activities your kid can do from home at little to no cost. In fact, you probably already have many of the required materials in your kitchen. For instance, they can make their own edible glass with powdered sugar, corn syrup, tartar, measuring spoons, parchment paper, and a few other household items.
3. Storytelling Time
If you want a social activity for your child, invite some of their friends over for storytelling time. Creating a story together is not only fun, but it can also foster critical thinking and strengthen social skills. It’s best if an adult starts the story off with a single idea and allows the kids to develop it from there. However, children can benefit from simply listening to an adult tell stories.
4. Treasure Hunt
Another fun and social activity is an indoor treasure hunt. Just hide several items and clues throughout the home and provide the kids with a list of the items and a small box to put them in. To add some motivation, you can even offer an inexpensive prize to the winner!
5. Craft Projects
If you want to get crafty, you can set up a station for your kid to do a number of craft projects. If you don’t already have them, you can get low-cost art supplies at your local craft stores, such as glue, stickers, pom-poms, glitter, and finger paint. You can either let them come up with an idea or start them off with one.
6. Baking
Baking is a great chance for kids to learn a skill that will be useful for the rest of their life. Plus, they know there’s a delicious reward for their efforts! Check out this article for easy recipes for kids — from pizza and sugar cookies to superfood flapjacks and berry muffins. Even something as simple and easy as a small toaster oven can get kids excited about making food.
7. Reading Challenge
The benefits of reading are obvious; you just have to make it fun for your kid. Let them pick out one or more books that they wouldn’t be able to read in school, and challenge them to see how many chapters (or small books) they can read in a day. You can even have them give you a brief oral book report afterward.
8. Online Tutorials
Nowadays, free art and music lessons abound on the internet, so take advantage of online tutorials. Just make sure your kid has the materials they need, and let them exercise their creative thinking skills as they work away at a drawing or song.
9. Exercise Videos
If you want to add physical health benefits to the mix, your kid can exercise in your living room. YouTube has a plethora of great exercise videos for kids of all ages. If you want to join in on the action, there are videos for parent and child workouts too!
The next dreary day doesn’t have to be a humdrum waste of time for your household. At little to no cost, you can set any of these activities up for your kid, and they’ll have fun while gaining new knowledge and sharpening important developmental skills. If you need to, get any supplies you need now so that you will have them ready when the rain starts falling!
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