Family Fun Friday: Rainy Day Indoor Fun {Part 2}

If you missed part 1 of my fabulous series - go read it here now! :) Please & Thank You! ;)

Today, I have a few more indoor fun ideas to share with you.

We all have these days for one reason or another & they can be hard on everyone - bored and restless kids are not fun! Engaged, active kids on the other hand = happy kids and we all know happy kids are loads of fun! :)

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas Rainy Day Fun List: Part 2

4. Have a Game Day - Think board games, video games, puzzles, good old fashioned hide & seek type games, legos, building blocks etc... - Anything Goes!

My girls LOVE to play - (most kids do) but what they really love is to play with me or their dad. So turn your indoor day into a special time and play with the kids. Teach them some of those old games you used to play, spend time on candyland, chutes & ladders, etc.  My girls recently got the Wii game Just Dance Kids - they can spend hours dancing if I let them. It's hilarious to watch them but even more fun to get up and dance with them. It produces lots of giggles - from all of us - Guaranteed!

this brings me to my next idea........

5. Dance - turn up the music, let loose & get moving! The Lil Divas love to dance and they get such a kick out of it when I join in with them. I like to turn on the Salsa music and teach them some of my moves - they never get tired of it.

This idea is also great because you get in some much needed physical activity! Get the kids moving, grooving & shaking - let them expend some of that pent up energy.  They need it and so do you.

6. Kitchen Time - there's nothing better than baking or cooking something when you are stuck in the house. It gives you something to do together and later you get to eat! Kids love to help in the kitchen and although it can be messy and more time consuming than doing it on your own - those are exactly the reason you should do it together!

Children get so much out of the experience of simply baking cupcakes - think of all the measuring, pouring, stirring - those are great skills to practice. Then, the anticipation of letting them bake, smelling those delicious smells wafting from the oven - yum! It's a perfect time to visit one of the other ideas on my list to keep them occupied while you wait for the cupckaes to bake and cool.

Finally, frost and decorate them together - this is by far one of the best parts of the entire process for my Lil Divas (besides the eating of course). I always have frosting, sprinkles, etc on hand. After all the baking is done and our snacks eaten - they even help clean-up! The Lil Divas love washing dishes - built in water play time with bubbles!

Now, doesn't that sound like a fun day?

Stay tuned next Friday for some more ideas!

Bern
Linking to STart, Childhood 101 - We Play!, Sharing Time,  Get Crafty,  Read, Explore, Learn , For the Kids Friday,  Preschool Corner, Feed Me Books Friday  , Fun for Kids Friday , It's Playtime , Made by Little Hands Monday and Creative Juice Thursday

Family Fun Friday: Rain, Rain, Go Away! Indoor Rainy Day Fun for Kids (Part 1)

Late May in FL means the rainy season is upon us and being trapped all day indoors with hyper and bored kids isn't my idea of a good time! So I have a few fun ways to beat the rainy day blues (and not go insane in the process)!

Want to know what they are? I hope you said yes because I am about to share my fabulous Rainy Day Fun List with YOU! Feel free to do a lil dance of happiness, thank you! ;)

Now, when I sat down to write my handy dandy list - I just kept going & going! So I decided to make this a little series - so that I could fully explore each idea with you. 

So are you ready for some fun? Good, then read on!

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas Rainy Day Fun List: Part 1

1. Play Dough - Do it! Bring out the play-doh! Don't have any on hand? Try the easy recipe listed below and whip some up together for even more fun. Play-doh can bring hours of fun, I kid you not! Need a few ideas for inspiration? Try making cupcakes - add sequins, beads, pipe cleaners, etc and now you have a party (maybe paper party hats are in order as well?)  Cupcakes don't appeal to your lil one - how about making some monsters, animals, letters, numbers, shapes, people, jewelry...the possibilities and the fun are endless! Incorporate your cookie cutters, safe kitchen tools, etc and let them explore, create and enjoy.

 

Easy Play-Doh Recipe #1 (cooked verison)

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup regular Morton salt
• 2 pkg unsweetened Koolaid
• 2 TB Cream of Tarter
• 2 TB Vegetable Oil
• 2 cups water

Instructions for Playdough: In a large pot, combine all the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Add the oil and water.  Stir over medium until the mixture is firm and hard to stir. Be careful not to over cook.  Dump out of pan onto a lightly floured surface.  When cool, knead until dough is smooth and pliable.  Store in an air-tight container.  Refrigerate. This can last up to 3 months if stored well! :)

Easy Play-Doh Recipe #2 (non-cook version)

1/4 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Instructions for Playdough: Mix the flour and salt in a bowl then add water. Knead and squeeze the dough until it is a clay like consistency. You may need to add more water. Note: This dough doesn't last as long as the cooked recipe above - just an FYI.

Need Color? Divide your play dough into sections and knead in food coloring (liquid or paste). A FUN scent-filled version - use Kool-Aid! 

Another fun idea - add glitter for sparkly play dough! My Lil Divas love all things sparkly and it certainly makes things more fun & engaging for them!

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2. Craft & Create - take out the craft supplies and let them go wild!  They can paint, draw with markers or crayons, use a dry erase or a chalk board if you have one. They can make paper bag puppets, paper plate crafts, easy paper crafts (just print & craft) and so much more. Let them use sequins, glitter, etc. It might get messy but it will also be lots of creative fun!

Need a more structured approach? Why not prepare a few crafts ahead of time & put the materials away specifically for rainy days. Then when you are faced with a rainy, indoor day - you can just pick one of your stashed crafts and work on it. Obviously I have lots of craft ideas right here that you can do - Kids Crafts. I will also share a few of my personal go to crafty sites and blogs - Family Fun Blog, Disney's Family Fun, DLTK Kids, Classified:Mom and First-School.

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3. Sock Puppets - we all have lonely socks around the house who have somehow lost their mate. Where do those socks go between the time they get put in the washer and out of the dryer? I am always left with onr or two that simply disappear! I hope you saved yours because a rainy day is the perfect time to have fun making & playing with sock puppets. Puppet Show anyone? :)

A Few Simple Sock Puppet Tutorials:

No-Sew Sock Puppets

Simple Sew Verion

Sock Puppet Ideas

What a great way to craft together and then take what you made and spend quality time playing! You can make your very own Puppet Theater presentation - the Lil Divas and I will, of course, require tickets to this fabulous show you will be putting on! :)

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my list. Don't forget to come back next Friday for Part 2.

Bern
Linking to  Childhood 101 - We Play!, Sharing Time,  Get Crafty,  For the Kids Friday, and Preschool Corner, Fun for Kids Friday , It's Playtime