Rainy days can be tough on parents at home with energetic children. If you don’t want them glued to screens all the time, there are lots of ways to get them up and about, fuel their imaginations, spark their competitiveness and tire them out, all without stepping outside!
Playing board games helps teach children sportsmanship, competitiveness, strategy and improvision, along with lots of other important life skills – although when the ability to throw a doughnut onto an elephants trunk, or know the co-ordinates for an imaginary battleship will come in handy, we can’t tell you!
Dig out old board games from the back of the cupboard that haven’t seen much love in a while – most classic games haven’t changed that much, they’ll be fresh to your family and the nostalgia of playing older versions of games can be an added appeal for grown-ups. If you find yourself missing pieces from old favourites you can fashion new bits from air drying clay, buttons or whatever you have around.
If your family are fans of certain video game or film franchises, try a new version of Monopoly; from Barbie and Squishmallows to Star Wars and Black Panther, you’ll find lots of exciting new variants that will reignite the excitement for the game that’s just hit it’s 90th anniversary. If you like your games to have an educational benefit, Monopoly stands head and shoulders above many other classics. Counting money, change, percentages for mortgage repayments as well as auctioning and paying fines and fees are all great concepts to get your children understand as early as possible – as well as dealing with the disappointment of having to hand over your hard earned cash in rent! It’s not just Monopoly that’s had an upgrade, there are new and updated versions of many childhood favourites available, and a whole new generation to teach the rules to. Try Uno No Mercy, Pictionary AI, or Scrabble Duplicate for an upgraded, modern experience of classic family games. We’ve got hundreds of games, puzzles and kits to keep them entertainer this school holiday:
An ideal rainy day activity for slightly older children, inventing your own board game puts them in control of their play. Dig out old games that have fallen out of favour, ones with lost pieces and any parts that have become separated from their original game. You can also offer pens, card and a large piece of poster board (or the back of a roll of old wallpaper!) Inventing their own game has lots of positive learning opportunities, from the need to compromise with others to come up with a viable game to the creativity involved in designing a whole new board. When it’s finished, ask them to teach you how to play or to present their idea ‘Dragons Den’ style. You could encourage them to decorate a suitable old box to keep their game in and add it to the family games cupboard for future rainy day play.
Creativity feeds children’s cognitive development, allowing them to manifest ideas into real objects and teaches attention to detail, commitment and reward when a project is complete. At the Entertainer, we believe that allowing children creative independence in as many ways as possible is seriously important, not only for keeping them busy on rainy days, but for building confidence in themselves and their ideas to serve them in later life.
There are lots of ways to get crafty that don’t cost extra money. Save scraps of nice gift wrap, wallpaper samples and interesting packaging in a box ready to make cards or collages, or make your own play dough with a mixture of 1/2 cup cornstarch 1 cup baking soda and 3/4 cup water (colouring optional). A space to craft is all you really need to get them creating something wonderful – lay newspaper on the floor if you are short on space and let them go wild with glitter and glue. If your little ones prefer a bit of guidance to create a one-of-a-kind gift or present, create-your-own kits are a fun way to give them all of the materials and inspiration that they need. Our kits include ingredients and supplies to make your own soaps, jewellery, terrariums, teddy bears, cushions, bath bombs and key rings. The joy and pride that children get from creating a unique piece of art or homeware is priceless!
If you want to top up your craft supplies with carefully designed additions that can be used in hundreds of creative ways, we’ve got lots of exciting make-your-own craft kits and bumper craft supply packs, full of paper, stickers, pipe cleaners and anything else they could possibly need to create an arty masterpiece.
Children have boundless energy, and whilst as adults we can only try to keep up, it’s a great opportunity to break out of our usual routine and motivate ourselves and the younger members of our households to get active. Don’t let rain turn you and your family into coach potatoes, there are lots of fun ways to get up and active even if you are stuck indoors. Want some of our top ideas for keeping active inside?
We hope we’ve given you some inspiration for getting through rainy school holidays and weekends. Whatever you do with those grey days, giving your little ones plenty of scope for imagination, creativity and movement will give you more peace and help them create fun, cosy memories. Don’t forget to build in some unwinding time to their daily schedule to ensure that they are more than ready when bedtime rolls round!
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