There’s more to do on a rainy day than watch television and play board games—or are they bored games? Kids need physical activity to get their wiggles out and stay healthy, but when gloomy weather rolls in, they have to take refuge indoors. Soccer games and jump rope contests aren’t quite suited for indoor play, but you can turn a dreary day into a cheery day with these creative and educational activities for the whole family.

My Favorite Rainy Day Place

For a fun art project that will get the creative juices flowing faster than rain in a storm drain, try this activity. First gather these supplies: construction paper, yarn or stapler, paper towels, markers, glue, cotton balls, dry rice, aluminum foil pieces, salt, water colors, markers, and chalk. Find a location suitable for a messy art project, and cover the surface with newspaper for easy clean up.

Instruct the kids to think of their favorite place. This could be their room, a vacation spot, or even somewhere they’ve never been, like the moon. They will need to draw their chosen locale on a piece of construction paper. When everyone has finished his masterpiece, it’s time to stir up a storm! Choose from these applications to make rain fall on the favorite places. Paint a blue coat of watercolor over the entire picture, then sprinkle salt on the wet surface. When the piece dries, the salt will have soaked up some of the paint and left spots that look like rain. They can use small pieces of balled foil or rice, glued randomly on their picture, to symbolize raindrops. For clouds, apply the chalk, and rub it with a paper towel to create a wispy sky, or pull cotton balls into thin sheets and glue them to the paper.

Have each artist make a story entitled, “The Day it Rained in My Favorite Place.” Let them make as many pictures as they want, then bind them all together with staples or yarn to create a keepsake book to look at on the next rainy day.

Beatnik the Rainy Day Blues

Start with a literary scavenger hunt by sending the kids to search for poems, fairy tales, or short stories that refer to rain. Then have everyone find a hat and a pair of sunglasses. Make hot cocoa, tea, or coffee, and serve it in nice teacups. Prepare a stage for the performance by utilizing the fireplace landing or laying down a rug in an area that everyone will be able to view.

Once the kids are dressed in costumes and have their chosen literature, dim the lights and light candles. Play soft, instrumental music in the background. Explain that you are the host of an old fashioned Beatnik coffee house and they are there to perform. Applause should be in the form of snaps, not claps, and the repetition of the word “cool.” You can begin by example, reading a favorite poem or reciting a funny rhyme about rain. Then let each child stand and read his chosen literature. If they cannot read, let them beat a rhythm on a plastic dish with a wooden spoon or play a tune on a kazoo. This is a fun and educational way to Beatnik the rainy day blues!

Cloud-Breaking Newscast

Start by having the kids watch a local newscast and determine which segment was their favorite. Then explain that your family is going to create an evening newscast, and it will take some fun preparation. Let each child cover his favorite segment. For sports, the newscaster should create a script that tells the stats and upcoming games for family members. They could highlight a player and tell what they think that athlete’s future holds. The entertainment anchor can give reviews of favorite movies, or the television schedule for the evening. One child may want to cover weather. They can go online to get a forecast, and then draw a weather map on construction paper to use as a visual aide. Maybe you want to host the cooking segment or do a book review.

Everyone will need to develop a short script to practice, find a costume, and provide visual aides. A parent or older child can double as the producer by scheduling the performances and making sure everything runs smoothly during the dress rehearsals. When Mom or Dad gets home from work, you’ll have a captive audience to watch your cloud-breaking newscast.

Rainy Day Shower

There are baby showers, wedding showers, and even tool showers these days. Why not a rainy day shower? Not the gloomy kind that happens outdoors, but a gift exchange with snacks and guessing games.

Take a little time to prepare. You’ll need decorations. Umbrellas, golashes, rubber duckies, and flowers work nicely. For snacks, bake sugar cookies with blue food coloring in them, or serve blue corn chips with French Onion dip. The kids will have fun choosing trinkets, books, or dolls from their own collection to wrap up as gifts for another family member. Tell them to choose items they would donate to charity, or books they’ve finished reading. You may want the kids to draw names or hold a white elephant style gift exchange, so that everyone receives a gift. The kids can wrap their presents and make a card. The gift card should highlight one reason the recipient is a special part of the family. Games can include guessing when the rain will stop, remembering family birth dates, or I Spy and Twenty Questions. Hide and seek can be a fun indoor game, too.

When everyone is dressed in their Rainy Day Shower attire, and the food and decorations are prepared, have the "guests" go to the garage. They should knock on the door and be greeted as fun characters like "Duchess Delightful," "Princess of Play," and "Sir Silly of Snickerdom." As they enter, usher them to the food and have them deposit their gifts on the table. After everyone arrives and enjoys some snacks, move to a sitting area to play games. The grand finale can be the gift exchange, with each recipient standing to read his card aloud and open his gift. Now that’s a rainy day shower everyone will enjoy!

Other ideas for indoor rainy day activities include Meteorology 101, in which kids go online to learn the symbols used by weathermen, and then create their own weather map on poster board. You can host a Catch a Falling Star variety show by putting the kids in groups and allowing them to create an act to perform after dinner. If the rain lets up, everyone can pull on a trash bag with a hole for their head and hands, and go roll in the rain puddles. Boys are especially fond of this activity.

Next time bad weather tries to ruin your family fun, you’ll know just what to do to shine a little light on the situation. The kids may look forward to the next rainy day!