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.