When thinking about future rainy days, are you worried that your children will be stuck inside with nothing to do or learn? Fear not! As long as you have internet access, you have a world of creative, educational activities at your fingertips. You and your kids can spend hours learning and having fun.
Turn on the Laptop. There are a variety of online learning activities you can share with your kids. If you don’t know where to start, browse an app store on your laptop or tablet. With the newest devices, your kids can try out many apps for learning a language, practicing geometry, or working on a watercolor painting — whatever their hearts desire. Using an app is an interactive way to learn new things or brush up on skills they’ve already learned. If you’re kids are a little older (i.e., teenagers), look for a laptop that is durable and has enough battery power and storage for their needs.
Get in the Kitchen. Kids can have fun in the kitchen with the help of online easy-to-follow recipes that are also healthy. Your kids can get creative with an open-faced veggie pizza by using the food to make a face. Or they can create an “apple monster” with just a few ingredients. Another way to make healthy eating fun is by using a popcorn popper to make popcorn, instead of eating bagged popcorn.
Try Crafting. If your little ones like arts and crafts or puppet shows, they can learn how to make their own. You can easily download coloring pages and “do-it-yourself” craft activities that range from simple paper-towel roll creations to complex origami. Who needs to buy a bird feeder when you can make one with step-by-step directions?
If you’re looking for preschool or elementary school activities, there are many online exercises that can help your kids learn to read and write, along with word and sound activities, coloring pages, fidget spinner social skill games, and more. Plus, there are several mommy bloggers who have fun games and activities like Lego challenges, sand volcanoes, magnetic slime, and paper building blocks on their pages. If that’s not enough, you can find activities related to themes like “doggie” crafts for pet-friendly households. Your kids can learn how to draw different dogs and download dog-themed calendars and chore charts, as well as play games and create ID tags for your pooch.
Science to the Rescue. Do your older kids need more creative outlets? They can make indoor rain, as well as many other science-, math-, or art-related activities like 3D math puzzles, and designing, building and “selling” their own home. If your children are Mythbusters or Science Guys in training, you can play up the research excitement with safety goggles and a paint smock or other protective clothing to keep everyone from getting glitter, goo, or the like on their clothing. Science can be messy, but it’s also fun!
Time to Tune In. If videos of other kids doing activities is more your speed, YouTube has plenty of kid-related channels, from PBS and Sesame Street to the The Brain Scoop by the Chicago Field Museum, as well as the Houston Zoo, Nova, Smithsonian, and so much more. There are even educational TED Talks for kids. You can search for channels by subject, and many are art- and music-related, which you don’t find as much on other online sites. Your kids can watch drawing tutorials, listen to symphonies or kid-friendly popular music, and learn how to create their own slime or even learn a new exercise like yoga or tai chi. They get educational programming that’s also entertaining, and what could be better than that?
Here’s another tip: If it’s raining outside and you really need a hand keep tabs on the little guys and gals, don’t hesitate to bring in a support system. If friends and family are too busy to assist you, you can always hunt around online for babysitters with great track records and positive reviews. You’ll also be able to see their hourly rates and how long they’ve been working in the field. If you need a hand on a rainy day that’s quickly getting out of control, find one and bring them aboard — if only for a few hours until the skies clear and the kids can head back outside.
As you can see, there is no reason to dread the next rainy day. There are so many ways for your kids to use their imagination and creativity online! Students of all ages can learn to be scientists, astronomers, musicians, artists, mathematicians — or truly anything their hearts desire. Bring on the rain clouds!
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