Indoor Activities?

[mjmdiva]

Anyone have good activities to do inside?

The rainy season has begun and we are spending a LOT of time inside these days. We do get out at least once a day to play in puddles, but the girls are getting bored inside.

During the day I have my 2 kiddos 3.5yrs and 1.5yrs and 2 other kids 4.5yrs and 1 yrs old.

I need some ideas for both age groups if anyone has any.

Thanks

[Leesan'girls]

When I am really desperate I put some bubbles in the sink and let them make a mess. They soak the floor, but they love 'washing' dishes :lol:
They have gotten into coloring since starting daycare.
They dress up and take turns dancing for each other.
turn off the lights and get some flashlights in their bedroom.
Have some glow stick on hand for rainy days too.
let them take all the blankets from every closet so that they can play with their dolls. they make beds for them and stuff.

I dont know what else. I wish they would sit down and play a game with me. I'd love some learning games.

[Katy Books]

Living in the UK, I am highly resourceful when it comes to entertaining kids in bad weather :lol:

We take sheets from the linen cupboard and make "tents" using the dining room chairs :lol: We furnish them using blankets and pillows. They will spend all day in there - even having a picnic lunch in there with their teddies :D We also read stories related to the camping scenario. THere is a great story about a little boy called Alfie by Shirley Hughes in which he goes on a camping trip with his daddy :D.

We do gluing and sticking with dried pasta, dried beans, sequins, feathers, tissue paper, glitter etc. Making masks, painting and colouring. I find that giving them a theme to work on is more engaging than "lets just draw". For example, this week the boys are drawing Halloween stuff. But we might take inspiration from a book or cartoon too.

Dress up is hugely popular. Pirates, Star Wars, Robin Hood, Peter Pan and, yes, even Cinderella (that would be Caspar :lol:).

Bring the outdoors indoors by putting your paddling pool inside and filling it with those lightweight plastic balls (you find them in ball pools at soft play centres). My boys LOVE this game. Also, Caspar got given a set of soft, indoor sports balls (basketball, baseball, american football) by Colin & Mikaila's mama (.....another person I haven't seen or heard from in AGES!!) and we will clear the floor and have a good run around and tumble with those quite happily for half an hour or more.

Make cookies with the kids. If you make the dough, let them roll it out and cut it out and then decorate once they are cooked. I have tried making the dough with the kids but either we make a massive mess or they get bored of mama telling them "be careful with the flour" and fussing and cleaning up every two seconds :lol: :lol:

On a general level, I find that placing the toys on rotation (rather than everything available all the time) reduces boredom levels during the winter months.

I don't like spending a great deal of time on the computer with the kids but I do let them check out www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies It is the home page of the cbeebies channel which is a UK channel dedicated to the under 5's (altho Harry at 7 still watches). They have online stories, downloads of pictures for colouring in, songs, rhymes and activity ideas as well as games etc. Well worth checking out.

How about getting the older ones to put on a puppet show for the younger ones?

Make some basic musical instruments - shakers etc.

Finally, rely on some good old party games......musical statues, musical bumps, musical chairs, pass the parcel (with the "prize" being something special but having lots of activities written on each layer of paper too......sing a song, read story, dance to a piece of music etc).

Wow! Something of an essay there :lol: Hope you can find some inspiration :D

[Leesan'girls]

Those are some good ideas too Katy...thanks :)

[mjmdiva]

Thanks ladies!

[raynliz]

Katy, you are always so full of answers! Those are all great ideas!

My kids love putting on parades. The older kids help the younger kids pick out their costumes, they are all allowed to choose instruments (tupperware containers and spoons, lightweigh pots and spoons, pot lids, etc.) and they march up and down the hallway and through the living room. It's quite adorable.

I put on music (and not just kids' music) and we have a dance-a-thon.

We play grocery store a lot. We use Willow's play kitchen as the checkout stand and all her play food as the groceries. The little ones LOVE going through and picking out food for their bags and pretending to pay for it all. That could go on for HOURS.

I have a few sets of different flashcards. Alphabet, numbers, animals, etc. All the kids love doing the flashcards. The older ones are quizzed on what the letters are and what sounds they make while the younger ones are just taught what the letter stands for (A for apple, B for bird, etc.). As I go through the cards, I hand each a card to hold. At the end they love helping put them away.

We play zoo sometimes. I am the zoo keeper and all the kids decide what kind of animal they want to be. Most of the time the older kids come up with ideas on their own, and the younger ones just copy, but everyone has fun with it.