On a day like today it is easy to get into a slump and feel gloomy just like the weather outside. Truth be told I have had many days like today where everything feels blah and the kids are going nuts just itching to get some energy out. Instead of just letting the day get to me, I have come up with some fun ideas to turn the day around that eventually makes it feel like a sunny day after all.

1. Rain Boots:

If you and the kids have rain boots just forget about your hair and let them get outside and play in the rain. My kids love jumping in puddles and throwing rocks into the water just to watch it splash. It really is so simple but this can do two things, get their energy out and let you have a break from staring at that load of laundry you need to get done (this is soo me).

2. Make a Tent inside:

This can be really easy if you want. Just throw a sheet over your table and get some comforters for the floor below. We have hard floors under our kitchen table so if you have carpet you may only need a blanket or two. My 4 year old LOVES doing this and we grab a few toys to play with under there. It really is so easy and so fun for the little ones! It also gets you down on their level for a few minutes which is neat to see life from their perspective. My kids love for mom or dad to play with them and this is really a great way to do it especially on a rainy day!

3. Indoor Style Hide and Seek:

This used to be my absolute favorite game when I was a kid. If you have more than one little one it is a lot more fun but you could totally do this solo if you have one. Even my 18 month old gets a kick out of it! Try it and I promise your kids will think you are the coolest Mom or Dad in the world. Side note: From my personal experience it is wise to make everyone go potty first, tee hee!!

4. Bowling:

Whether your little one has a bowling play set or not this is easy to do and takes up lots of time! Just grab any type of ball with some paper or plastic cups and viola! You have a bowling game! Ayden absolutely loves to bowl and any opportunity he gets he will grab a ball and pretend he is at the bowling alley.

5. Sensory Play:

Sensory play has proven to help young toddlers in developing motor skills and rainy days are great when your are trying to come up with activities for them to do. Grab an old shoe box, some dry rice or dry beans and coins. SIMPLE AS THAT! Pour the dry (uncooked) rice or beans in the shoe box, mix in a few quarters and BAM! Keeps mine busy for a while. Just be sure to grab a towel to place underneath because this does get messy every so often.

6. Disney Favorites:

Come up with 2 or 3 of your old Disney Favorites and show them to your kiddos for a movie day! I love going back my favorite kid movies as an 8 year old girl. Can you guess what it was? Little Mermaid, oh yea! Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? I knew EVERY word to EVERY song on the entire movie, haha.

7. MAKE A PIZZA:

I don’t know about your family but we absolutely LOVE pizza, myself included. Get everyone together and bust out your dough or you can even buy a homemade pizza kit from Kroger. If you don’t have any dough and want to explore a healthier option you can do mini pizzas on a whole wheat tortilla (believe me these are still really great)! Have the kids pour the cheese on and then the pepperoni or whatever toppings they would like. Trust me they will love it! And then they get to eat it, two birds!

8. Read Books

We know we should be reading to our kids each and every day but let’s just be honest sometimes it gets too busy. I like rainy days like today because I get a chance to slow down. We let each kid pick out their 3-4 of their favorite books and we have fun together sharing stories. This is huge for bonding together and taking advantage of a rainy day.

9. DANCE PARTY!!

“I got this feeling…inside my bones.” Trolls soundtrack is all you need for this one, haha. We just get YouTube on my phone, type in Trolls Soundtrack and the kids go nuts! Everly starts clapping and stomping. It is just. So. Cute. They especially love it when I join in and start dancing in a circle with them. The kids not only get some of their wiggles out but its in a non-annoying way…BONUS!!

10. Paint:

I know what you are thinking…paint? That is a mess, no thanks. Here’s the thing when they are toddlers you can put a small cup of water and give them a coloring book and paint brushes….WITHOUT PAINT. Seriously it worked! My mom recently did this with the little one’s and they still LOVED it. It was mess free and still fun for them…winner.

 

 

P.S. I LOVE comments so please feel free to comment below with some of your thoughts!

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