Children need to be active during the day. Activity helps to regulate their body and allows for them to be tired enough to easily drift off to sleep. A lot of activity happens outside, where it’s easier for children to move around. But what to do when it’s raining? Here are some activities to help keep a child active when it’s raining.
Go Outside
As an adult, a rainy day means curling up with a good book and enjoying the solitude. But with children, it’s the opposite. So, dig in the closet for your rainboots and jacket, and go outside anyways. Most children love water. And while it can create quite the mess, take heart and know that the clean up is worth it.
With rain boots firmly on, go on a nature walk and find plenty of puddles to jump in. When it’s wet outside, it’s a great opportunity to discover new wildlife. Slugs and worms will all emerge in wet weather. Ducks also like the rain. It’s important to show children how animals survive outside when they don’t have cozy homes to live in.
Go Inside
If you need a break from your home, but want to stay where it’s dry, consider an outing. Libraries will often have small activity areas for children to play in along with looking at books. Most malls will have play areas where children can run and climb. Indoor children play centers offer a large-scale play area where kids can run around, jump, climb, and as a bonus, make new friends.
Indoor play areas are also a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to sit down for a much-needed rest. Keep a child active in a safe environment and there will be much for them to focus on. It can give children a gentle push to be in a social area and to use their communication skills.
Stay Home
If you’ve been outside, taken a trip to a local play area, and still the rain keeps falling, take heart as there are still plenty of activities to do inside. One of the best ways to keep a child active when it rains is to take over the living room and build a fort. Use as many chairs and blankets as possible. As a special treat, have lunch inside the fort.
If your floors are sturdy, a great way to keep a child active indoors is to build an obstacle course. Make circles out of string for children to jump into. Pile some pillows on the floor for a climbing wall. Move the dining room table to the wall and create a short sprinting area. Obstacle courses require a bit of planning and rearranging, but the result will be a lot of fun.