BikeUP

Nice and sunny days are decreasing, and the time when we will spend more time at home is coming. For parents with children, a rainy day can be quite a challenge in terms of keeping the kids entertained and creatively using their energy. We'll advise you on what to do with children when it rains.

Don't let gloomy weather spoil your day. There are plenty of meaningful activities you can do at home with your little ones, even when the weather doesn't favor cycling. You don't need mobile phones and tablets to keep them entertained. Here are some tips to inspire you:

Activities for Children on Rainy Days

Board Games

Board games and puzzles never disappoint, so it's good to have some at home. They develop memory, concentration, and team spirit. There are plenty of games on the market suitable for children of different ages, as well as those that adults can enjoy. If you don't have anything at hand, try making a game yourself. It's simple!

Memory Game (Pexeso)

For instance, you can easily manage a memory game. Just cut out a matching number of square cards from a drawing that you can easily arrange into a square or rectangle shape (e.g., 5x5 or 6x6 cards). Draw identical pictures on each pair of cards. Don't hesitate to involve the children in making them. The creations don't have to be perfect. Make sure the pictures don't show through the paper. Therefore, it is appropriate to choose thicker paper or stick two papers together.

Ludo

Even such a Ludo can be drawn according to your own imagination or downloaded and printed, for example, on maquita.eu. There are plenty of instructions on the internet, but feel free to use your imagination and come up with your own legend for the game. You won't do without a dice and pawns, which you can make from buttons or painted stones.

Name, Place, Animal, Thing

Do you remember this legendary childhood game? Its rules are extremely simple, and you will only need papers and pens or pencils to carry it out. How to proceed?

Prepare paper and pen for each player. Divide each sheet into 6 columns and mark them with the words Name, Place, Animal, Thing, and Points.
The game can begin. Let one player alphabetically articulate and suddenly stop him. The last letter (e.g., M) the player thought of becomes your starting letter.
Your task will be to write a name, a place, an animal, and a thing that starts with the letter M. Do not use a mobile or any aids.
The player who first completes all the words says STOP. Then everyone stops writing, even if they accidentally didn't finish everything. Then add up the points – 1 point for each correct word. Write the total in the last column.
Continue with other random letters from the alphabet until you fill the entire sheet or have enough. The player with the highest score wins.

Creative Workshops

Rainy weather is a great opportunity for creative activities. Encourage your children's creative and artistic sides, and you may be surprised at how they can express themselves. You don't need much for this—just some paper and art supplies you have at home. Here are a few inspirations for specific activities:

Maxi Drawing

Painting is always fun, but try doing it on a large scale this time. Get the largest drawing or paper you can find and gather colors, brushes, and markers. Cover the floor with plastic just to be safe. Involve all family members and create a magnificent artwork together. You can choose a specific theme that everyone can interpret in their own way, such as a jungle, outer space, or underwater world. It will keep you entertained for hours, and you can frame the result and hang it in the children's room.

Autumn Harvest

Make use of the fruits of autumn and turn them into something creative. Go outside with the children and collect chestnuts or colorful leaves together. At home, you can create various artworks with them on rainy days. Use chestnuts and toothpicks to create figurines, and with leaves, glue, and paper, make creative pictures. You can also use seasonal pumpkins and carve Halloween faces together. Let the children draw the face of the pumpkin with a felt-tip pen, and you can carve it out with a knife. This will create a Halloween atmosphere, and in the evening, you'll have a beautifully glowing ghost decorating your home.

Building a Kite

Autumn windy weather is also ideal for flying kites. Today, you can easily buy kites in stores, but building your own has much more charm. So what if it may not reliably fly? You'll have fun making it. Here's what you'll need:

Sticks, twigs, or skewers
Strong glue or a hot glue gun
Wrapping paper or another large sheet of paper
Markers or tempera paints
Plastic or colored crepe paper
String
Scissors, pencil, knife

Instructions:

Use sticks, twigs, or skewers to create a cross shape by tying the sticks in the middle with string.
Make cuts with a knife along all the edges of the sticks and stretch string through the cuts around the perimeter. This will create the basic frame of the kite.
Place the frame on wrapping paper or another sheet of paper and trace the outline of the kite. Add approximately 2 cm around the edges for folding and cut out the shape.
Then, use glue or a hot glue gun to attach the edges of the paper to the kite frame.
Paint the kite using markers or paints according to your imagination.
Attach a long string as the tail of the kite, and wrap its end around a thicker stick.
Decorate the kite's tail with ribbons made from plastic or crepe paper, creating small bows.
Finished! Now, all that's left is to test its flying capabilities.

Playful Baking

Baking together is another great activity for a rainy day. You don't need anything extra for this, just ingredients and utensils that you probably already have at home. However, be prepared for a decent mess. :) Choose the simplest recipes that involve cutting, poking, or decorating—something creative. Ideal recipes are for various pastries or no-bake treats. Here are a few tips:

Banana Treats

Remember this simple yet effective recipe from childhood? You'll only need children's sponge fingers, bananas, and chocolate coating. Don't forget the skewers. Slice the bananas into rounds, place them between two sponge fingers, and secure them with a skewer. Dip them in chocolate coating, optionally decorate with sprinkles, and let them set in the fridge.

Mini Hot Dogs

Kids will love this savory recipe. You'll need mini sausages or sausages split in half, ketchup, an egg, and puff pastry. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into strips about 2 cm thick. Take one strip, spread ketchup on it, wrap it around a sausage, and press the ends. Then brush the hot dogs with egg, optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake at 180°C until golden brown.

Decorating Muffins

Bake simple muffins from basic batter and prepare several types of colored icing or glaze in pastry bags. Alternatively, buy ready-made cake icings from the store. Fill bowls with various toppings, chopped chocolate, nuts, candies, or fruit. Then let the children decorate their muffins according to their wishes.

Building a Fort

Another fun and easy activity is building a fort. Choose a suitable place, such as a table in the children's room or another structure. Gather all the blankets and sheets you can find at home and create a fantastic hideout around the table. Load it up with cushions inside, or decorate the fort from within with fairy lights or decorative chains. It will become a magical and cozy place for entertainment and relaxation, where you can tell stories or play various games.

Treasure Hunt

Our final tip is playing a treasure hunt game where pirates or bandits have hidden treasure. There's plenty of room to create an exciting story around the treasure. The treasure can be anything that motivates children to search, like sweets, chocolate coins, or small toys hidden in various corners of the apartment, house, or garden. Instructions or a map should lead them to the loot. You can also include various puzzles, riddles, and clues to guide them on the right path.

We believe that based on our tips, you will know what to do with children when it rains, and that rainy afternoons spent at home will never be boring again. :)