15 screen-free ideas for a rainy day

The rain is pouring down, and the kids are bored. Here are fifteen ideas that take almost no prep.

1. Put on rain gear and jump in puddles.
2. Build a pillow fort in the living room.
3. Put on a show with teddy bears and a bedsheet as the curtain.
4. Bake whole-grain rolls, and let the kids shape them.
5. Make an obstacle course with cushions and chairs.
6. Draw one big picture together on the floor.
7. Play a memory game or a board game.
8. Throw a dance party with music and flashlights.
9. Build a tower as tall as you can.
10. Go on a treasure hunt with clues.
11. Make a rain painting: drip paint onto paper and set it out in the rain.
12. Read books in a blanket fort.
13. Play store, and sell things from the kitchen.
14. Draw conversation cards and tell stories.
15. Have an indoor picnic.

Boredom is okay

You don’t have to entertain kids all the time. Boredom makes room for imagination. Sometimes children come up with the best games themselves when they’re allowed to be a little bored.

From My Mini Mindset

Want to bring these words into everyday life? Here are materials with your child’s name and a figure that looks like your child:

• Memory game
• Conversation cards