Isn’t it summer already?!? By the time April rolls around, it feels like it should be all blue skies and ice-cream, but sadly, the clouds don’t always sync with the calendar. Next time you’re faced with a drizzly day and hyperactive children, try one of these five activities. If they don’t quite save your day, they should at least deliver your children from boredom.
Paint Shells (Or Anything, Really)
Serving as a nice reminder of sunnier days, plus a welcome distraction from the bad weather, painting last summer’s shells can be a great way to fill a rainy afternoon. The canvas is free, so it doesn’t matter if they (or you) mess one up, and there’s loads of fun to be had in painting around the various grooves in the surface. They also make lovely decorations around the house, as kids love seeing their creativity on display.
Build a Fort
Is there a child alive who doesn’t love a fort? Chances are, your kids are already creating ‘forts’ under or over their bed at any available opportunity, but an ‘adult sanctioned’ fort offers them the chance to do this on a grand scale, with sheets, pillows, torches and maybe even fairy lights! Massage their brains by putting them in charge of the fort’s structure and ensuring that it doesn’t come crashing down. Planning, designing, erecting and finally playing in your fort can take all day, so make sure you’re happy to commit a good few hours to this.
Go swimming
There’s no better excuse than dreary weather to get the cozzies out and head to your local baths. If your kids are old enough, look for an indoor waterpark to keep them entertained, but if there isn’t one nearby, it’s easy enough to improvise in a basic pool. Take a “noodle float” along so the kids can play horses, or for a simple game of hide-and-seek, just drop your keys to the bottom and get your children to retrieve them. Minimal effort on your part, bags of fun for them.
Produce a Film
Everyone’s got a story inside them, and what better way to immortalise your children’s wacky ideas than to have them write, star in and help direct a movie? If you don’t have a camcorder or GoPro, this can easily be done on a smartphone, and you can have loads of fun editing your film using apps such as Splice or iMovie. Much like the fort-building, you’ll need to set aside most of the day, but it’s a great alternative to a standard ‘home movie’, and one your children will certainly treasure as they grow up.
Create a Culinary Masterpiece
Cooking is a great activity for any day, but when the weather’s bleak, there’s no excuse not to get the oven mitts on. Not only are you teaching the kids an important life lesson, you’re also showing them how to be creative in a safe environment. We recommend starting with some Soreen chocolate flapjacks , and if you need any help washing up, get the kids to lick the spoons!
