It’s something every parent dreads — a rainy weekend day where the kids are stuck inside with so much energy and nothing to spend it on so check out these rainy day online activities for kids.
It’s easy to stick your kids in front of a television or send them off to their rooms to entertain themselves, but who knows the kind of mess they could make.
And zoning out in front of a TV all day isn’t good for anyone. The American Academy of Pediatrics links an abundance of poor quality screen time to obesity, irregular sleep schedules and shorter duration of sleep, behavioral problems, loss of social skills, and violence.
That being said, not all screen time is created equal.
Good quality, interactive media activities, especially ones that involve other people and/or physical movement can be very beneficial to a growing mind.
That’s why rainy days are the perfect time to explore positive, beneficial online activities that energize minds and bodies.
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Science Experiments
Are your kids budding scientists?
The Internet is a treasure trove of exciting experiments that turn your kitchen into a lab and your kids into savvy researchers.
Your children aren’t excited about science? Help them change their perspective by encouraging them to see just how fun biology and chemistry can be.
For example, they can learn how chemical interactions can cause motion by making lava in a glass (don’t worry; it’s not real lava and the chemicals are harmless).
Make Your Play
If you live in a part of the country where rainy weekends are a common occurrence, then stock up on educational and entertaining activities to put away for a rainy day, from creating mazes to making alphabet magnets.
Encourage your children to make their own games. This will extend the time that their hands are busy and allow them to try out their critical-thinking skills.
Photo by Pixabay
Online Music Lessons
Music is a great way to stimulate the mind and the body, blending art and science.
If you have a piano, guitar, recorder, or other instruments, your kid can spend a rainy day learning to play.
From beginner lessons to more advanced practices, the Internet is overflowing with free tutorials focused on learning to read music and play instruments.
Learn Responsibilities
Do your kids have trouble keeping their rooms clean? Have they been bugging you for a family pet?
Plan some rainy-day activities that teach them how to take care of their responsibilities.
For example, you can teach your children about all the responsibilities that come with caring for a dog — feeding, walking, housetraining, playing — with one of these dog-themed lesson plans.
For older kids, you can explore how human beings have played a role in the evolution of dogs as a species — helpful for biology class, as well!
Get Physical
Bring stuck indoors doesn’t mean getting stuck on the couch. Your kids can be active in a variety of ways — from playing hide-n-seek in the house to working out to exercise videos online.
Younger kids will love to dance, jump, and get active along with videos, while older kids and teens might prefer working out to a more serious video or even a free workout app.
It’s important they find an activity that is fun and interesting or working out will simply feel like a chore. And don’t let physical fitness be a solo adventure — jump in and get active with them.
Learn to Draw
There are so many smartphone apps and websites that teach various artistic methods — from drawing to watercolors.
Kids could even practice photo editing with free online design software.
If your child has an artistic flair, a rainy day could be way more fun with a paintbrush in hand.
Your kids can learn new styles of art, different techniques for a style they already enjoy, try digital art.
Whether it rains for an hour or an afternoon, when children spend too much time indoors, they can get restless.
And mom and dad can get stressed.
The rain has you trapped inside and you’re looking for educational and entertaining activities to keep your kids busy.
Rainy days are perfect to get online and get creative.
Who knows — your kids may even look forward to the next time it rains!
Author – Jenny Wise
I’m a homeschooling mom to four children. I created Special Home Educator as a forum for sharing my adventures in homeschooling and connecting with other homeschooling families. I’ve always enjoyed providing advice to parents who are considering homeschooling their kids.
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