Dad's Rainy Day Activities
58209
Home & Family > Parenting
Dec 3, 2007
JeremyDuane
Dad's Rainy Day Activities
On a rainy day when you're home with the kids, you've got to do something structured before the fighting starts. My wife thinks its a great time to get everyone cleaning, but I prefer a more fun route. Building a fort is a great activity for a rainy day. Although the dining table is usually the perfect size and an easy place to drape the blankets, my wife usually hates a mess in the dining room since forts tend to last a into at least one meal time. I've determined that removing the cushions and flipping the couch on its front (so the back of the couch is the roof) is a great fort beginning. The cushions make a great foundation for the walls, and we use a lot of blankets (mostly the cheap throws that we have so many of and blankets Grandma sends the kids). We have a chest in the family room where we keep these blankets so they are easily at hand when we're cold or need to build a small, indoor living space (also known as a fort). Bonus: keeping the blankets in a chest requires much less folding when it's time to clean up. We also use a lot of clothes pins to hold blankets together, keep a flap open for a door or window, or keep the "door" closed. Clothes pins are cheap, easy to store, and very versatile for fort building. When you can't take the thought of building (or constantly fixing) a blanket fort, try a puzzle or two. Depending on the age of your children, you could spend a few minutes doing wooden puzzles or an entire weekend putting together 1000 pieces. Either way, doing puzzles together helps each of you learn patience, problem solving skills, and cooperation while fostering a great opportunity for meaningful conversation. Older kids will really open up as you sit with your heads down and your hands busy. Let them talk, and answer their questions honestly and openly. Another fun activity on a cold, rainy day is cooking together. I don't do a lot of cooking, but I have found soup is pretty easy, and the kids love to help chop the veggies and do a lot of stirring. If soup is too daunting, try a roll of refrigerated cookie dough or biscuits. The house will smell good and you will enjoy time spent with the kids. They'll even stick around for the clean up if you give them the responsibility they are ready for. When it's too cold to go out, I enjoy turning on the fire and curling up on the couch with a stack of books and my pre-schoolers. With my older kids, I can occasionally talk them into starting a chapter book with me. We take turns reading and enjoy being close. Even though we rarely finish the book together, we do usually both finish it and have the bond of a shared story. I hope whatever you decide to do on a rainy day when the whole family is stuck inside, you'll remember to take it easy and have fun. You may start a new tradition, or just add to your stockpile of happy memories; either way, you won't regret spending time with the kids and sharing a part of yourself with them.
Jeremy is experienced in the use and installation of trailer hitches and uses lighted hitch covers to set his SUV apart from the rest.
send email to JeremyDuane
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links at Home & Family > Parenting
Misbehaving children are discouraged children who have mistaken ideas on how to achieve their Primary Goal: TO BELONG. Mistaken ideas lead to misbehavior. Address the mistaken belief rather than just the misbehavior.
Category:
If you have more children than you have pace, it? time for ome creative olution. Sharing a bedroom mean having two of everything ? duplicate bed, dreer, torage unit etc. To avoid conflict over who ha the better dek or dreer conider the
Category:
It is that time of year again and the children are not looking forward to going back to school very much.
Category:
Bringing a new baby into the world is an amazing experience. Joyful as this period in your life maybe it can also be one anxiety as becoming a parent for the first time brings with it a great deal of responsibility. Friends and family will probably offer
Category:
When you receive a is of Developmental Delay or Developmental Disability, it is usually along with other es. Your medical and psychological practitioners will probably pay more attention to those other es. I think those other
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68285
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
