You don’t always have to watch movies when it is raining outside. Although it can be a fun source of entertainment, it is best if used with moderation. There are tons of different indoor activities you can do with your children from a puppet show to homemade play dough. Look for games where children can decide what to do instead of giving them step-by-step instructions. The idea is to give them something to be inspired from.
Puppets
This activity is perfect for exploring your child’s imagination. Let them transform the sofa or the kitchen table into a castle, a boat, a spaceship or even in Hanna Montana’s performance stage! Role-playing with hand puppets develops your child’s cognitive, social and even physical abilities.
If you have enough space downstairs, why not create a kid’s corner with a stage and a set of curtains? This space will definitively invite them to use their creative, imaginative and artistic side.Your children can make up their own story or get inspired by a classic tale or even a TV show. Classic tales do have the advantage of presenting key ingredients such as: an easy to follow story, dialogues between good and bad characters and even a moral that helps to understand things about life. And, of course, the action scenes are always popular with the little ones!
Hand puppets are also quite easy to make. You can help your child make the hand puppets using their own inspiration and the material available at home (smart move if you want to double the time for this activity!). Another idea is to use stuffed animals and figurines that your children already own. If the neighbour joins in on the fun, it will be a creative way to discover new toys! Adults are not the only ones who believe that the grass is always greener…
Your kids will love making tickets and an official program for the puppet show, adding even more arts and crafts to the activity! Awesome, isn’t it?
Dimmed lighting will do the trick to create a theatre ambiance. You can also hand a flashlight to one of the kids and ask him to play the role of the lighting technician.
Moreover, you can recruit some of the other children for special effects: playing music, making special sound effects or playing the role of the presenter!
Homemade play dough
Another classic indoor activity is making homemade play dough. It is easy to prepare, even for kids and they will be so delighted to play with it knowing they made the dough themselves!
You can use this classic recipe:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cups of flour (600 ml)
- 1 cup of salt (250 ml)
- 4 table spoons of vegetable oil (60 ml)
- 1 cup of water (250 ml)
- A few drops of food coloring
Preparation
Knead all the ingredients and that is it! Keep the dough in a plastic container or a Ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator.
