Indoor Activities for Kids

"The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day...Too wet to go out and too cold to play ball. So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all." -- "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss

Unfortunately for most parents, the Cat in the Hat is not going to show up on your doorstep to entertain your children. When it is too cold or rainy to let them play outside, all of that energy and boredom will be contained within the walls of your house. But don't worry; there are lots of fun things to do inside with children of all ages.

Open your kitchen cabinets and make musical instruments out of pots, pans and wooden spoons. Fill an empty water bottle with rice or beans, close the lid tightly and hand your child a new maraca. Stretch rubber bands across a shoebox to make a guitar and let your son strum to his heart's content.

To inspire hours of fun and creativity, build sheet forts or tents. Drape sheets over your dining-room table and let your children take flashlights inside. Pretend you are camping and put a sleeping bag in the tent. Make s'mores for a special treat. In your family room, drape sheets and blankets over your couch and chairs to make a fort. Ask your child questions about your fort--where it is located and what is going on around it. You'll be amazed by what her imagination can do with a simple thing like sheets draped over furniture.

Bake and decorate cookies, or cook something special with your child. Have a family game tournament with games like Uno, Sorry or checkers. Turn on the music and sing and dance together. Send your children on a scavenger hunt around the house---have them find something small and red, or something you took on your last beach vacation.

When the weather isn't kid-friendly, remember that you don't need to panic or turn on the TV or computer for your children. Just look around your house, add some creativity and imagination, and you won't even notice that the sun isn't shining.