Wash the Floor
Materials
• Apple
• Sponge
Directions
1. Give your child a wet sponge and let her help you when you're washing the floor.
2. Once you know she will not automatically dump it, give her an inch or two of water in a small bucket or bowl.
3. She will have fun being your helper, and cleanup is easy!


Balloon Magic
Time
• 5 to 10 minutes
Materials
• Balloons
Directions
1. Your young child is learning about gravity from trial and error. This activity challenges those emerging concepts with unexpected variations. Blow up a few balloons and tie them off.
2. Rub each one on a wool carpet, sweater, or fur until enough electricity is generated so that when they are placed on the wall, they stick like magic. Note: dispose of all broken balloons immediately, as they pose a serious choke hazard.
Extensions
• When the balloon is electrified, it can be used to attract and lift your hair.
• Blow up balloons of different colors and stick them to the wall in similar groupings.
• Inflate them so that some are larger and sort onto the wall by size.

Learning About the Mailbox
Materials
• Shoebox with lid
• Scissors
• Unopened junk mail
Directions
1. Cut a large slit in the lid of a shoebox.
2. If you like, cover the box and lid (separately) with colored paper, or decorate with paints, markers, and stickers.
3. Place the lid on the box and show your toddler how to "mail" letters.
4. If you don't mind her doing so, she may enjoy ripping open the letters as much as mailing them.
5. Store the mail inside the box when play is over.

*For some reason the boys really loved this one, they want to pull the books out all the time*
Carpet Raceway Activity
Materials
• Books or scraps of wood
• Matchbox cars or other toys with wheels
Directions
1. Make a raceway or train track on a carpet by laying down books of equal thickness side by side to make a smooth lane, or use pieces of plywood or two-by-fours. (Your raceway can be any length and can be straight or have turns.)
2. This will transform the carpet into a smooth surface for racing toys with wheels.

Fishing Activity
Materials
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Pen, crayon, or marker
• Small box, pot, or other container
Directions
1. Cut fish shapes out of colored construction paper.
2. On each fish write a different instruction: "Find something red"; "Count to ten"; "Touch your toes"; and so on.
3. Place the fish in a small box or container and let your child pick one fish at a time.
4. Read the instruction and have her perform it.


Hotter/Colder
Materials
• Small toys or edible treats
Directions
1. Hide several household objects, small toys or edible treats around the house and encourage your child to find them.
2. Tell her she is "hotter" when she is closer to the hidden item, "colder" as she moves away from it.


Indoor Treasure Hunt Game
Materials
• Small toys or snacks
• Treasure map (optional)
Directions
1. This is a great way to liven up a rainy day.
2. Have an indoor treasure hunt by hiding several small toys, books, or special snacks around the house.
3. Give your child clues or draw a map that leads to the treasure.


Newspaper Golf
Make golf clubs out of newspaper and tape, and your preschooler can play golf indoors.
Materials
• Newspaper
• Tape
• Golf or tennis balls
• Masking tape or paper
Directions
1. Make golf clubs for each player by rolling up several sheets of newspaper and taping them securely.
2. Lay down a sheet of paper or use masking tape to mark several "holes" on the floor or carpet.
3. Use your golf club to try to hit (roll) the ball to the hole.
4. Reward the winner (the first to hit the ball to the hole) with a raisin, chocolate chip, or other small treat.


Red Light/Green Light
1. Stand twenty to twenty-five feet away from your child.
2. When you say "green light," have her walk, run, hop, skip, or crawl toward you. She must stop when you say "red light."


What's Missing? Memory Game
Test your preschool child's memory skills. Can she tell what's missing in this fun game?

Materials
• Various household objects or small toys
Directions
1. Test your preschooler's memory skills by placing a few toys or household objects in front her.
2. Allow her to study them, then have her close her eyes while you remove one object.
3. See if she can tell you which object is missing.


Little Carpenter
Materials
• Golf tees
• Styrofoam
• Toy hammer
Directions
1. Give your child some golf tees, a toy hammer, and a piece of Styrofoam.
2. She can hammer the golf tees into the foam in a design, or just hammer for the sake of hammering.

Obstacle Course

I got this idea from a website called education.com the more I look in to this website the more I love it:)

For an Indoor Obstacle Course:

Bunny hop (hop forward with feet together) five times.

Crawl through a tunnel. (You can create a tunnel by placing a sheet over some chairs placed across from each other.)

Walk over several pillows or sofa cushions that are on the floor with space in between. (Your child will have to use balance to walk over this soft surface.)

Climb over an ottoman or footrest.

Use a large cooking spoon to transfer 3-5 blocks (or other small toys) one at a time into a bucket or container placed several feel away. (This is a great way to work on that coordination!)

Do five jumping jacks.

Side-step five times.

Toss 3-5 soft balls or stuffed animals into a laundry basket several feet away.

“Walk the tightrope!” (Place a jump rope or measuring tape on the floor and have your child walk across it, heel to toe.)

Bunny hop five more times to the finish line!

For an Outdoor Obstacle Course: If you’re lucky enough to get a warm day, you can move the indoor course outside, or use the following suggestions. Got a swing set or jungle gym? Add that into the mix as well! Here’s how:

Bunny-hop five times.

Go up the ladder and down the slide.

Swing on the swing as you count to ten.

Jump over a set of sticks or branches.

Use a cooking spoon to transfer rocks to a bucket.

Jump up and down five times.

Toss balls into a container.

"Walk the tightrope."

Run back to the starting line.

Flashlight Fun

This one sounds like a lot of fun I just found this on a website called familyeducation.com Mara loves to play with the flash light so I think that she will really like this one I plan to try it in the next couple days (when I can make it to the store to get some ballons)

Flashlight Fun

Materials
Scissors
Uninflated balloons (one red, one yellow, and one blue)
Flashlight
Rubber bands

Directions
1. Cut the rounded ends from the balloons.
2. Stretch one balloon end over a flashlight and hold it in place with a rubber band.
3. In a darkened room, have your child shine the flashlight on the ceiling or a wall to see the colorful light.
4. Change colors.
5. Layer balloons to see how mixing the colors creates new ones: yellow over blue to make green, red over yellow to make orange, and so on.
6. If you have three flashlights, place a different color on each.
7. Shine two or more colors on the same spot to create a new color.

indoor fun

Here are some fun ideas that I came across on the PBS website.

Host a read-a-thon.
While reading shouldn't be relegated only to rainy days, it can be an extra special event when you're stuck inside. Make a cozy tent out of blankets and chairs and read your favorite books together as a family. Or invite several friends over and have them bring their favorite books. You might offer prizes or treats for the most pages or books read.

Mix it up.
With the help of a kid-friendly cookbook, invite your child to plan the day's menu. Younger kids can play the role of assistant chef. Older kids can be master chef. Set up a make-believe restaurant to give meals an extra-special flair.

Plan a toy exchange.
Murphy's Law says that the toys your child has aren't the toys he wants to play with. This is especially true on rainy days. Instead of running out to the store, hook up with a friend and swap a few toys for the day. Your child will enjoy the fresh fun and you'll enjoy the fact that you didn't waste the money.

Work together.
Tackle a daunting household project, like organizing a messy desk. Younger kids will enjoy the challenge of sorting things like paper clips, rubber bands and pens. Older kids can help you plan more complex organization approaches, like alphabetizing files or labeling containers

Keep a rainy-day folder.
Your brightest ideas may not come on overcast days. Arm yourself beforehand by clipping and saving quiet games, easy-to-make recipes, or simple crafts. Online printables -- from PBS and other favorite websites -- are a great way to quickly and inexpensively fill your folder. Include your child in the planning, and she may look forward to the next rainy day.

Get wet.
Grab your galoshes and go on a rainy day expedition. Search for the deepest puddles in your neighborhood and have a splash competition; take a nature walk and study the raindrops on the plants and flowers; or spite the rain with a silly activity -- like picnicking under an umbrella or running through the sprinklers.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/parenthelpers/rainyday.html


I look at this new blog as my rainy-day folder.

The new blog!

This is a site for ideas to keep kids happy all year round. My sister Stephanie put a post on her blog asking people if they knew any good ideas to keep kids happy indoors during these cold winter months. That got me thinking and I figured why not start a blog as a place to keep all the fun ideas everyone has together! So if you want to join let me know and I'll add your name so you can post as well.