Kindergarteners love to play outside. When rainy weather hits, they can quickly become bored and restless indoors.
However, when rain puts a damper on your kids’ outdoor plans, you can save the day with fun, engaging activities that might just help them learn something at the same time.
1. Make a Play-Doh Marble Maze
This simple game can keep your kids occupied for hours. It’s unique in that your child actually makes the game before playing it. Here’s how to start:
- Gather up some Play-Doh, marbles, and a metal baking sheet
- Help your child make a maze on the sheet with the Play-Doh
- Show them how to tilt the sheet to guide the marble through the maze
- Step back and let them play!
It might look like your kids are just having a good time, but this activity is also great for developing their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities.
2. Read and Discuss a Book
Being able to comprehend and discuss literature is a critical skill for any school-age child. Why not start building that skill in kindergarten? You can make reading and discussion fun with an impromptu rainy-day book club.
Choose a book (or two) from your at-home library. Read the book together, then discuss it. Kids are much more insightful than people tend to think, so their insights might surprise you.
If you’re unsure how to start a discussion, here are some guiding questions to ask:
- Which character did you like the most? Why?
- Did the book remind you of any other books we’ve read?
- What was the main problem the characters in the book faced? Did they solve it?
- Do you think you would be friends with the book’s main character if they were real?
- Did you learn anything from the book?
- If you had to rewrite the ending, how would you do it?
If you like, you and your child can prepare a healthy snack together and enjoy it while you read.
3. Build a Tin Can Phone
This blast from the past is just as fun for kids now as it was decades ago. All you need are two cans, some string, and a few things to decorate the cans with. Once you’ve created it, try talking back and forth with your child, or let them try it with a sibling.
You also can take this opportunity to teach your child about sound waves. You don’t have to go into too much detail about the science — just explain that when they talk into the can, it creates a vibration that travels to the other.
4. Have a Scavenger Hunt
There’s no rule that says scavenger hunts have to be outside. With a little imagination, you can create a fun, challenging indoor hunt for your kids.
Start by coming up with a list of items for your kids to find. You can make the list yourself, but there are also plenty of printable lists online designed specifically for indoor scavenger hunts.
Kids love prizes, so consider rewarding them with a small toy at the end. If you prefer, you can also hide a tiny treasure next to each item.
You can even turn your indoor hunt into a contest if you have more than one child. Give each child a list of different items to find and see who finishes first.
Courtesy and grace are an important part of Montessori learning, and a friendly competition gives your child an opportunity to practice winning or losing graciously.
Broaden Your Child’s Horizons with Montessori Kindergarten
Dr. Maria Montessori’s unique educational method has been helping children learn naturally and cooperatively since 1907. Since then, Montessori kindergarteners have been journeying toward emotional, academic, physical, and spiritual growth.
Our Westside Campus offers a Montessori kindergarten program to help prepare your child to be a caring, inquisitive student of the world. Please reach out with any questions or to register.