Rainy-Day Ideas for Children

Winter can seem very long to both children and parents when it is too stormy for the children to play outside. The long winter days can be much more pleasant if filled with activities such as those that follow.

1. One week we made a simple but fun playhouse. To build one you’ll need a large cardboard box (which can often be obtained free from a local appliance store); enough white butcher paper or newsprint to cover the entire box; and markers, crayons, stickers, colored paper, and so on.

   Cut out windows and doors with a utility knife, and then let the children color and paste imaginative decorations all over the box.

2. Give children salt dough and cookie cutters and you will see young artists at work! I’ve experimented with several recipes for salt dough, but the one I like best is this one: Mix two cups flour, one cup salt, two cups water (with food coloring added), one tablespoon vegetable oil, and two tablespoons cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes stiff. Let cool and knead. Store this long-lasting dough in a plastic bag or plastic container.

3. Grandparents and others love to receive homemade greeting cards from little children—and children love to make them. Fold pieces of construction paper in half, and then let the children decorate them with stickers, rubber stamps, lace, pictures from magazines, buttons, or other objects. The possibilities are limitless.—Donna Ramsden, Coopersburg, Pennsylvania