A while ago I was given the chance to share some amazing fun and educational rainy day activities by Jenny Wise from www.specialhomeeducator.com. While it may be Summer and very hot right now. Imagine a rainy day…
While you might love cozying up inside on a rainy day, chances are your kids don’t feel the same. Of course, bad weather doesn’t have to mean the fun ends – there are plenty of activities you can set up to keep your kids occupied while they are cooped up inside. This also doesn’t have to equate to them sitting down to play video games for hours on end — you can actually boost their health and education at the same time. Here are a few ideas.
Fitness
Exercise is crucial for health at any age. Exercise builds strength in the muscles and bones, helps to burn fat, and reduces the risk of a range of serious diseases like diabetes. Yet today children are more sedentary than ever. You can help solve this problem by showing exercise videos for kids, of which there are plenty available on YouTube. Because very few kids get excited at the prospect of exercising, these videos are often exercising routines in disguise. For example, they might teach a fun dance routine, or incorporate games into the exercise session.
Finance
Even though kids who learn about finance end up with better financial habits in adulthood, children receive only limited financial education in school. This not only leaves them less able to manage their money intelligently, but it means they struggle to understand the complex financial world. This could not be truer
when it comes to real estate — which makes this a very useful area for kids and teens to learn about using fun apps and games. “Real estate is a complex field that requires skills in math, science, English, social studies and home economics,” Redfin states. By incorporating real estate-based lessons into your rainy-day curriculum, you can your help children gain valuable skills in practical math application, presentation giving, forming a persuasive argument, earth science and more.
Science
Kids can learn about science in a fun and engaging way by becoming mad scientists and conducting their own experiments. They get to take a hands-on approach to their learning while seeing practical, real-life effects of scientific principles. Not only does this make the learning process more interesting, it can also deepen their understanding and help them retain the knowledge they have learned. Look up some experiments online — many of them can be completed with everyday items that you’ll likely have around. For example, the lava glass experiment described at Earth Science Jr just needs water, salt, oil and food coloring, and it enables kids to make their own lava lamp while learning about liquid density and the solubility of materials.
Music
For more musically-minded kids, a rainy day is a perfect time to build some skill in an instrument or singing. You have a few different avenues that you can pursue here. First, you could try real-time music lessons over Skype or a similar program, with teachers who specialize in teaching children. These will give kids the greatest benefit in terms of learning because the lessons will be tailored to their skill level. However, you will, of course, have to pay for the lessons. Secondly, in a similar vein to the exercise videos, you could find some YouTube videos showing music lessons for kids — these usually focus on specific instruments or genres of music. Thirdly, you could look up some interactive web or mobile apps that allow kids to have fun and make music while learning about music theory — PBS Kids has a good selection which you can find here.
Hopefully, these activities will prove to your kids that the fun doesn’t end just because the sun has gone away. As an added benefit, they’ll learn new things, develop their curiosity, and improve their health.
Which activity will you start with today?
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