When it is nasty and rainy outside kids can get antsy, any parent who has tried to entertain a bored child on a rainy day can attest to that.  There’s something about not being able to get outside and burn off some energy that makes them go crazy.  It is hard to keep them entertained with all their usual toys, games, movies and books.  So what is a parent to do?  Rainy days are just a part of life, how can you make them fun for the kids and easy on your sanity?  Try a rainy day toy bag.

What is a rainy day toy bag you ask?  Well, it is basically a bag of toys that only come out on rainy days.  Since the kids don’t get to play with the toys all the time they feel like they are a special treat and will work wonders on curing their inevitable rainy day boredom.  My good friend, Heather, recently became a stay at home mom and babysitter to a couple of kids.  She told me about this rainy day toy bag idea and I thought it was a great idea.  I’ve even seen it at work at her house and it does a great job of keeping the boys entertained.  I’m going to put one together for Maya.

What you put in your rainy day toy bag will depend on your children; their ages, activity level, etc.  You want to make sure you are putting in items that will keep them entertained, be fun for everyone, and can be played with inside (of course).  Here are a few suggestions:

  • Board Games. This is a great idea for older children and will occupy them for quite a while.
  • Crafts.  Things like paints, cut & paste stuff, coloring books.  Really any craft that is age appropriate.
  • New coloring books and crayons, markers and colored pencils.
  • Books.
  • A new movie they haven’t seen before or that you know they really love.
  • Inexpensive toys.
  • Cards that say “Let’s make cookies” or “Let’s bake a cake”.

I would recommend hitting your local dollar store to see what you can find.  The stuff in the rainy day toy box doesn’t have to be expensive.  The idea is that it is new stuff to the kids so they will have a great time picking out what to play with.  If you have multiple kids in your home consider letting them take turns picking out the rainy day toy that way everyone gets a turn to pick out something that will be fun to them and share it with everyone else.

Do you have a rainy day toy bag?  What sorts of things do you put in your toy bag?  What things have you found to be the most successful with your kids?

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