Stuck inside on a rainy day? Wondering how you’re going to keep your kids entertained? There’s no reason to be bored when there are so many fun activities to do with kids indoors. Inspired by Guion the Lion and his friends, here’s a list of rainy day activities for kids that cultivate creativity and curiosity, encourage kindness and confidence, foster problem-solving and decision-making skills, establish emotional awareness and more!
Let’s Get Creative
Arts and crafts activities promote so many opportunities for learning and creativity. Grab what supplies you have on hand and encourage your kids to get creative!
- Coloring: Coloring is a simple activity to keep the kids entertained and can serve as an emotional coping mechanism. Check out Guion’s free printable coloring pages here. Print out your kid’s favorite pages from the book and hand over the crayons, markers or colored pencils!
- Happy Me vs. Sad Me Drawing Activity: Drawing can be a more effective way for kids to express, process and understand their emotions. Ask your kids to draw two different pictures of themselves to compare side by side – one drawing of what they look like when they are happy and one drawing of what they look like when they are sad. Ask your children to include drawings of things that make them happy or sad. Then, compare the drawings side by side while asking why they used certain colors or features.
- About Me Collage: Teach children how to cut out pictures of things that describe who they are or are important to them from old magazines, newspapers or family photos to make a collage. While collaging, encourage each child to share why they included each piece with you or other children. Children can also learn to understand and appreciate other children’s values and perspectives.
- Scribble Add-On: Scribble Add-On is a great indoor art activity to play with your kids or a group of kids. One person draws a scribble or you can print a Scribble Art Base from our Let’s Play page to get started. Each person in the group adds something to the scribble and passes it to the next person until a picture forms.
- Scribble Art: Another great activity for a group of kids! One person draws a scribble or you can print a Scribble Art Base from our Let’s Play page to get started.Every person in the group traces the same scribble. Next, each individual makes their own drawing out of the scribble. Share your art with each other. How are things the same? How are the drawings different?
Let’s Play
Let the games begin! Playing games with other kids or as a family supports a number of social skills, such as taking turns, engaging in conversation, showing good sportsmanship and making decisions.
- Story Add-on: No supplies needed! To play Story Add-On, one person begins the story by saying a few lines. The next person adds on to the story by saying “yes, and,” then taking the plot wherever they want. Each person in the group takes at least one turn. The story is finished when the group says it is. If your group is large, you may want to set a time limit for each player.
- What’s in the Bag: Collect toys or other things from around your house. Put them all in a bag. Have kids take turns reaching into the bag to find an object. Can they guess what it is only by touch?
- Telephone: A timeless and simple game. Gather the group in a circle. Someone starts by whispering a word in the ear of the person to their right (or left). Go around the circle. The last person says out loud the word that was whispered. Did everyone hear the same thing?
- Word Games: Word games are a great option when you are entertaining just one kid. Check out Guion’s free printable word searches, word scrambles and crossword puzzles here.
- Board Games: Monopoly, Pictionary, Charades, Candy Land…the options are endless! As you play, compliment your children on how they are practicing certain social and emotional skills: “Way to wait your turn!” “Great guess!”
Let’s Sing and Dance
Music offers endless opportunities for creative interaction making it an impactful teaching tool for kids. It enhances cognition, provides comfort, improves memory, helps with mood regulation, and can even reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Make Music Together: Whether tapping out beats with wooden spoons, clapping hands, singing along to a song, or playing rhythmic instruments, group music-making encourages kids to work with others as an “ensemble.” When making music, children are challenged to watch their peers for subtle cues to timing, volume and expressiveness – the same cues we use for reading others’ emotions and expressions in social settings. The Guion The Lion song is a great sing-along to start with. Watch the video and download the lyrics here.
- Listen Mindfully: Songs tend to evoke certain emotions and memories. Select a song, play it aloud, and ask your kids to explain or to draw how the music makes them feel or what it reminds them of.
- Play Musical Stop and Go. A great activity to get the wiggles out while also teaching kids how to self-regulate! Play a song and let the kids move and dance around until you stop the music. This teaches kids cues to start and stop their bodies while having fun expressing themselves through dancing.
Let’s Read
Choose a book to read aloud to your children. As you read, pause and discuss how the story and characters make them feel, what they like or dislike about the characters, etc. Engaging your child in conversation about the story challenges them to think and see the story from different perspectives. Guion The Lion present messages of curiosity, kindness, adventure and more! Plus, there’s a conversation guide to follow in the back of the book!
About Guion the Lion
Guion the Lion is about an imaginative little lion who sees things differently from his friends. Using colorful illustrations and charming animal characters, the story portrays that new perspectives can open the door to unexpected fun.
Learn more about the book and join the adventure! Follow Guion the Lion on Facebook and Instagram for more kid-friendly activities and learning resources.
