It’s a rainy day outside, all day long! Your kids are going bananas being cooped up for such a long period of time. They are fighting and it’s driving YOU CRAZY! Read on for TIPS on how to get back in control and enjoy a relaxing rainy day…peacefully 🙂
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Been there huh? Whether it’s a rainy day, windy day, snowy day…being cooped up in the house can really affect the kids! And especially when it starts to get dark outside earlier and earlier in the wintertime, it’s important to keep the kids entertained and occupied throughout the day.
Too much time together and the kids just stop getting along. It’s really easy to just turn on the TV or put on a movie, but what if there was a better solution. A solution that could keep the kids entertained, without turning to “mush”, and still allow the parents to get things done around the house or just enjoy the day together!
But what is the solution!?!?
Create Kid Zones!
What are Kid Zones?
Kid Zones are 20 minute timed activities in different areas of the house. They are really easy to set-up and facilitate throughout the day! There are so many options, and parents can pick and choose different activities based on the likes of their own children! I especially love using these kid zones during the winter when the days feel long being stuck inside.
How it works:
- Choose 6 different activities that will act as the Kid Zones
- Set up the Kid Zones in different areas of the house such as living room, dining room, bedroom, carpet time, etc.
- Add some fun elements like blankets, pillows, music or other to the different areas
- Set out healthy snacks in the kitchen for kids to grab at their convenience at any point during their activities
- Use a timer and set it to 20 minutes per activity time- that equates to 2 hours of structured fun for your kids!
- Each child participates independently at each zone
- Rotate at the end of each timed activity- you could possible create a schedule of events for the day
Here are the zones that I set out that my kids absolutely love:
- Arts & Crafts Zone– Here, kids can create their own masterpiece. Resources required would be paper, markers, pencils, pencil crayons, coloring books, stickers, and more. Consider choosing a particular craft that each child would make- tie it to the season or upcoming holidays perhaps. An example could be painting & decorating mini pumpkins at Halloween, or Making Ornaments at Christmas. ALSO, you can easily purchase a variety of craft kits to choose from too!
- Puzzle Zone– Set out a bunch of your puzzles and let your kids choose the one that they would like to put together. This is a great activity to participate in and have some quality one on one time with each child!
- Lego Building Zone– What can your kids build in 20 minutes? Could you have them all work on building a STEM activity using Legos? What about having a competition for the best….”house”, “vehicle”, etc. Before they know it, the 20 minutes will be up and they will want to keep on building!
- Wii Just Dance Zone– Choose a few songs for each kid to bust a move to , get out some energy, and enjoy themselves!
- Quiet Reading Zone– Have lots of books set out with comfy pillows, blankets and stuffies in a quiet reading nook area!
- Electronics Zone- In this zone, use Educational apps for the kids to play on during this 20 minute period! My oldest son (who is 8) enjoys coding, so he tends to check out www.hourofcode.com/ca. My other two kids are in the prime age for using their LeapFrog Tablets during this activity zone.
Other Zone Ideas:
- Baking
- School practice worksheets
- Play-doh
- Barbies (for girls)/ Superheroes (for boys)
- Fort building
- Exercises- kid yoga/ trampolining/ Bouncy Castle
- Playing cards against mom or dad
- Playing board games against mom or dad
- TV show of choice
- Make Believe – Dress Up Time
- Cars
- Sports- Indoor Basketball or Mini Stick Hockey (example)
In the End:
At the end of the 2 hours, your kids will be ready to play together again. They will have had the opportunity to participate in structured play and show off their abilities at each kid zone that you set up that day.
As the parents, enjoy walking around, helping the kids out at certain zones, encouraging them, or just having a few minutes to talk one on one.
Sometimes, you’ll find that the 20 minutes isn’t long enough and the kids decide to come back to a zone after all is said and done and the 2 hours has finished all together!
Finally, have some fun setting up your zones and mix it up each time you try this rainy day strategy! The kids will appreciate your efforts and you will appreciate seeing their abilities at each kid zone too!
So..are you ready to be in charge and create a fun atmosphere for your kids on the next day that you are cooped up inside? Leave your comments below and share your experiences using Kid Zones!
