8 Wet Afternoon Activities
Well the cold weather has settled in here in Melbourne.
So we asked you for your ideas on afternoon activities for when it is wet and cold outside. And here are some of the things you love to do, which are some of the indoor activities that we love to do too!
1. RACING CARS
A perfect combination of road and wheels which will encourage hours of fun driving.
Drive the toy cars around the floor, or table, or chairs! Lucas loves to race his cars.
Using the timer on my phone he will start each car in turn and then write down their results.
We started this when Lucas was much younger, and I would write down the times he took to race a course.
Now he does it. Such a great way of learning numbers and practising his writing skills.
2. BOARD GAMES.
We love to play board games, currently our favourite is MONZA.
This is such a good looking board game. With beautiful wooden dice and cars and a colourful race track. It is a quick board game that is easy to learn and fun to play. Great for kids who aren't great at concentrating through a longer board game.
You may be trailing at the last turn, but this game lets you come back to win!
3. MORE BOARD GAMES.
OK, this is a little bit of a cheat, but there are so many fun board games to play!
Some afternoons we make hot chocolate with marshmallows and set up to play RIVER, ROADS AND RAILS.
This is a game of logic aimed at school aged kids (5+). It is a terrific game for when the rain has set in and the afternoon is stretching long in front of you. You will need a bit of space to lay out your 'town'. We love to play on the floor.
It's a great game to teach the kids to think ahead, and to use their observation skills.
4. JIGSAW PUZZLES
We love any jigsaw puzzle with cars or trucks on it. The smaller puzzles are good because Lucas can do them on his own. In this house we think the bigger the better because then we can do it together.
On a winter's morning we will start a puzzle, if we lose interest we then leave it for a while, step over it and/or walk around it. Everyone will come back to it during the day to find a piece or two. Then in the afternoon we come back to it and finish it off.
Any jigsaw with cars, or any sort of wheels on it is a winner here!
5. WASHING THE CARS
Always a fabulous activity for our little car lover. Grab a plastic container (or two), a tea towel (or two) and all your dirty cars!
Then line the cars up ready for their car wash. They get washed, dried, and sometimes they even get petrol too!
6. TIME IN THE KITCHEN
We do love to do some baking on a cold, wet afternoon. Of course Lucas usually comes and goes during the process, but he's always back to be the taste tester and he is the Master Decorator.
Or why not make a cake - you don't need a reason to have cake and you could use these 3 TIPS TO CREATE A CONSTRUCTION CAKE!
7. GETTING COMFORTABLE ON THE COUCH, WITH A BLANKET AND A BOOK
There is nothing better than sharing a book with the kids. So often if we read with them before bed it's mixed up with tired eyes and clock watching. It's hard to enjoy a story when it's interrupted with 'can I have a drink?' and 'Get back into bed'.
Reading during the afternoon means you have all the time to have fun with the characters and the story. And there is something special about taking the time to slow down, enjoy turning the pages and discovering (or rediscovering) a good book.
These are some of our favourite books. Visit the kids book section for more.
A MOVIE AFTERNOON.
Sometimes it's just lovely to make some popcorn and have a PJ afternoon watching a movie.
Whether it's an old favourite or a new movie, I think it's fun to watch the kids watch movies. Giggling at the silly bit and getting involved in the story. Sometimes I enjoy it as much as the kid, and for the times where it's not my cup of tea, I bring my book and enjoy the snuggle time.
We are making a list of movies we want to share with our kid. Movies from our childhood, like Karate Kid or Herbie the Love Bug, The Princess Bride. I can't wait to watch Back to the Future!
Enjoy,
Helle.
