Rainy Day activities needed...?

Question

I work at a daycare and we're having trouble thinking of stuff for the kids to do during the nasty weather...we prefer they don't go out during the colder days (and they're never aloud to during the rainy ones) and we just need some good tips and advice of what we can do instead!! Keep in mind...there's days when we have up to twelve kids and three adults...so things get crazy and we can't do anything too time involving too much attention and supervision to each individual child.

There is typically two or three adults and 9 kids (just an adv. on the kids)

Answer 1

silent ball- great game!!!!

        noone's aloud to talk, and everybody sits on chairs or floor, no particular pattern. throw around a beachball, with everyone throwing to someone only using eye contact (no speaking). when someone fails to catch ball when it was thrown at them, they sit on their hands. when someone throws the ball to someone that's already out, the person who threw is out and thrown to person is back in. eventually, put in more balls... really fun!!

number game...

     everybody in circle, and starting w/ teacher, counts up from one consecutively... 1, 2, 3, etc. however, you can't go around the circle in a pattern or anything to decide who said the next number... everybody has to take a chance and see if they should say it next. harder than it seems... but the best group i know of has got to 86!!!!

Answer 2

sing songs

art projects

Answer 3

I usually have 12 kids and just me (no assistant). On days when we can't go outside or use the gym I get them involved in energy burning activity.  One game we play is called go to sleep little children.  I say go to sleep little children and they pretend they're asleep. Then I sing "when you wake up you will be a  ____"  Some ideas I say are slithering snake, a tree blowing in the wind, a flower growing, monkey, caterpillar turning into a butterfly, stomping dinosaur, etc.  They act it out for about a minute then I say "go to sleep ___." and repeat with a new idea. We play until they loose interest.   Another favorite game is the Hullaballoo game by Cranium.  I also use music CDs alot. Our favorites are Dr. Jean's Tooty Ta (drjean.org), Lauire Berkner, and Stephen Fite's Herman the Worm.

Answer 4

These are all wonderful suggestions! May I add:

Build a fort with cushions, sheets, chairs turned upside-down or sideways, etc., generally, taking ordinary objects and changing the way they are used to create a different and fun landscape inside.

Build a maze -- same idea as above, but again, creating a different environment.

Come up with new lyrics and hand gestures for "The Wheels on the bus" song. Here is one my children and I made up: "The tourists on the bus go click, click, click" holding a pretend camera to left, center, right. Or, "The babies on the bus go 'wah, wah, wah'," doing a crying gesture. You and the children will think of many more.

There is a children's song that goes, "Late last night, while you were asleep, someone put roller skates on your feet...." I think  the children's songwriter is Joe Scruggs? The children lie down and pretend to sleep, then rise once they know what's been put on their feet, and they move as if wearing whatever footwear the song mentions. Again, you could all create additional lyrics.

Invest in some rhythm instruments.

By the way, why can't they go out in the rain?

Answer 5

I have a few good ideas from baby sitting my little bro, they are mostly arts n crafts though!:

1) RAINBOW FLIER

  You will need:

*Lightweight, coloured paper

*Glue

   Time needed: Under 1 hour

   Instructions:

* Cut out eight 3 1/2-inch squares from lightweight colored paper.

* Fold one square in half so that the crease is at the top. Fold down the upper left corner to form a triangular pocket. Then fold up the lower right corner. This will create an open-sided triangle. Repeat the process with the other squares.

* To assemble the flyer, fit the open triangle of one parallelogram into the triangular pocket of the next, working clockwise to complete a circle. Dab glue between the pieces to secure them. Once dry, the ring is ready to fly.

2) PIPE ClEANER DOLLS

    You will need:

*3/4-inch round wooden beads (with a 5mm center hole)  

*Smaller wooden beads

*Felt scraps

*Pipe cleaners

*Embroidery floss

*Markers

    Time needed: Under 1 Hour

   Instructions:

*HARISTYLING: Cut the embroidery floss into 20 pieces that measure twice the desired length. Fold a 6-inch pipe cleaner in half over the midpoint of the collective strands. Feed both ends of the pipe cleaner through the center of the large bead. Slide the bead up the pipe cleaner until the fold is hidden in the bead center. Then separate each strand of embroidery floss to fashion a thick shock of hair. For curls, dampen the strands with a few drops of water, wind them around a pencil and let them

* BODY BUILDING: For arms, place a 5-inch length of pipe cleaner crosswise just below the bead head. Twist each end once around the doll's trunk (the portion of the first pipe cleaner protruding from the bead). Next, bend up the trunk about 3/4 inch from the bottom to form a hook. To form legs, fold a 5-inch pipe cleaner in half and hang it on the hook. Secure the legs by twisting the 3/4-inch trunk ends around them.

* PANTS: Begin by folding a 6- by 1 1/2-inch piece of felt in half, so that the shorter edges meet. Starting from the fold, make a 2-inch cut up the middle, stopping 1 inch from the open end. Make a 1/4-inch waist hole 1/2 inch from one top edge. For foot openings, make a small slit through the felt fold at the bottom of each pant leg. Slip both legs through the waist opening from the front. Then, push the pipe cleaner tips through the foot openings and match up the short felt edges behind the dol

*SKIRT AND SHIRT: Cut a 4-inch hourglass shape out of felt. Make a waist hole in the center to slide the doll's feet through. For a shirt, use a 2-inch felt square. Cut two small armholes 1/2 inch apart and 1/4 inch from the upper edge. Wrap the shirt around the doll's chest and over the top of its pants or skirt. Wind a 3-inch pipe cleaner belt around the doll's waist to secure the clothes. To keep the pants side seams closed, twist a 2-inch piece of pipe cleaner around each

*For hands and feet, slip a smaller bead onto the end of each limb. Bend the pipe cleaner tips to keep the beads in place.

*Finally, draw on a face with fine-tipped markers, testing the colors on a spare bead first.

3) PUPPET DANCERS

     You will need:

*Poster board  

*Markers (or construction paper, glue and googly eyes)  

*Bubble wrap  

*Pipe cleaners  

*Fingernail polish  

    Time needed: Under 1 Hour

          Instructions:

*Sketch a simple ballerina silhouette on the poster board. Draw the head, torso and arms held upright (called en couronne), but do not include the legs.

*Cut out the sketch. Draw on a hairdo, facial features and a leotard with colored markers or glue on construction paper clothes and googly eyes.

*Near the lower edge of the torso, cut out a pair of legholes for your fingers to fit through.

*For a frilly tutu, use an 18- by 3-inch strip of bubble wrap. Thread a pipe cleaner through one long edge, gathering the bubble wrap as you go. Then wrap the tutu around the ballerina's waist and twist together the pipe cleaner ends behind her back.

*Turn your fingernails into a pair of ballet slippers by brushing on a coat of satiny polish.

P.S: The 3rd activity is the BEST!!! It can be done with boys and girls together. And after they have finished making the puppets tell them to make groups and to put up a puppet show for you. Also tell them that the best group will get a prize!!  This will be so much fun they wont want to leave day care! Trust me, I KNOW!!

I've got a lot of experience from babysitting my bro and his freinds

Answer 6

There is a book called 365 activities for kids. This is a great book. I found stuff for my kids who vary in age 3-7-11. Alot of science stuff that is fun. The one I like best is: Magic mud... all it is made with is cornstarch and water, make a paste then the kids can make a ball then watch it melt in their hands. It even has a cake that kids can make with no measuring.

Answer 7

1- Markers/crayons and color on paper

2- glitter markers/glue and ready made drawings

3- Cut a scene from parts of magazines (things in a living room, a kitchen, a park, etc) and paste on a different sheet of paper

4- Play some music and let the kids dance. Alternate different rythms, music. (classical - they can do ballet moves, fast music- they can jump and do crazy things)

5- Reading

6- Playdough - get some bottle caps big and small or plastic shapes that they can stamp the playdough with. The older ones can make their own figures/shapes.

7- Competitions: who build the tallest block tower, when they finish they can topple it down with a crash!,( they love this).

8-Watch a video

9- Hide and seek (you can do it even inside!) Just pretend you can't find them, so it takes a bit longer.

10- Play Simon Says

11- I play a game with my kids called Land/Sea: when I call Land, they have to jump forward once, when I call Sea they jump back. I keep calling Land/Sea fast, or slow or repeating Land/Land to try and trick them. Whoever steps in the wrong place is out of the game until there is a winner.

12- Play I spy  (I spy with with my little eye....)

13- If you have access to a computer you can take turns with groups of 2 or 3 to access websites like www.uptoten.com or noggin.com, they have really easy games for little ones, and  songs.

14- Blow up balloons and play ball with balloons. It's a different feel.

15- Bowling- You can use Nesquick milk bottles or water bottles filled halfway with beans or rice.

16- Get one of those seed starting kits and a few packets of seeds. Spread newspaper out on the kitchen floor and have your child add some seeds to each cup. He/she will be delighted when they start to sprout in just a few days.

If you dont want to get a kit, just use dixie cups and enriched potting soil. Keep soil moist but do not saturate.

Place plastic wrap over cups in well lit area. The plastic wrap acts like a mini greenhouse.

After each activity you can sing a song and let them help you clean up before moving to the next thing. It kills off time too.

Answer 8

How about fingerpainting? Finger paints wash out easily and kids love them!