Enjoying summer and the beautiful weather it brings has been absolutely wonderful for our family for a few weeks. However, with the hot summer months, rain showers are inevitable. In a season when parents tend to rely on outdoor play, it’s easy to forget that the simple things of indoor life can bring much joy! I know that some of you reading today experience situations where you can’t be outdoors as much as you’d like. Today we’re taking a peek at 5 simple ways to foster creativity in children. In other words, what can we do with what we have to encourage our children to use their imaginations?
1. Try a new art medium.
Never used clay at home? Make it a summer day project. Try making your own play dough. Grab the recycling bin and challenge the kids to a “reuse” contest! Children love to use their hands to build and create.
2. Prep the kitchen and bake or cook.
Rummage through an old recipe box or cookbook that hasn’t been touched in a while. Scan through your Pinterest boards and rediscover a recipe you’ve wanted to try. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have all the listed ingredients; challenge the kids to think of substitutes with what you have on hand and then search for appropriate ingredient substitutes on the worldwide web.
3. Play an old board game with new rules.
Have the kids think of a twist on the rules to make the game more interesting. Maybe if you land on a certain square, you get to move forward 5 extra spaces. Or if you roll a 3 with the dice, you have to go back 3 instead of forward. Get silly and have fun by adding a crazy hat that a player will wear if they land on a certain space. The hat is not removed until another player lands on that space or the game ends.
4. Get out the coloring books and declare an opposite color battle.
This means blue skies are green and green grass is blue. Rocks are bright colors and the sun is purple. You could also vote on the “most outrageous,” ”most creative,” or “most fun.”
5. Transform a previously colored page from a coloring book or an old photo.
Pull a few Popsicle sticks from the drawer or a half cup of rice from the pantry and enhance the former artwork with a new frame or 3D effect.
6. Try a new Bible reading plan or begin a new Bible study for kids.
Spark an interest in a new book of the Bible through grabbing the rainy day moment! Maybe you could make a list of the Bible stories containing rain in their setting. Or decorate items to use as object lessons.
We’re hoping one or two of these ideas will turn your rainy days into sunshine making moments. What do you like to do to promote creativity during the summer moments of indoor play?
Rachel at RachelWojo.com
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