10 Indoors Activities with Children

Ever been "stuck" with your children, off from work and school, while the rain didn't stop falling? Bored? Of course there are video games, computers and TV. But what if you should try something else? Creativity has no limits and the list below includes things that me and my children love to do.

The more you as a parent takes part, the more fun it becomes. Children love to do things with their parents. Depending of their age, of course... My children are 7 and 10 but this activities work for smaller children too, depends on how much you as parents are willing to contribute.

A benefit is that you get to spend time with your children. When you do that you have a great opportunity to improve your relationship. The child gets your attention and you both get even closer to each other.

Positive attention to your child is important for your his or hers development. Children who gets positive attention tend to have better self images and feel more secure in many situations. Above this they get a closer relationship to their parents and that is a benefit both for the child and the parents.

So here is my list, feel free to give your suggestions in the comment field:

• Go out and enjoy the weather! Play in the pools of water, just look up at the sky and let the rain fall on your face. Children love when their parents do things that not are so "grown up".

• Bake! Cupcakes, cookies, a cake, a pie or whatever you like. It makes a perfect snack to eat between other activities. My children usually love to eat the cake batter, even more than the actuall cake. Let them do that, the important thing is not to get as many cakes as possible.

• Well, sometimes it's just time to… watch a movie… Can be really cozy:)

• Craft some stuff to play with. Collect toilet rolls, buttons, paper, fabric and other materials for doing some creative stuff. We usually craft funny ”dolls”. To fix the clothes, eyes, hands, hair and so on, I recommend a glue gun. The glue will stick in seconds. Se my photos for examples of these "dolls". Adorable:)

• Move around while avoiding to step on the floor. Just go from a chair to a table and so on. First touching the floor has ”lost”. This can be a wild game, maybe don't do it before bedtime...
• Act hairdresser, or let the children be the hairdressers. Usually my children creates some funny hairstyles for me… A lot of styling, braids and so on. Can last for a long time. Bonus; I get some rest. For me this activity includes to sit down when they ”do the work”:)
• Take a bath. We have a small bath tub. Soon we will not fit in there anymore, but it's really a great activity just arranging the bath. We put in some rose petals, lavender and bubble bath. Great fun to mix things in there!
• Make a movie. Begin by setting up a script. Download some movie app to your phone or tablet, to be able to edit your movie. Not required of course! It is enough just to record your personal movie. We made some sounds to add as well. You can record sounds separately by using two phones. I recorded the movie and my children were actors. At some points I started the sound at the second phone, works well as "sound effects". Very proud children have been watching the movie over and over again.

• Sew clothes for Barbie or some other doll. Here a lot of assistance was needed. Maybe it is an activity for older children though it can be hard to sew small details.
• Try old clothes from the wardrobe. Fun for children to try clothes that don’t really fit them:-)

I think creativity is important to encourage. It's a gift that every child is born with. Unfortunately many children soon "forget" how to be creative. My list above is suggestions of activities that can be really fun, enjoyed by both parents and children. Feel free to try some of them and have a great time with your children!