Bad weather can be especially hard on children: trapped inside, bored with their toys and with nothing to do, this is the time when they are most likely to become a nuisance or get into trouble. To avoid the rainy day blues, teach your child some fun games that can be played with family or friends and they will learn the important skill of being entertained rather than bored.

bird, beast or fish

This game will require you to pay close attention and think fast.

1. Have everyone sit facing the leader or arranged in a circle.
2. The leader chooses a person at random and points to it and says “Bird”, “Beast” or “Fish”.
3. The chosen player must think of the name of an animal in that category before the leader counts to ten. No repeat!
4. The game continues until there is one person left and he becomes the leader of the next round.

For more fun, you can consider changing the categories. Other categories you can use include mythological or supernatural beasts, insects, fruits, vegetables, or anything else you can think of!

palms down

Before playing this game, it’s usually a good idea to remind children not to slap and to avoid hurting each other.

1. Two players facing each other.
2. The first player extends their hands palms up and the second player places their hands up palms down.
3. The first player tries to move their hands and hit the tops of the second player’s hands before they can get them out of the way. They must hit one or both hands five times in a row to win. If they fail, the roles are reversed.

Rain

This can be quite noisy and is best done with a larger group.

1. Arrange the group in a large circle facing in and make sure everyone has enough room to stretch out their legs and hit the ground.
2. The leader begins by rubbing their hands and the movement is picked up by the person on the right until the entire circle has come together.
3. At this point, the leader begins to make stronger movements: snapping, clapping, thigh-slapping, and kicking as the wave comes back around the circle toward them.
4. To end the storm simply reverse the actions.

granny underpants

Arrange your group in a circle and choose one person to be “it” and stand in the middle. Have people on the outside of the circle start asking questions. The child who is “it” is only allowed to answer “My grandmother’s underpants.” The object of the game is to ask questions that will make the chosen child laugh. Once someone has successfully made them laugh, that person becomes “it” and the game continues.