rainy day family activities

Rainy Day Family Activities

 

For the past week we had planned to spend our Saturday afternoon at the zoo.  Saturday morning arrived and of course it was pouring.  We were all psyched to spend the day out doing a fun activity so staying at

home for the day was not an option.  At first we could not come up with any ideas for what to do on a rainy day but then I had an idea.  I heard that the children’s museum was adorable and so much fun.  I didn’t know too much about it so I decided to look it up on the internet.  It seemed like it would be a lot of fun, for at least my 16 month old so we decided to give it a try.  It wound up being a lot of fun and as I predicted, our 16 month old had a blast running all around and playing with the interactive exhibits.  As it turns out, most big cities have children’s museums.  I highly recommend this activity for any family.  It’s a great way to spend time together doing something fun as well as cultural.  However, as soon as we arrived, with our double stroller and huge overstuffed diaper bag, we were told that we could not enter the museum with the stroller. All strollers have to be checked at the door.  This was sort of annoying because we did not bother bringing our Baby Bjorn carrier for our 3 month old, and neither did our friends for their 6.5 month old.  This meant that we needed to carry our babies (and diaper bags) the whole time.  I am not trying to dissuade anyone from going to the museum, I just suggest that you call ahead, no matter what museum it is, and ask what their stroller policy is.  This way you can come prepared, unlike us. 

I was so happy that we were able to motivate in the rain and that our day was so much fun.  When I got home I decided to research other fun rainy day activities so that we’d have a plan for next time.  I came up with a great list that I would love to share with you.  If you have other suggestions that I have missed, I would love to hear from you and then I will update my list with any new suggestions I receive. I tried to come up with suggestions that were not locally specific.

Rainy Day Activities (outside of the house)

1. Museum – the children’s museum (as previously mentioned), art museums (often have children’s exhibits), natural history museum…
2. Large Book Store – the chains often have story book hours but its also fun to just browse through the children’s book section and read with your kids
3. Planetarium
4. Indoor Playground
5. Family Entertainment Centers
6. Parent/Child Exercise Class
7. The Mall
8. Paint Your Own Pottery (for slightly older children)
9. The Local Library – many have story time and/or movie showings

 

Check out your local newspaper or magazine for area activity listings.  There is more to do than you think.  Just remember to call ahead and ask if there is anything you should be aware of before arriving.  It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Karen White (BebeBuzz) is a mother of two and the Founder/President of Bebebuzz.com.  She also runs an online baby boutique at http://boutique.bebebuzz.com, featuring unique and trendy baby gifts that any savvy new parent would be excited to receive. 

BebeBuzz.com is a site built in response to the tons of questions that the baby books just don't cover. Filled with tips tricks and advice for surviving pregnancy and motherhood.

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