| Game On! |

Rainy Day Games

By Chanie Nayman | August 10, 2021

Rainy days and loooong afternoons (and playdates) sometimes need a dash of fun

The Great Big Letter Hunt

Okay, it’s not so big, but I feel like little kids thrive on the hype. This game is quick and easy to set up and keeps the kids searching for ages.

What you’ll need:

Post-it Notes
Markers
White paper

Write all of the ABCs (or alef-beis) across as many sheets of white paper as you need, and hang them on the wall. Then, write corresponding letters on Post-it Notes (one note per letter), or make a picture that starts with each letter. Hide all the Post-its around the house. As the kids find the Post-its, they stick them on the matching letter hanging on the wall. Everyone wins when they’ve found all the letters!

Ice Murals

As simple as it’s pretty, here’s a craft anyone can do.

What you’ll need:

Disposable plates, bowls (their pliability makes for the easiest removal)
Paint (I used watercolors)
Paintbrushes

Freeze water in a plate or bowl 12 hours before you plan to do the activity.

Remove from freezer. Paint on the ice. You’ll watch the design change as the ice melts!

DIY Dance Machines

I’ve always watched dance machine pros with amazement. Part of the cool factor is definitely how fast it moves, but that’s also the hard part! With this activity, you can move as fast or slow as you’d like, picking up speed as you get more comfortable.

What you’ll need:

Masking tape
Paper
Marker

On six small pieces of paper, write numbers 1-6. Then place them on the floor as you see in the picture or in another similar format. Have the kids stand in the center, and using one foot, touch the number in a rhythmic pattern that they’ve made up. For example, 1, 1, jump twice in the middle, 2, 2, jump in the middle 3, 4, jump in the middle 5, 6, jump in the middle. Add music, and using your creativity, see how long of a dance you can make up and memorize!

Ombre Cookies

Always a favorite among kids of all ages! Pick a color family, such as ombré blues, sunset (pink, orange, yellow, red), and set up the dough to create endless creative patterns!

What you’ll need:

Simple sugar cookie dough, divided
Food coloring* (see note)
Baking sheets

Add food coloring to each of the dough parts. Using gloves, roll the dough into ropes, circles, or any other shape to create sunsets, rainbows, or other creative mosaic styles.

Moving Memory

Driving through many daylight hours necessitates a great game for all ages. We channeled Yiddishe Kup vibes with this game, and it turned out to be a huge hit. Everyone got one minute on the timer to look around at everything outside their window. Then I asked them questions (sometimes I did multiple choice) about what they saw according to their level of ability. Then we put on the timer for another minute to do another round. Examples of questions:

What exit did the Dunkin’ Donuts sign say?

The billboard on the left side had which of the following words?

Your ad here

Pet shop USA

Steak Stop next right

What fruit did the logo on the red truck have on it?

What state was the license plate on the oil truck from?

Fill in the blank: The blue sign on the right said NO ENTRY FOR____?

For younger kids:

What color was the oil truck?

What kind of construction truck was in the median?

What was the tow truck towing?