Rainy Day Games

Play Wax Figure with a friend. One person holds very still while the other poses them by moving their arms, legs, etc. The "wax figure" has to hold that position. When you're done, switch places.

Make a restaurant from a box or two, paper, crayons, siccors, and glue/tape. Make pretend pizzas by cutting outsome large circles, coloring in the sauce and cheese, and cutout and color different toppings. Store pizzas in freezer bags. Make menus. Cut off the flaps on the boxes (you might need an adult to help you with this part) and turn the boxes upside. One will be the front counter, and the other will be where you put together the pizzas. On the front of one of the boxes, tape or glue the menu on. If you want, you can also make paper money.

Challenge: Can you make other foods out of paper, like a hamburger and fries, or macaroni and cheese? Try it!

Make a travel agency! Start by collecting books and brosures about different places that might be a fun place to travel to.. Use an old box for the front desk, and have a globe or atlas on hand. Tape an old map of the world, or a map of whatever country you are from on the front of the box. make sure the map is completley unfolded. You can also make paper money.

Challenge: Try making an imaginary airplane or boat nearby, so you can take your customers whereever they want to go. Make pretend tickets for this. For details, see next activity.

Explore the world by turning your bed into a boat, plane, car, bus, submarine, space ship, or whatever you like. Just get an old piece of cardboard for the control panel, and use a frisbee or old paper plate for the steering wheel. You can even make tickets for your passengers.

Challenge: Draw pictures of things you might see out the window on your vehicle. Then tape them to the wall next to your bed.

Play doctor with any old toy medical kit, or by using old toys as doctor's instraments. Use a smock as a lab coat. You can be the doctor for your stuffed animals, imaginary friends, or even your family members and friends.

Challenge: Try to figure out what a real doctor would do for your patients.

Do a pretend show with a box TV/camera. To make this TV/camera, just get an old box, about the size of basketball. Open both ends, lay the box down on it's side, and cut off all but two flap on each end (you might need to have an adult help you with this). Make sure the four remaining flaps are on the left side of the box, and on the bottom side. Set aside the cut off pieces of cardboard. Now draw controls for a TV

on one of the remaining flaps on the left, and draw camera controls on the other left side flap. Now take

one of the pieces of cut off cardboard and cut out a remote control. Draw in the buttons on the remote. Have someone at one end of the box watching the TV, and the other on the camera side acting.

Challenge: Can you make anything else you would find in a house from cardboard? Try it!

Make a game out of cardboard! Make all the pieces you need (exept maybe dice), and write rules. Use a large flat piece of cardboard for the game board. Store it all in a plastic freezer bag.

Challenge: Can you make dice from cardboard or paper, and some tape and crayons, but nothing else?

Play a game called "blindwalker". First clean up the floors in your house, so you don't trip, then close your eyes really tight and try to walk SLOWLY from one room to another. Don't fall. Use your hands to feel around the rooms.

Challenge: Race a family member or friend SLOWLY to another room using the rules above. Start by deciding on which room to start in, and which room to end up in. First one to the ending room wins.

Make a town for your matchbox cars with old wooden blocks and colored markers. Ask an adult cut the wooden blocks to the shape and size you want. Draw signs, doors, windows, and anything else you like on the blocks.

Challenge: Don't have matchbox cars? Ask an adult to cut out small wooden blocks in the shape of cars, then color them in.