My 3 year old daughter watches the rains lashing down on the verandah, singing softly to herself “Rain rain go away,come again another day, little Sofia wants to play”. I realized that she was sad that she couldn’t go out and play at her usual time. But at least I knew how to arrange indoor and outdoor games so she would learn to enjoy monsoons just like we did in our times! So here’s a little something from a mumma’s list of games for a rainy day.
Outdoor games:
Boat Race – Didn’t we spend hours having fun with these after the rains had receded. The fast flowing muddy water used to carry our paper boats till they were too wet to stay afloat. Teach your children to make paper boats and show them how the old game was played in the olden days! Sofia loves playing race with her friends’ boats.
Rain Painting – Have you ever seen the pattern that rain drops make in stagnant puddles? The beautiful pattern can be replicated on a piece of paper too! Have your child sprinkle a few fat drops of paint on a white sheet of thick paper. Then ask them to walk around in a soft rain. The rain drops will make a colorful painting merging and mixing the paint in splash patterns on the sheet.
Indoor Games:
Blindfold Guessing Game – This game can be played among friends as well as family. Needs at least 3 members to play. One person is blindfolded and the other 2 sit across him/her on a chair. The blindfolded person needs to touch the face of the other 2 and recognize who it is. This can be fun when there are lots of people to play with.
Billa Game – As cheesy as the name sounds, we had the most fun playing this game. Collect as many as 12 caps of cold drink bottles and arrange them in a square. Now stand at a pre-designated distance and aim a pebble at the billas on the floor. If your pebble hits the billa you pointed out to, you get a point. Maximum score wins!
Dress-up – well, no points for guessing what this one is about. I give a colorful saree or a dupatta to my daughter and set her up in front of the mirror. She spends hours draping herself and playing mom to her little dolls and soft toys. In not time, her entire kitchen set and all the stuffed toys are part of her elaborate household. Don’t think this will be much fun for boys, but try it out. They might just surprise you!