Rainy Day Crafts and Activities for Kids

Bathtub art turns bath time into fun time by using shaving or whipped cream to paint pictures on the tub wall. Or, for a rainy day activity for kids, use a baking sheet as a canvas.

What You'll Need:

When you're done with one foamy picture, lightly wipe your hand over the surface and you have a new canvas.

Here's a fun project to do while you are in the bathtub.

Step 1: Cover a side wall of the tub with a big handful of shaving cream or nondairy whipped cream.

Step 2: Use your fingers, a comb, a washcloth, or a sponge to draw a picture in the shaving cream.

Step 3: If you want to make a different picture, wipe your hand over the surface of the shaving cream and start all over again.

When you are done creating your bathtub art, make sure you rinse off the shaving cream from the bathtub wall.

If you are not in a bathtub, use a baking sheet as your canvas. Place a handful of shaving cream or nondairy whipped cream on the sheet. Add a drop of food coloring to the cream and blend together. Now you're ready to create some fun art.

Keep reading to find out how to create your own bingo game while surfing the Internet.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Play bingo while surfing the Internet.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

Internet bingo takes kids on an electronic scavenger hunt. This rainy day activity for kids lets kids use their search skills to find words. Internet bingo definitely spells f-u-n.

What You'll Need:

You'll need adult permission for this activity.

Step 1: Spell out the word INTERNET on a sheet of notebook paper.

Step 2: Go to your favorite search engine and type in whatever word comes to mind. It could be "dog" or "kite" or "video game."

Step 3: Spend the next hour searching for subject links that start with each letter in the word "Internet."

Step 4: E-mail a friend with the great new cyber stops you find along the way.

(Remember, never give out your name, age, address, or e-mail address to any strangers you meet on the Internet without your parents' permission.)

Make a colorful display on a bulletin board in the activity on the next page.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Kids can make their very own bulletin board display -- a great way to display important notes, party invitations and special photographs. This rainy day craft for kids lets kids design their very own display board.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Cover your work surface with newspaper.

Step 2: Place masking tape around the edges of the cork, inside the frame.

Step 3: Paint the frame in a color to match your room. If any paint gets on the cork, wipe it off with a damp paper towel. Let the paint dry.Step 4: Cut a small circle from the plastic coffee can lid.

Step 5: To make your stencil, sketch a shape on the plastic circle; make sure it is not wider than the cork board frame. Cut the shape out.

Step 6: Dip a damp sponge in paint and dab off the excess.

Step 7: Place your stencil on the frame and fill the stencil in by dabbing the sponge straight up and down. Repeat your pattern all around the frame.

Let the paint dry.

Build a fragile but fun house from playing cards in the activity on the next page.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Build a house from playing cards.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

This house of cards game challenges kids to build a house from playing cards, but with a twist: The cards have to be of the same suit. This rainy day activity for kids works best with four players.

What You'll Need:

To play this house of cards game, follow the steps, below: Step 1: Before play starts, each of the players must pick a suit to call his or her own: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.

Step 2: Pull the jokers from the deck, and deal out all the cards to the players. The game is played in rounds.

Step 3: If any of the players have three cards of their own suit right after they are dealt, they may put the three cards together to begin to build their house.

Step 4: Try holding two cards upright and placing a card flat on top of them.

Step 5: In the next round, each player passes one card to their right.

Step 6: If a player already has another suit card or just gained one, they may add it to their house. If they don't have another suit card, they wait until the next round.

The rounds continue until someone's house falls down. Then that player's cards are dealt out to the remaining players. This is repeated until only one house is standing -- the house belonging to the winner of the game!

Building a house from cards requires manual dexterity. Continue reading to learn about a rainy day activity for kids that challenges kids' mental dexterity.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Cut out comics to make your own story.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

Sunday comics challenge lets kids create their own story, using the frames from newspaper comic strips. This rainy day activity for kids turns kids into storytellers.

What You'll Need:

Let's see how your story stacks up!

Step 1: Find your favorite comic strip, and cut apart the story frames.

Step 2: Mix up the pieces, and try to put them back in the correct order

Here's a goofy challenge: Lay the story frames out in front of your friends in random order. Now have them try to make up a story that makes sense out of the scrambled pictures!

Or show them the frames in the correct order, but leave off the last frame and see what kind of ending they come up with.

This comic activity challenges kids' storytelling ability. Continue reading to learn about an activity that will test kids' coordination.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

How high can you build a house from dominoes?

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

Domino duplex requires kids to exercise patience rather than speed to win this rainy day activity for kids. Building a house from dominoes also requires coordination skills. How high can the house rise without falling down?

What You'll Need:

The object is to build a house, one player and one domino at a time.

Step 1: The first player lays a domino down on its side.

Step 2: The next player adds another domino in such a way as to start building a house. Keep in mind that you will have to lay dominoes on their long or short sides so that they stick up to make walls.

Step 3: Players take turns adding dominoes to build up the building -- it gets tricky pretty quickly! The game is over when the first domino falls down.

An alternative is to play this game by yourself, each time trying to add more dominoes. Keep track of how many you add. You can also time yourself; see how many you can place before the timer goes off!

Building a house from dominoes requires patience and skill. Continue reading to learn about another activity that also requires patience and skill.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Practice writing letters in calligraphy.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

Writing calligraphy can be a great way for kids to write expressively and practice their penmanship. This rainy day activity for kids helps kids practice the long-practiced art of lettering.

What You'll Need:

Thanks to calligraphy, how you write can be as expressive as what you write.

Have you tried exploring the fonts (type styles) on your home computer? Maybe you've seen an unusual letter style in your favorite book. Or maybe you've noticed surprising or interesting letter styles on book covers or in magazines.

Each of these are examples of calligraphy -- the art of lettering. Now is your chance to come up with a lettering style all your own.

Try to develop letters, A to Z, that reflect your personal style. Ask your librarian to help you find books on calligraphy if you need inspiration.

Keep reading for another activity that encourages creative expression.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Senior interview gives kids a glimpse into what it was like for older people to grow up up during a completely different time. This rainy day activity for kids allows kids to practice their interviewing skills while learning about seniors' lives.

What You'll Need:

Do you think all the good stories will spring out of the future? Think again.

Interview a friendly senior citizen about what it was like growing up in the "old days."

Step 1: Call to arrange a time for the interview.

Step 2: Prepare some questions in advance. You can ask, "How were things different when you were a kid?" "How much did gum cost?" "What did you do for fun?" "What was the scariest thing about life in your early years?" "What really made you laugh?"

Step 3: Record your interview with a tape recorder and take written notes.

Step 4: You can write a story about your interview, and then share your discovery with teachers, parents, and friends.

Interviewing and writing requires creativity. Continue reading to learn about another creative activity.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Kids can make their own planter.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd.

Watch your garden grow when you make your own perfect planter. Recycle empty milk or juice cartons with this rainy day activity for kids. These planters also make great gifts.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Open the top of an empty milk or juice carton.

Step 2: Cut the top off to make a 4- to 6-inch planter.

Step 3: Use construction paper to cover all four sides of the planter, then tape or glue the paper in place.

Step 4: Decorate the construction paper with magazine pictures and drawings. You could draw the flowers you will grow in your planter, or you could draw anything you want. That's where your imagination comes in handy!

Step 5: Cut a small square of construction paper to make a marker. Write the name and draw a picture of the flower you will grow in the planter. Attach the marker to a craft stick with glue or tape.

Step 6: Fill the planter 3/4 full with potting soil. Plant the seeds in the soil, or transplant a seedling to the decorated container. Add your plant marker.

Now watch your garden grow!

Flower pots make great gifts. Continue reading to learn about another craft idea that you can give as a gift.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Special shape castings use silver foil to form plaster molds that you can keep or give as gifts. This rainy day craft for kids features an exotic technique sure to delight kids.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Cover your work surface with newspaper.

Step 2: Use a sheet of foil to create a mold for your plaster casting. Shape the foil into a star, a dreidel, or the design of your choice.

Step 3: Fold the foil edges up to create a 2-inch rim around the shape. Smooth out any big folds with your fingers.

Step 4: Have an adult help you mix the plaster of Paris according to the package directions. Carefully spoon the plaster into the mold. Let it set.

Step 5: Once the plaster has dried, pop the casting out of the mold. Paint it using acrylic paints.

Discover hidden secrets in the activity on the next page!

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

Mysterious secrets turns reading into fun -- when kids try to guess the mystery behind the mystery. In this rainy day activity for kids, kids look for clues within the pages and then try to rewrite those clues. Is the ending still the same?

What You'll Need:

Can you solve the mystery of the mystery? Check this activity to find out.

Mysteries are some of the most popular books sold in the United States and around the world.

But what's the secret to a good mystery? The hidden treasure? The butler? The mysterious house guest?

As you read your favorite mystery, take a few notes.

Keep track of the secrets your fictional sleuth uncovers as he or she goes about solving the mystery.

Then rewrite key scenes, changing those secrets. How would your changes affect the outcome of the story? Only you can decide!

Rewriting a mystery can be a fun fiction writing experience. Continue reading to learn how to create your own characters.

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out:

The name game asks who's who in the land of make-believe. In this rainy day activity for kids, kids can create new characters based on real-life famous people. Imaginations run wild in this fun project.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Flip through an old newspaper or magazine and look for the names of famous or infamous people, such as Madonna, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Elvis Presley, Michael Jordan, and Savage Garden, and cut out the names.

Step 2: Make a new name out of pieces of existing names -- Savage Madonna, Elvis Jordan. Glue that name at the top of your blank piece of paper.

Step 3: Now make up a personality, a personal history, a whole new person to go with that made-up name. Maybe Elvis Jordan sings "Love Me Tender" as he makes jump shots!

For more fun activities and kids crafts, check out: