What’s a nanny to do on a rainy day? LOTS!
These are a few of my favorite things (and favorite people):
Playdates!
When I first became a nanny and heard the term “playdate” it struck me as odd. Going over to the neighbor’s house, knocking on the door and checking to see if anyone was available to play is a thing of the past! A playdate is generally scheduled much in advance and often requires parental (or other caregiver ;-)) consent and cooperation even as kids get older. Sadly, this is a different world than the one I grew up in. Running around the neighborhood from dawn to dusk, only checking in for hydration or a pb&j is no longer safe...but that’s a topic for a different post.
Inviting friends over to play is a great way to start socializing your young children that don’t go to daycare and miss out on the socialization aspect/benefit of group childcare. It will also help keep you sane to have other adults to talk to for a part of the day. It’s especially helpful for caregivers of babies who aren’t doing a lot of communicating yet. Helllloooooooo?!?!?!?!!? Is anyone out there?
Playdates are also great for older children. Especially for single child homes and for kids with siblings to take a mental break from their siblings and have fun with a friend. It’s easier to have a 4 kids with a friend each to play with than just the 4. YES 8 kids is easier than 4!!!! There are exceptions like...don’t try and take everyone out to dinner or other activities, even if you have another adult helping. Let the kids play at your home. Kids generally enjoy sharing their toys with their friends and there’s a sense of pride kids get when they have a friend come into their home, their room, and then showing off their toys/sharing.
DIY Learning!
Although I do love workbooks that are geared towards these types of activities, you don’t have to spend big bucks to keep a child engaged and learning.
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| I can’t remember if this is a Pinterest find or not, but I love it and I’m sharing it! The easel below was $15 from IKEA! The roll of paper was additional, but still a steal! The easel has one chalkboard side and a dry erase side. The paper easily rolls off of the rack. I taped the paper to the top then made patterns with dashing lines. Then she traced over my dashes and then cut the line from the bottom to the top of the paper. This activity was great for her because that’s what we were working on at the time anyway and it introduced the challenge of cutting vertically instead of just sitting in a chair and cutting out images. |
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| She (like most children) went crazy when we introduced her to scissors. She wanted to cut everything in sight (hence the cutting books above.) Instead of trashing the shapes once they were cut out, we saved them and once the box was full, we pasted the shapes onto a poster board. I love this activity because it’s full of creativity and some fine motor skills. For the most part, there really wasn’t a rhyme or reason to where the shapes went. Then I threw in a game changer...What if the dinosaur had this bathing suit on? ...what if the elephant was playing on the swings in the park scene? I got a confused but curious look. Once the wheels started spinning, the nonsensical designs became fun and interesting. Now that the pasteboard is complete, we take turns making up storylines about the different characters on the board. It’s great exercise for the brain and it keeps the creativity flowing from the beginning to....? |
Baking!
It actually doesn’t have to be a rainy day for me to enjoy baking, if I’m being totally honest. Baking with an extra pair (or more) of little hands makes it even better. Baking creates great memories for everyone involved.
Baking provides opportunities for learning. I could tell you how many teaspoons were in a tablespoon before I entered kindergarten. I loved to bake as a child. If we couldn’t find the tablespoon we would use the teaspoon. Twenty something years later, I still remember the equivalent.
Baking also lends itself to creativity, trial and error, and cause and effect.
Lastly, baking creates yummy treats!
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| Sugar cookie message “Happy birthday dad.” Complete with cut out cookies of the entire family |
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| Adding a single M&M on each cookie. Surprisingly, I did’t tell her how many she could put on there, that was what she chose to do. I guess the artist went for simplicity (or maybe she realized I already went overboard with the chocolate chips and chunks! Whoopsie) |
Indoor picnic!
For whatever reason, turkey rolls and fruit taste better and are much more appealing when served on the floor. When your plans for an outdoor picnic are squashed by the weather, plop your blanket and your behind right where you are!
Puzzles!
Like a decent bottle of wine, keep a new puzzle stashed away for a rainy day or in the event that you need an emergency gift! Not all children love puzzles, so find what your child likes and save it for a rainy day! If your kids have too many toys already, keep the staples on hand and bring different toys in and out of rotation. When your kids have too many toys and it’s hard to keep up with them, they don’t get to fully appreciate and enjoy what they have because it’s overwhelming. If your kids have outgrown some of their toys, please consider donating them to a local women’s and children shelter or an organization/child that is in need.
Matching game!
This is one of my favorite things we do together. She feels great about helping out and I enjoy watching her find the pairs. Some of the socks are VERY similar, so it is challenging (one day I might be as good as she is at it!)
Make your own trail mix!
Store bought trail mixes are often expensive and full of things your kids like (M&M’s) and things they don’t (everything else.) Take the trail mix power back and make your own!
I collect the different snacks that are OK for her to add from the pantry and then she goes to work adding her favorite things, spoon by spoon. After she adds what she wants, she gives it a few stirs and then will either tell me it’s my turn to stir or that it’s “done.” This kid rocks.
*Images were added with the consent of mom and dad. Besides, it’s really not fair to keep all of that adorableness to one family. Sharing is caring!
Best
-Meredith
