Erase Rainy Day Blues with Kid-Friendly Indoor Home Improvement Projects
We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but before those spring blossoms arrive, what can you do to pass the time on those long rainy days inside, particularly if you have kids? Surely there are ways to complete your spring home improvement projects with a little help from your children, right? In fact, involving your children in some of your home improvement projects can be a great way to teach them some valuable skills and responsibilities. We’ve compiled a list of projects that will help you complete your spring improvement tasks and keep your kids occupied on those rainy days this spring: 1. Celebrate their Strokes of Genius and Paint! Maybe your children have been begging you to remodel their rooms or you have another home painting project in mind this spring. When the weather doesn’t cooperate with your plan to complete those projects while your kids are playing outside all day, enlist their help in completing your painting mission. In all likelihood, your kids will love to get down and dirty and start painting the town… er, your home. Make a game out of donning some old, painting clothes and assign each child a specific painting duty or area that you would like painted. Not only will your project get completed faster, but the whole family will take pride in knowing that they contributed! 2. Let Your Kids Have a Say in Your Home Décor This rainy day tip could be interpreted in several ways. You and your children could spend some time together poring over what new pieces you think might spice up your home’s interior décor. Search through magazines or scour the internet to find that “just right” piece for the family room. If you have small children or you just want to add a personal touch to your home decor, allow your kids to take part in making new decorations. Social sites like Pinterest are overflowing with artsy ideas that you and your children can do indoors on a rainy day. These canvas silhouettes and finger-painted name designs are two cute and creative ways to capture special moments with your kids that will add to your home décor: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/223350462741730421/ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/223350462740965644/ 3. Start Planting Seeds to a Successful Growing Season What child would not love to play in the dirt? Though a rainy day may not seem like an ideal time to start your spring garden, there is much planting that can be accomplished (and, even somewhat neatly) indoors. Get a jump on your vegetable garden by starting your tomato, cucumber or carrot seeds in small containers indoors. Your children will love to help bury the seeds in dirt and water them. They may even learn a little bit about responsibility as they help the seeds to grow. Once they’re transported outdoors and begin bearing vegetables, the whole family will love to eat the foods that they helped to make! 4. Teach Responsible Technology and Social Media Usage Though you may not want your children to spend the entire rainy day on their smartphone or computer, technology can be a great tool for helping to remember these family times together. In fact, your children may be able to teach you a thing or two by finding apps that may assist in your home improvement projects. Another great task for tech-savvy kids is documenting the home improvement process by taking pictures and sharing them on social media or creating a digital family scrapbook. 5. Show Children the Meaning of “Spring Cleaning” Without a doubt, most home improvement projects create their share of messes. So, any rainy day project that you start with your children will undoubtedly end in a clean-up phase. The mere mention of the word “cleaning” does not have to instill fear in your children. You can make a game of the clean-up process or even reward children for their clean-up efforts. After all, a long, rainy day of home improvement projects is surely deserving of a little treat for children of all ages!
