If your child is a mover and a crasher you may cringe when any amount of rain is predicted. How do you keep your kid from climbing up the walls, especially when it's complicated by their special needs of ADHD, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, or other diagnosis?
Try these rainy-day activities for your special needs child next time the clouds come rolling in, as recommended by Occupational Therapist Shannon Wylie:
1. Have a Picnic Indoors
This can be a fun way to change up a meal routine and may even be motivating to picky eaters. Have your child help you look in the kitchen to identify what foods you have and plan a menu! They could even write it out or type it for extra fine motor practice. Have them help you prep the meal by measuring, cutting, counting, and assembling the meal. Choose a spot in your home and put some blankets and pillows. Encourage any other decorations (flowers, written place settings, etc.)
Related products:
- Textured Spoons for oral sensory needs
- Colorful Flexi Cut Cups
- EasieEaters Curved Utensils
- Ezpz Mini Happy Mat doubles as a fun plate and placemat
- Scooper Plate - with or without a base
2. Make an Obstacle Course
This can involve something as simple as removing the couch pillows or cushions to make a path, to a mini trampoline, small slide, balance beam, or tunnel. Add a timer to see who can do it the quickest, try it backwards, or add a puzzle to complete from one end to the other.
Related products:
- Soft Play furniture, try the 14 Piece Block Set
- Use the Launch Pad for jumping off
- Don't forget a Crash Pad!
- Pocket timer https://www.especialneeds.com/pocket-timer.html
3. I Spy
Make a list of objects for your kids to find around the home. It could be a category such as colors or shapes or specific to areas of the home such as items in the basement or in a bedroom.
Related products:
- Start with Noun Picture Cards
4. Yoga or Animal Walks
Find a kid friendly YouTube video or use yoga or animal cards like a memory game and have your child choose one and complete the action.
Related products:
5. Make a Fort
Use sheets, chairs, clothes pins or chip bag clips. If you have some extra cardboard from packages or food boxes, give your child some tape to build their own structure. They could color to decorate and add some lighting inside to make it special.
Related Products:
6. Create things
Create animals, objects, or creatures using putty or play dough. Use buttons, popsicle sticks, coins, pipe cleaners, etc. to add to the creativity. Great for hand strength and coordination!
Shop our Arts and Crafts for endless creative possibilities
7. Play Dress Up
Something as simple as using mom or dads clothing to pretend and play can be fun. Oversized clothing can help with learning dressing skills and can be a great way to practice clothing fasteners.
Related Products:
- Practice with a Manual Dexterity Dressing Vest
- Look in the mirror!
8. Play with Puzzles
Wrap each piece in tin foil or hide them in a tub of beans for some extra fun! Hide pieces around the home or along the stairs for climbing practice.
9. Fun with Balloons
See who can walk the furthest with the balloon between their legs. Play tennis using paper plate as a racquet. Count how many times it can be hit back and forth without it hitting the floor. See how long you can keep it in the air by blowing through a straw.
Try the Trumpet Step
10. DIY Bowling at Home
Use bottles of water, toilet paper tubes, or cut up pool noodles as your pins. Try a variety of sizes and weights of balls to roll and knock over the pins. If you still need another way to play, turn around and bend over so your head is looking between your legs to try upside down bowling.
We hope these rainy day activities inspire and spark your imagination for keeping your child, with special needs or not, entertained safely indoors.
What are your kid's favorite ways to spend a restless day indoors?
