Rainy Day Games

When the rain starts to come down, it's time to get creative. There are loads of things parents can do to keep kids active and engaged without video games and television. Indoor games are a great way to keep the creative juices flowing and get kids off the couch.

Treasure Hunt is a great game that can be played indoors. Kids hunt for hidden clues throughout the house to find the treasure (which can be anything from treats to prizes). It's as simple as drawing clues on ripped squares of paper and hiding them in various places in your house as a trail to the treasure. Think of hiding clues under the dog bowl or in a boot in the closet. The clues are hidden in order and the team must search for the folded clue in each hiding place. Each clue tells them where to search next.

If there are enough kids, have them break into two teams and work together to create 6-8 clues for the other team. They hide their clues for the opponents and then the teams race to see who can discover all the clues and reach the treasure first.

Half the fun is participating in the set-up of the game and getting creative with clues. Hiding the folded paper clues well adds an extra challenge for the opposing team.

Another game where the preparation can be as fun as the game itself is Charades. Having the children imagine and create the clues is an activity in and of itself.

The game is played with two teams acting out clues. The object of the game is to have your team guess the clues in the shortest amount of time.  Each player on the team takes a turn acting out a clue to their teammates. This game is also great for young children who aren't reading yet. They can use drawings of their favorite animals as clues.

The Project Play book series was created to get kids inspired to play creative and backyard games. These games help children with creativity and get them active but they offer opportunities for kids to work together, negotiate, and resolve conflicts in their play. All these skills are vital to their growth and social skills and, when combined with play, are loads of fun.

All the game rules are available on www.projectplaybooks.com. You can also find the imaginative books aimed at inspiring children to get out and play creative, backyard games.