Make the Most of an Indoor Day with Online Educational Fun!

Written and created by : Jenny Wise
Jenny Wise is a mother of 4 and a Special Home Educator.
She loves to sew, crochet, and take long walks on the beach.

 Make the Most of an Indoor Day with Online Educational Fun!

When the weather cancels your outdoor plans with your kids, instead of mindless electronics use and wasted hours of watching mind-numbing TV programs, use technology to tap into the vast amount of online educational resources. You can take advantage of having your kids with you under the same roof by enhancing your day through online activities that get you moving and learning. From online workout videos to science, art and music lessons, your family will never run out of options for enrichment.

 

Shake the rainy day blues with exercise

Just because it may be a hot, cold, or a rainy day doesn’t mean that your day has to be an entire washout. There are countless indoor activities to get you and your kids moving. Kids love to get up and move, especially when exercise is disguised as a play activity. Clear off the family room floor, throw down some yoga mats and get your kids, and you, sweating the day away. YouTube is filled with fun exercise options, including:

• Bootcamp-style workouts. Children can get excited and motivated by a drill-sergeant prompted workout.
• Yoga. Flexibility and mindfulness result from even the simplest yoga moves.
• Dance-inflected exercise programs.
• Martial arts-based activities. Kickboxing, tai-chi and ninja-zone-styled workouts can make kids feel like they are superheroes in their own living rooms.

Children can have fun with each of these styles of workouts, especially any that incorporate dance and fun music. If your kids are not the type to get organized around a specific exercise program, try playing Internet videos that feature dancing. Dancing can be the basis for high-intensity workouts for all ages and fitness levels. Challenge your kids to mimic their favorite stars. Have your kids take turns with you practicing dance moves, then end the rainy day with a dance competition.

Add some musical appreciation or learning

 If your kids are drawn to music, try enriching their day by adding some music without dancing or working out. Music appreciation is proven to increase cognition and improve mood. Your rainy day can be focused on purposeful relaxation, with a varied musical backdrop. Music listening can be a bridge to learning, too. Kids can easily learn simple instruments such as a ukulele via an online tutorial. Ukuleles are cheap, too, so the hobby doesn’t require a large investment. 

Tap into science and math learning and more

There are numerous outlets for fun games and activities that fortify your child’s education. Science lessons are popular since they often involve fun activities and experiments. You and your kids can gather a few household items to make elephant’s toothpaste in the name of science. 

Online websites and apps provide opportunities for math puzzles and quizzes. History, English, art, theatre and more are all easy to incorporate into rainy-day indoor play. Many kids enjoy drawing, and the internet provides many opportunities for tutorials and lessons.

Education doesn’t have to be limited to the basic courses taught in school. Children are never too young to learn business-related topics, such as real estate investing. Many children are curious about real estate sales, as it is a highly visible career choice in most communities.

Real estate is a complex field that requires skills in math, science, English, social studies and home economics. By incorporating real estate-based activities into your indoor fun, you can help students gain valuable skills in practical math application, presentation giving, forming a persuasive argument, earth science and so much more.

Next time bad weather threatens your day, don’t resign you and your kids to a lazy day. Take advantage of the time together and fill your day with activities. Online resources make it easy, so use those devices for something educational and fun.

Photo Credit: Pixabay