April showers may bring May flowers, but they also may mean that your children are stuck indoors, looking for a way to stay busy without driving mom crazy. If you have little ones who need to stay active and occupied indoors on a rainy spring day, there are lots of activities they can partake in besides watching television or playing video games. We found some creative ideas to occupy your children that will stimulate their brains, keep little hands busy, and result in some wonderful memories.

Build an imaginary town. If you have a large cardboard box, break out the crayons, markers, or water-based paints and let your kids design and decorate their own private getaway. Let their imaginations run wild; they can draw a town in America, another country, or on another planet. Toss in some of their favorite action figures or stuffed animals to increase the population and the fun factor. Older siblings can help create a storyline about how the town came to be, who the founders were and why they built the town and develop individual characters with their own storylines. Who knows, you might have a budding writer or film director in your midst!

Construct an indoor fort. Remember when you did this as a youngster? It’s still a great way to entertain children and spark their imagination. If you have a large box or pup tent, put it in the bonus room or even in the middle of the living room for the day. If not, use a few chairs, couch cushions, and sheets or blankets just like you did when you were young. Clothespins, chip bag clips, safety pins, or even packing tape can help hold things together.

Have a family concert. Do you have musical instruments around the house? Break them out and have an impromptu concert, allowing your children to make up songs of their own. If you don’t have actual instruments, kids love to use household implements like pots, pans, lids, buckets, wooden spoons, spatulas, or other kitchen utensils to make their own kind of music. Fill glass jars with varying levels of water and use a spoon to gently tap on the jars. The kids will be fascinated by the different tones the jars produce. To make your own trumpet, all you need is a paper towel roll with one end covered with waxed paper held in place with a rubber band. Punch a few holes along one side and sing a tune into the open end.

Break out the board games. Whether it’s that old Candyland game that’s been sitting unused in the closet for a few years, a card game of Go Fish, Uno, or Crazy Eights, dominoes, or Yahtzee, you’ve probably got a few dusty board games that still have the ability to keep the kids happy for a while. Why not take a break from the daily chores and join your children in a board game or card game? You deserve a day of play, too!

Have a baking day. Kids of all ages love to bake, especially when they know there’s a treat at the end of the activity! Pull out your simplest recipes, or Google “kid-friendly recipes” and enjoy getting messy in the kitchen. Think about letting the kids modify a favorite with a unique ingredient (think sugar cookies with raisins, maybe?) and take a vote on the end result. You might discover a new family favorite.

Set up an art gallery. Get out some blank paper, crayons, markers, and paints. Set up a coloring station at the kitchen counter or table, and have the kids draw pictures for another family member. If stuck for inspiration, grab some printables from the internet and hand them out, or Google “how to draw a …..” and choose a subject that interests each child (dinosaurs, flowers, etc.) Pick a location to display the masterpieces when they are all done, such as the back of the front door, the door going into the garage, or the living room window.

Have story time. This is a great rainy day activity for kids of all ages. If you have older kids who can read to their younger siblings, suggest that they read the book that was their favorite as a youngster. If your kids are all older, issue a challenge to see how many chapters they can read in a day.

These are just a few suggestions of rainy day activities for the kids the next time you’re all stuck indoors. We hope the next time you and your kids are housebound due to wet weather you can spend that time together having fun and creating wonderful rainy day memories.