Favorite Rainy Day Activity

As I type this favorite rainy day activity, it is absolutely beautiful and sunny outside! I still want to pass it on because if you’re like me, cold or rainy days and little boys make, shall I say, a “sanctifying” combination. My kids love this game. They have been playing it and it’s variations since they were probably two years old. I can’t remember how it started (probably a frazzled mom desperate to help her kids expend some energy). The great thing is that it is more entertaining for me than the kids. Freeze Dance In it’s most basic form, you play music loud…really loud, and the kids dance their little hearts out until I press pause and the music stops. Then they freeze in whatever position they were last in. They try to stay frozen until I turn the song back on. What is fun about this is watching them dance. I laugh my head off while they try to impress me with their latest “moves”. Each kid has a different style: Izzy does some manly karate dance; Joshua does sort of a hip hop/disco combo; Caleb attempts break dancing on the floor; and Maggie does what I call “funky ballet”. I am amazed that they are so uninhibited. They really love when mommy or daddy joins them. It’s not a pretty sight, I assure you, but there is something liberating about just bustin’ a move with the kids. Variation #1 – with pillows Set up a pillow on the floor for each child. When the music stops they have to sit on their pillow as fast as possible. I do not make this a competition with the whole musical chairs approach because the main thing is that they keep moving and get the energy out. (Besides, as I have posted before, competition is a way of life here with the Reyes boys, so I do not need additional contexts for sanctification in my life or theirs!) Variation #2 – solo dance They all sit on pillows and I call a name. That child comes to the middle and does a solo dance until I cut off the music. Variation #3 – body part down At the age the boys are now, this is their favorite way to play freeze dance. When I cut off the music, I shout out a body part, and they have to get that part to the floor as fast as they can. Some examples are: ear! Elbow! Knees! Back! Bum-bum! Head! Chin! I would love to hear what your family’s favorite rainy day activity is. If there isn’t room to leave it in my comment box, please post it on your own blog, and come back and tell us that you posted via comment.