Rainy days and keeping children occupied

[sarahb1985]

I'm struggling to fill the days with interesting activities when it's raining all day. I don't currently have use of a car for childminding(waiting to sort insurance issues) and I have a 13 month old mindee. We have many parks in the area and lots of grass areas but the rain ( and snow!)lately has meant we are staying in a lot. Then my own daughter and the mindee get bored and everything seems a struggle! I plan activities but the 13 month old mostly does her own thing then I worry I'm not doing enough!There are no toddler groups around here and I worry about using the bus with a mindee,does anyone do that? Does anyone here not drive/not use a car for childminding and how do you cope with filling the days? Thanks in advance

[Rachael's stars]

I find if im staying in all day that using different rooms for different activities helps, for example we might play with the happyland toys downstairs, go upstairs into my little boys room and play dressing up or with the garage and cars then play with playdough in the dinning room while im sorting tea out, my boys also love having a carpet picknick for lunch we put a big blanket on the living room floor and sometimes try and make a den and have our lunch in their, seems so simple and a little bit nuts but you should see the look on their faces

[AgentTink]

I also don't drive, but do have some activties within walking distance. However I have don't have a problem using bus or train if I want to go somewhere further afield. Just takes a bit more forward thinking.

I get the children outside as much as possible and to be honest they don't seem to notice the weather. I have a 12mth old, when he started 4 months ago I bought some rain suits and puddle booties so that he could be in the garden with us. Somedays he is crawling around the garden, others he is sitting on the decking with toys. Other days he is tired so I pop him in the pram, bring him outdoors with me and the older 2 children, 20mths and 3 and a half, and he goes to sleep whilst watching them play. For older children I insist on parents providing a warm outdoor suit for winter and a rain suit for summer. Over the last 3 years I have managed to build up quite a collection as once the children outgrow them the parents always say keep the smaller ones.

[blue bear]

I do drive but we catch the bus we catch the bus every week because the children want to. We can keep the pushchairs up so I just wheel the ten. Onto old on and the older ones sit with me, it's great fun. Just make sure you get permission from parents, mine love the fact I take them on the bus because the always drive everywhere,

I have rain suits and wellingtons for everyone and we go outside just about everyday,there was one day this week that even my most hardiest little chap refused to go out because it was so bitterly cold.

Do you do a plan for the week? Sometimes you can get stuck in a rut of doing the same things over and over when just a little forward thinking can make life a bit more interesting, so try things like using the pans for musical instruments instead of your normal ones. Do some baking,letting the little one just have a few ingredients to squeeze and feel in a owl next to you. Do you know any other minders you could go and visit and have them Back to yours? Could you set up a toddler group locally, somewhere like the local school or church?