Rainy day fun: Child Life Services team shares favorite soggy day activities

Play with color

“I love to brighten up the cloudy and dark days with a splash of color,” said Lou Ann League, child life assistant. Some of League’s favorite ways to do this include:

• Syringe painting: Take an empty syringe and fill it with washable paint. You can create works of art by using the syringe like a pen or quickly emptying the plunger to create splashes of color.
• Colorful books: There are many books about colors and the fall season. One of League’s favorites is “Pete the Cat, Falling for Autumn.”
• Fingerprint trees: Dip your fingers in washable paint/watercolor paint/or washable markers and use your fingerprints to make fall leaves and trees on paper.
• Foil painting: White paint on aluminum foil makes for fun winter scenes. You can also shape the foil into sculptures and paint those.

Turn off the screens

“One of my favorite inside games is hiding a stuffed animal (or other toy) and then taking turns finding it,” said Julie Hertzog, child life supervisor. “You can guide the person finding it by alerting them if they’re ‘hot’ (close to it) or ‘cold’ (far away from it) and think of fun hints to help them along the way.” Other ideas that don’t involve screens include:

• Paper-ripping art: Take a piece of paper — anything works, just make sure it’s not important like homework — and rip it into a variety of pieces and shapes. You can glue the pieces together to form a unique mosaic. Hertzog adds that ripping paper can be a great way to express one’s feelings.
• Scavenger hunt: Take turns stashing treasures around the house for others in your family to find. You can even draw a treasure map or write clues.
• Reading fort: Build a reading nook or fort out of pillows, sheets, blankets and other things you have around the house. Grab a flashlight and read a story together!
• Balloon volleyball: Work together to play a simple game of volleyball or try to keep the balloon in the air by batting it and not letting it fall to the floor.

Fun in the hospital

Mary Bridge Children’s offers many activities for patients in the hospital. While gathering with other patients in the playroom is still not possible, here are some easy things that parents can do with their children when they’re in the hospital. Check with your Child Life Specialist or a Mary Bridge Volunteer for any of these activities. If a patient is unable to leave their hospital room for any reason, activities can be brought to the bedside.

• Wagon rides: Go on a wagon ride around the unit and look out the windows or play “I spy” around the halls.
• Piper’s Playhouse: Make an appointment to play in the playroom, where children can engage in dramatic play. Be the doctor for a day or make some imaginary dinner in the pretend kitchen.
• Arts and crafts: Ask for our Greentrike Therapeutic arts kits. You can make fun projects like a calming tube, superhero cape and more!
• Pumpkin bowling: Why roll a bowling ball when you can roll a pumpkin to knock pins down?
• Teen room: Older patients can enjoy video games, either in the teen room or from consoles that can be wheeled into their rooms, or other arcade-like games including air hockey or Pac-Man. We also have classic board games, Nerf basketball hoops, and our favorite Nerf blasters.

Child Life Services at Mary Bridge Children’s is a donor-supported program that provides free support to patients and siblings. To learn more or to find out how you can help, visit Child Life Services.