When the weather is nice, it’s easy to send your kids outside to run around and burn off some of that seemingly endless excess energy. But on rainy days (or in other weather where you’d rather stay indoors), you need ways to keep kids entertained and engaged inside the house.

One solution is to break out the rainy day crafts. They’re easy, inexpensive projects you can do on a Saturday afternoon, or use as a break during the school day. Sometimes they’re also a good way to keep one child entertained while you work on a tough assignment with another.

During any season, one of my favorite rainy day crafts is making homemade thank-you cards. They are the perfect, personalized way to show appreciation for birthday and holiday presents and even just the simple things that family and friends do for your kids.

Using just a few supplies and a little imagination, your kids can create touching thank-you cards that every recipient will truly appreciate. Encourage them to draw pictures or find images and words from old magazines and newspapers to express their thanks.

In addition to homemade thank-you cards, I’ve gathered some other crafts you can enjoy:

• Book Blankets: Get your kids excited about reading and use these personalized covers to protect their favorite books.
• Colorful Sun Catchers: These vibrant, easy-to-make sun catchers are the perfect way to capture the sunshine once it returns.
• Habitat Dioramas: This activity is versatile because it can be used to occupy several hours at a time, or it can be split into phases and used as an ongoing project. These dioramas look great once completed, and they can also teach your kids more about their favorite cold-weather animals and the habitats they live in.
• Multicolor Super Crayons: Younger students can learn to recycle by making a “Super Crayon”—all you need are old broken crayons, a tin can, your stove, and your sink. Once you slowly melt the crayons down in the can while your kids watch, you run the can under the faucet until the wax hardens, and voilà! You have a Super Crayon that adds some color to a dreary day.
• Bulletin Boards: Bulletin boards are easy for students of all ages to make. Just pick up some corkboard and urge your kids to get creative with decorating it! To get your student organized, have him or her design a bulletin board that serves as a place for school to-do lists or a reusable calendar.

Crafts like these are perfect for beating the rainy day blues. What are your favorite kinds of crafts to do with your kids (for rainy days or otherwise)? Share your ideas with us!