1. Pull Out The Board Games. In an era where X-Box and PlayStation rule, the joy of playing board games has fallen by the wayside. Rainy days are perfect for pulling out the Scrabble board or Bingo cards or even the Candyland game for the little ones. Crazy Eights anyone? Everyone will get so caught up in the games that they won't even notice the gray skies outside.

2. Have A Rainy Day Party. Let everyone dress up in their best clothes, and serve lunch or dinner on that good china you never use. Someone can play DJ and you can all dance away your discontent. Celebrate the rain. You'll find that you dread future rainy days less, and so will your family.

3. Walk. Yes, outside in the rain. Everyone gets dressed in their rainy day gear and then it's outside for a tour of the neighborhood. Puddle splashing is allowed! Getting wet won't hurt anyone?unless they're that witch from the Wizard of Oz?and it will be a great stress reliever. Actually, your kids will be so shocked, they'll probably look at you with awe for the rest of the day?and even better, forget to whine about being bored.

4. Create A Family Time Capsule. Putting together a time capsule is always a big hit with family members of all ages. Even teenagers will put their iPods down and get into the fun of making a time capsule. Set the time for pulling it out to be same time, next year'or even a rainy day a month from now. You'll have to help younger children, of course, but imagine their excitement when they see the time capsule in a year!

5. Start A Rainy Day Scrapbook. Let everyone design and create their own pages. Drawings, magazine cut-outs and photos will fill the pages. It can be an ongoing scrapbook or simply one for this particular rainy day. An ongoing rainy day scrapbook has the advantage of being a rainy day activity you won't have to plan for again and will give everyone in the family something to look forward to doing the next time it rains.

6. Visit A Museum. Museums offer a wide variety of activities for people of all ages. They're generally reasonable in cost to begin with, and charge less for weekdays. They're also great learning experiences and something your family doesn't do every day, so they're something special.

7. Give Each Family Member An Hour To Be In Charge. For one hour, they get to be king or queen of the rainy day and chose an activity for everyone else. This lets everyone in the family feel important and get to do what they enjoy most. You'll have to lay down some ground rules, of course, but letting everyone have an hour to be in charge will keep them busy not just for the hour, but for a lot longer as they make their plans.

8. Write Letters And Make Cards. To take everyone's mind off their disappointment with the rainy day, have them think of others who aren't as fortunate. A good way to do this is to have everyone in the family, including Mom and Dad, make cards for people in the hospital or write letters to soldiers or people in a foreign country. You can find sources online that will ensure your cards and letters are delivered anywhere in the world. This is also a good chance to teach children and teens about what living is really like in some countries.

9. If All Else Fails, Load Up The Car or Mini-Van and Head To Grandma's. She's probably suffering from some rainy day doldrums herself and will be thrilled to see you. It's also a free place to go where everyone feels comfortable just as they are. Just a note, though ? you might want to call first. Grandma might be out and about taking a rainy day tour around her own neighborhood, and you wouldn't want to miss her.

Copyright 2006 Karen Fusco