You have all seen the cute little model cars out there for small kids, right? You know, the wooden ones that have just a few moving parts and that usually come unpainted and ready to be assembled. Well, if you are looking for a rainy day activity that you can enjoy with your youngsters, then this may just be the one for you.

If you decide that this is just right for you and your children, then you will want to run a few errands and make sure that you have the right materials before you get started. You will need a drop cloth, garbage bag, or an old sheet to cover the table at which you will be working. You will also need some fat-handled paint brushes that will be easy for little hands to hold and use. The next thing you will want to get will be some non toxic water based acrylic paints. Water based acrylics wash out with very little work and so will come out of any clothes that they may just happen to get on.

Another way to prevent stains is to cruise through the kitchen center of your favorite local store and pick up some cheap aprons for the kids to wear. If you are feeling particularly crafty then you can paint each of their names at the top of the apron bib. If they are too long, then you can cut them shorter so that the children will not trip over their feet while they are trying to paint. Once you get everything together, you will be ready to start working on the project.

Divide the parts of the car by the number of children that will be working on each one. For example, if you have four or more children you should consider buying two or more kits so that each child will feel like they have a significant hand in the painting and assembly process. Have each child work on similar parts so that no one feels like the other is getting to do more than they are. It is also easiest to work with one color at a time. That way you do not have a huge mess to clean up as well.

Have the children paint the wheels first then the parts of the car body itself. Then make sure that you set them aside so that they have time to dry. Have some craft paper set aside so that the children can do some extra painting while they are waiting for the model car parts to dry. That way they will not get easily bored.

Once the parts are dry, you are ready to begin assembly. Involve the children by asking them to hand you particular parts such as "please hand me the wheels, the body, etc."

Assembly the car according to the manufacturer's directions making sure to follow them precisely. This will ensure that your children's cars turn out the way they should. Also, if you get each child a car then you will be much less likely to have to mediate between them when arguments arise as to which car belongs to which child. Activities such as this can be a lot of fun on rainy days in which you can involve your children.