Creating a Rainy Day Room With Some Fun Kids' Rugs

When the weather outside turns nasty and you've got some disappointed kids with a lot of energy, why not give them a special place to play with some themed kids rugs to keep them occupied and happy? With the wide variety of kids' rugs on the market today, you are sure to find some that will spark their imaginations and lead to hours of happy indoors play time.

There is a vast array of styles and types of area rugs out on the market today that are suitable for active kids. The best part is that among that variety are some that are educational, game-oriented, and very easy to bring out at a moment's notice, instead of having them lying around and taking up space.

Many retail chain stores now carry kids' rugs that are completely customizable, because they come in pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle. You can get them in solid color blocks, patterns, or printed with numbers or letters for an opportunity for some basic education. One idea for using these kind of jumbo puzzle pieces is to play a kind of concentration game with them.

Most of the boxed sets that have either numbers or letters on them only have a certain series in each box, like A-N, O-Z, or 0-10. If you've got multiple boxes of them on hand, jumble them up. With the help of the kids, lay them out on the floor, face down. Then, in turn, each kid picks up a piece and flips it over. Leaving it face up, they choose a second one. If it matches, the two are taken away from the main block and put next to the wall. The game continues until all of the pieces have been collected.

The numbered rug pieces can also be utilized as a hopscotch play area, especially since the pieces interlock in a number of ways. The durability of this kind of kids' rugs also allows the kids to play on them as rough as they want, with no worry about damage. You can set up an entire area with these puzzle rugs, bring out some games, and let them have at it. Each of these play rugs are well-padded as well, so all of the kids will be comfortable lying or sitting on them.

There are also kids' rugs available that are all of one piece. One of the most popular is a larger one that has several games worked into the design. This one is a bit thinner than the jigsaw rugs, so you might want to think about using some anti-skid padding with it. Worked into the design, at the corners, are four regulation sized checker/chess boards. Running through the middle of the design is the classic hopscotch pattern, combined with a kind of chutes/ladders layout. And, in between the checkerboards along the two longer edges of the rug, are two Chinese checkerboards, one on each side. A wonderful choice for elementary and middle school aged kids stuck inside on a rainy day.