You can mix a little learning in with rainy day games, as long as you keep it fun. Use different colored washable markers to color four paper plates, and then tape a plate to each of the four walls of the den or your toddler’s room. When you call out a color, you and your little one run to the right plate and high-five it. You can up the academic ante of these toddler activities with an older tot or preschooler: Call out a sequence of shades (“yellow, red, yellow”), and then have your tyke tap the plates in order. Add on to the sequence each time — you’ll be surprised how much that little memory holds.