7 Positive Alternatives To Blue Monday

Blue Monday is a name often given to the third Monday in January -- supposedly the most depressing day of the year. The idea, based on an equation that factors in weather and the post-Christmas slump, has been widely debunked, yet the meme remains as strong as ever. That’s all too maudlin for Kidadlrs, though, right? We want positivity for our families. To that end, we’ve dreamed up seven rhyming alternatives to Blue Monday for you to try with the kids...

It’s all about the animals on Zoo Monday. Get the kids to list out, draw, or impersonate as many animals as they can in 15 minutes. Make your own animal face masks. Try our epic animal quiz. Or see what you make of these alternative names for animals. Whatever you do, go wild.

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Celebrate all things that run on rails on Choo-Choo Monday. It’s time to get the toy train set out and have fun. If you don’t have a toy train set, you can always build one from Lego or Duplo, or try to mould a locomotive from play doh. You might form a human train and shuffle around the house; dance the Locomotion; or simply settle down for some Thomas the Tank Engine. Or you could put an educational hat on and learn about the Victorian railway boom with these resources. Remember, impersonating trains is a great way to express yourself. (More terrible train puns here.)

We had to lower the tone! But, actually, poo is a fascinating topic, especially for kids, who seem to have a universal fascination with the brown stuff. There’s plenty to get stuck into, so to speak. If you’ve got toddlers, this could be the fateful day you start their potty training. You could spend an educational hour or two exploring what happens to your waste once it’s disappeared down the toilet. Trace the pipes in your house or flat. Go for a walk looking out for sewer covers. Learn how to identify animals from their droppings. Talk about the many uses that poop has been put to over the centuries, from fertiliser to fuel to building material. One guy even used his own frozen feces to dig his way out of an avalanche (look up Peter Freuchen). See, poo really is fascinating.

Have a day devoted to building and construction. Younger children could play with blocks, Duplo or other building toys (some tips on the best here). You could also invest in a toy tool bench to familiarise them with the kit. Older kids can start to learn more serious skills. Show them how to tighten screws, and the different kinds of heads. Get them involved in the less risky parts of DIY around the home. Disassemble a broken gadget to see how it all fits together. Try Technic Lego or Meccano for a playful way to experiment with construction.

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Yarghh! This invented day is all about pirate play. Turn the lounge into a pirate ship with sheets, cardboard and a broom for the main mast. Assign yourself pirate crew names. Try these 11 pirate crafting ideas, or get hold of these buccaneering pirate costumes. And, of course, you’ll also want to organise a pirate treasure hunt around the home and/or garden. 

Pens at the ready, quick on the draw. Drew Monday is all about doodles, sketches and paintings. You can play this any way you like. Ask the kids to draw scenes from a favourite movie; design a new dress for mummy; draw around shadows, sketch their ideal home; imagine life on an alien world… whatever they’re into. You could alternatively play a game of Pictionary, sharpen their observational skills, learn to draw manga, or other styles… And if you’re after some decent kit, here are our recommendations for proper drawing boards.

And finally, the craze for making and playing with slime seems to carry on unabated. Perhaps the activity deserves its own special day of Goo Monday. To get you started, we’ve put together tips on creating your own slime, including crunchy slime, fluffy cloud slime, and the best slime activators.

That just about covers alternatives to Blue Monday, but what about the rest of the week? How about Green Tuesday, with a focus on environmental projects? Aquamarine Wednesday, devoted to all things submarinal? Tickle Me Pink Thursday, for a day of giggles? Fuchsia Friday, on which we celebrate difficult spellings? Sandy Saturday, for recreating the beach? Or Sky Blue Sunday in which we encourage our children to indulge in blue-sky thinking? Every one of these has got to be more constructive and less maudlin than the annual focus on Blue Monday.