Rainy Day Activities

Rainy days can make for some very bored kids. Bored kids can make trouble. No thank you. So, I put together a list of rainy day activities that can be done indoors to keep everybody happy.

I thought I’d get the obvious out of the way 1st, but as long as it’s not too cold, and you have plenty of time to clean up the mud (I try to catch it out on the porch), then…….

Play in the Rain

That’s a lot of fun, but if you’re sticking to the indoors……

Start Your Seasonal Bucket List

Brainstorm some ideas for your summer/fall/holiday etc. bucket list. Get ideas on-line and in your community newsletters and on their websites to see what’s available. Go over yearly/season passes you have or want to get. Let everybody make their own wish list, or shout out ideas and argue about it. All good times.  😉 

Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Give them a list of things to find around the house. It can vary for each age group. I will read off to my 2-year-old to go find a stuffed bear, but the 6-year-old can read off that she needs to find 4 pairs of crumpled, dirty socks under her bed (she throws them off in her sleep). I, of course, will list this in-between some fun stuff, so it’s not just a chore list. But, anytime you can trick them into some cleaning…..
They also can do rounds of this by taking turns making the lists.

Treasure Map

This is a popular one in our house. Marco likes to draw a map, giving them stops to look for clues. They don’t even care if the “treasure” ends up being a stale Cheerio. If they find it 1st, it’s a win!

Read Aloud

We always have some read aloud books ready, many on our must-read list, because we like to do a few each summer. You can read them all the same one, the older can read to the younger, or everyone can take a turn picking a book to have read. It doesn’t matter if my 8-year-old is reading the Hobbit on his own – they still like when I read to them.

Workbooks

Nerd alert! I’m raising my kids that way. 😛 We stock up on workbooks and activity books from the dollar store, and have the big ones, too. They actually have a lot of fun with this stuff when they know they don’t have to do it!

Put on a Play

Have them make up a play and practice acting it out. They can let you know when they’re ready for you to watch their performance. They can get their ideas off the top of their heads, by you giving them a subject, or writing a bunch of ideas down and pulling one out of a hat. 

Write a Story

They can make a book with story and illustrations. This is another thing they can go at alone or with ideas from you. Some regular and construction paper will work fine, but we’ve found a really cute idea. These finished products make great gifts for the grandparents!

Movies

This is not a bad idea if everyone is feeling lazy from the rain, but if anybody falls asleep during the day you might be screwed at bedtime! So offer up something fun they can do after if they can stay awake.

Play School

I’m probably going to touch on that nerd thing a few times here, because I love it. 😎 The kids love playing school. Have them take turns being the teacher. We got Vida this teacher set 2 Christmases ago, and she loves it. But, you don’t need it to have school time.

Science Experiments and Stem Activities

Science experiments are awesome for rainy days! You can find all kinds of cool stuff on-line to do. We’ve used a fun starter kit and keep finding more. And don’t forget about STEM kits! There are so many of these available, too, for all ages. A lot of them are like crafts + learning. Clearfing? My kids love to play, but I find that if I don’t have their brains stimulated enough, they tend to get a little more, um, trying. I love anything that fully combines both, and STEM activities are the way to go!

Bubble Baths

Things can get really hectic through the week. Then the weekends get stacked with so much to do. We’ve noticed that the kids don’t get a lot of time to just play in the tub. This could be a great opportunity. I don’t have to tell you not to if it’s storming,though,do I?

Legos

These are a no-brainer. Kids can spend hours on these. In a future post, I’ll tell you about the Lego table Jackpot made last year for the kids. Here’s another activity that you can give them – an idea of something to build that isn’t from a set (mansion with 6 car garage including all furniture may take a minute or 2), or have some new sets on hand to whip out when they’re going to “die of boredom”. There is no end to the choices your kids will love. I like to have mine put the ones they like on the Amazon wish list, then I can order one occasionally to have on hand, or buy a birthday gift.

 Board Games

They can play one, or all we have in the house! I like the ones that kids (and adults!) of all ages can play. We have one that includes multiple games, some of which they don’t know how to play, so they use what’s inside to make up their own. Sometimes their rules are hilarious! 😆 

Puppet Show

This you can do a few different ways. You can take advantage of the gloomy day, turn off the inside lights, and do a shadow puppet show. You can combine this with crafts, make some puppets (or have a collection already), and use those for your show. You can also have a homemade theater made out of a big box for your show. 

Puzzles

I love the idea of puzzles because they’re cheap enough to keep a variety on hand, and you can find them for every age range. We occasionally stock up at the dollar store!

Arts and Crafts

I have always found myself feeling the most creative when it’s raining outside. I notice my kids are a lot more likely to grab some drawing paper on rainy days, too. We keep a few craft kits around, along with lots of separate supplies so we can make some up if that’s what we’re feelin’. They’ve learned to sew (a little), and have a Master’s Degree in googly eyes. An arts and crafts library kit is a good basic place to start.

Baking

Get the kids in on some measuring, baking, and decorating. Sometimes I bake and they decorate, and sometimes they do the majority of the cookie cutting and baking and I decorate. Either way they have a blast! Here are some of our Spring treats from the past.

Cuddling

Totally free, no supplies needed, and my absolute favorite!