When it rains, kids stay inside and Kids. Get. Bored. It is so easy just to sit them in front of the TV (yep, I have done this!), so we thought we would put together a list of things to do at home on rainy days.
Most of these activities you will be able to do without leaving the house, others may require some supplies, depending what you have on hand at home.
1. Play in the rain
- Go outside and dance in the rain.
- Put on your raincoats and gumboots, put up your umbrellas and find some puddles to jump in, or leave all these inside and just get wet. See who can make the biggest splashes in the puddles.
- Fill up cups with rain.
- Look for worms, snails, frogs, lizards, spiders, and centipedes.
- Get dirty and make mud angels.
2. Do a treasure hunt
Create clues that lead to a prize at the end. Set a time limit to make it more challenging. Older kids can create clues for each other.
3. Scrapbook
Go through your photos, print some out and start a scrapbook. Include things you have done this week, draw pictures, write stories, and stick in any artwork or awards from school.
4. Recreate Art
Draw or paint a piece of art or a photo you have around the house.
5. Dress Ups
Decide on a character, create your costume using materials around the house, and get in character! Make paper crowns and be a queen or king, make pirate hats and swords and defend your ship, or dress as a spy and solve a mystery.
6. Journal
Start a journal - include things you are grateful for, good things that happened recently and the not so good things, how you dealt with them and how you can deal with these situations in future. Write dreams, goals, and lists and draw pictures.
7. Plan
Make a plan for the next sunny weekend or your next holiday. Do a real plan and a dream plan where anything is possible.
8. Trace your bodies
Get long pieces of paper, or stick paper together so it is as long as you are, lay on the paper and draw the outlines of your bodies. Then draw in the details - you could do body parts, internal organs, or dress yourselves.
9. Lego
- Have a Lego building competition. For younger kids see who can build the tallest tower, and with older kids have them choose what they would like to build.
- See how many shapes you can make within a certain time.
- Decide on a project and build it together.
10. Bake
Choose a recipe together - something new or an old favourite - and fill the house with delicious smells. Have a special morning or afternoon tea together with whatever you baked.
11. Drawing
- Print some free images from online to colour in.
- Draw pictures for each other to colour.
- Draw portraits of each other.
- Make and colour masks.
12. Plant an indoor garden
- Plant a herb garden with the herbs you regularly use when cooking.
- Plant a succulent and cactus garden.
- Make a fairy garden.
13. Movie afternoon
Get your favourite snacks and choose a movie everyone would like to watch and chill out together for the afternoon.
14. Clean up
Probably not the first, second or even third thing the kids would choose to do on a rainy day, but it's a good time to clean out clothes that no longer fit and any old art work and papers from school. A good chance to talk about recycling and donating items.
15. Decorations for your bedroom
Make bead chains, posters, fabric embroidery hoops, cross stitch or embroidery, a moon and star mobile, snow globes, or suncatchers. There are tutorials online for just about anything you can think of, so explore options together and then get your craft on!
16. Paper Dolls
Remember the paper chain dolls that seemed like magic when you were a kid? Get drawing and create your own! It doesn't have to be dolls or people, try words, gingerbread men, ghosts for Halloween, dogs, cats, Christmas trees, Christmas angels, cars, trucks, whatever your imagination comes up with!
17. Minute to win it games
Remember the TV game show Minute to Win it? The contestants had 1 minute to complete different challenges using household items.
For your version, just google Minute to Win it for kids and you will find hundreds of ideas. Put together a series of games that suit your kids and decide together what the prize will be.
18. Dance party
- Clear some space, put on your favourite tunes, and get dancing.
- Teach your kids some old-style dances.
- Try out different dance crazes - think flossing, Gagnam Style, the lawnmower and the sprinkler, the robot, and moonwalking.
19. Yoga
There are a lot of great free yoga classes to follow along with on YouTube. For younger kids try Cosmic Kids Yoga - they put yoga to popular kids stories and movies, that keeps kids motivated and interested.
For older kids try Yoga with Adriene.
20. Puzzles and brainteasers
Dig your puzzles out of your cupboards, do some together online, or make your own! Try sudoku, crosswords, word searches, origami, matching games, and riddles.
So there you have 20 activities to do with kids indoors on rainy days. If you are looking for more activities and experiences to do with your kids, check out our Memory Makers Family Edition.
Bonus 15 indoor activities away from home.
1. Cinema2. Arcade games
3. Ice skating
4. Indoor putt putt
5. Bowling
6. Aquarium
7. Library
8. Indoor rock climbing
9. Indoor trampoline park
10. Roller skating
10. Indoor skydiving
11. Escape Room
12. Museum or gallery
13. Go for ice cream
14. Inflatable World
15. Craft workshop