Embrace the arrival of Spring along with the rainy days it brings! As the adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers…” When gray clouds loom and raindrops fall, the fun doesn’t have to come to a halt. With a bit of foresight, you can transform the dreary weather into a day full of joy, imagination, and bonding moments. These 10 rainy day activities for kids are simple and adaptable, whether planned in advance or spontaneously embraced.
Personally, I have a special rainy day box for my children. In it, are activities and games reserved solely for those long rainy days. This box does two-fold. First, it creates an extra layer of excitement for days when it rains. Second, it creates some autonomy and I am not expected to entertain the kids all day or give in to screen time if I’m busy. They know what they can do. Then as the day unfolds, I can play games and offer other activities around my schedule.
Alongside our rainy day box, we enjoy classic indoor pastimes such as scavenger hunts or constructing blanket forts, offering a blend of supervised and independent playtime. The aim of this post is to equip you, a busy mom, with the means to enliven the next rainy day, whether it arrives in the spring or summer. By planning ahead and stocking up on supplies (just having a box of a few extras), you’ll be well-prepared to turn any rainy day into an adventure.
Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are classic indoor games. For a rainy day, it promote physical activity and movement as your kids navigate around the house. There are two types of scavenger hunts, object/treasure based or riddle/clue based. Here is an object base scavenger hunt for you to use on your next rainy day.
Welcome to the indoor scavenger hunt! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find and collect the following items hidden throughout the house. Each item is worth points, and the team or player with the most points at the end wins!
Rules:
- You have 30 minutes to find as many items as possible.
- You must collect the items one at a time and bring them back to the starting point.
- No running or roughhousing while searching for items.
- Be respectful of others and ask for permission before entering private spaces.
- Each item counts once when scoring.
- Work together if you’re playing as a team, or compete against each other if playing individually.
List of Items:
- Something blue
- A book with an animal on the cover
- A kitchen utensil that starts with the letter “S”
- A piece of clothing that is yellow
- A toy smaller than your hand
- Something round and shiny
- An item that belongs in the water
- A button
- A stuffed animal
- Something to write with
- A snack that you can eat right away
- Something that has words on it that isn’t a book or magazine
- A deck of cards
- Something that has a three-dimensional shape
- The number 4
- Something that ties
- A pair of something
- A magnet
- An item for hair
- A photo of yourself
Scoring:
- Each item is worth 1 point. If you can name your three dimensional shape, you get 3 points.
- Bonus points may be awarded for creativity or unique finds.
Have fun and happy hunting!
Feel free to adjust the items or rules based on the age and preferences of the children participating. Enjoy the adventure!
Paper Airplane Games
Paper airplanes are fun no matter your age. All you need is some paper and some ingenuity. Here are several ways to boost your paper airplane game.
- Distance Challenge: Have kids fold paper airplanes and see whose plane can fly the farthest. Measure the distance flown and award prizes for the longest flight.
- Target Practice: Set up targets around the room (e.g., cups, bowls, or hoops) and have kids try to land their paper airplanes on the targets. They can earn points based on accuracy.
- Airplane Design Contest: Challenge kids to design their own unique paper airplanes using different folding techniques. After creating their designs, they can test them out and see which ones fly the best.
- Obstacle Course: Create an obstacle course using chairs, tables, and other items around the room. Kids can navigate their paper airplanes through the course, trying to avoid obstacles and complete the challenge.
- Time Trials: Time how long each paper airplane stays in the air. Kids can fold different designs and experiment with adjustments to see which ones stay airborne the longest.
- A Book of Paper Airplanes: For the novelty of it, there are books of paper with various fold lines to make different plane designs. If you want to stock pile an activity, one of these books may be nice to have. Consider the Klutz Book of Paper Aeroplanes Craft Kit.
Indoor Obstacle Course
An indoor obstacle course provides a fun rainy day activity for kids providing a way for kids to burn energy, promoting physical health and coordination even when it’s raining outside. Here’s a simple guide:
- Plan: Decide on the space you’ll use and the obstacles you want. Consider safety and age-appropriateness.
- Obstacles: Use furniture, cushions, pillows, and other items to create challenges like tunnels to crawl through, balance beams, hurdles to jump over, and cones to weave around.
- Balance: Incorporate balance challenges like stepping stones (paper plates on the floor), a balance board, or a plank to walk across.
- Climbing: If you have sturdy furniture, create climbing challenges like climbing over a couch or under a table.
- Crawling: Design tunnels using blankets draped over furniture or large cardboard boxes.
- Jumping: Set up pillows or cushions to jump over or create a long jump pit using blankets or towels.
- Timing and Scoring: For added fun, time participants or have them compete against each other. You can also award points for completing each obstacle.
- Safety: Ensure all obstacles are safe and secure. Supervise children, and clear the area of any hazards.
Remember to customize the course based on the available space and the age and abilities of the participants. Have fun!
Story Telling
Storytelling games are a fantastic way to spark creativity and imagination. Here are a few easy games to tell stories:
- Word by Word: Each person adds one word to the story, going around in a circle. The story can take unexpected twists and turns as each person contributes their word.
- Sentence by Sentence: Same as word by word, except each person says one sentence of the story. As each person adds to the story, the more exciting the story gets.
- Picture Prompt: Choose a picture or illustration from a book, magazine, or online. Use the picture as inspiration to create a story together, taking turns adding details and plot points.
- Story Cubes: Story cubes are dice with different images on each side. Roll the dice and use the images that come up to create a story, incorporating each image into the plot.
- Story Starters: Write down a few story starters on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Each person takes turns picking a slip and using the prompt to begin a story, then passes it to the next person to continue./
- Telephone Storytelling: Similar to the game of Telephone, one person starts the story with a sentence, then whispers it to the next person, who adds their sentence and whispers it to the next person, and so on. The final version of the story can be quite different from the original, leading to lots of laughs.
These games are easy to set up and can be adapted for different ages and group sizes. They’re a great way to encourage collaboration and creativity while having fun with storytelling!
Indoor Mini-golf with Household Items
You can get creative with household items to make an indoor mini-golf course. This is another fun game that promotes movement, while being stuck inside on a rainy day. Here are some ideas for your mini-golf course:
- Cups or containers: Use cups or containers as holes. Set them up around the room, each with a designated starting point.
- Books or blocks: Create ramps and inclines using books or blocks. Stack them to make slopes or obstacles to navigate around.
- Cardboard: Cut and fold cardboard to make tunnels, bridges, or ramps. You can also use it to create obstacles like walls or barriers.
- Plastic cups or bottles: Place plastic cups or bottles on their side to act as obstacles to putt around.
- Household items: Utilize everyday items like mugs, bowls, or baskets as targets to aim for.
- Textiles: Lay down towels, blankets, or rugs to create different textures and surfaces for the ball to roll over.
- Toys: Incorporate toys like toy cars, building blocks, or action figures as part of the course layout.
- Creative themes: Design the course around a theme like a jungle adventure, a space mission, or a pirate treasure hunt using relevant household items to decorate.
Just let your imagination run wild, and see what fun obstacles you can come up with using items you already have at home!
Game Marathon
A game marathon provides an opportunity for kids to stay entertained and engaged indoors during rainy weather, fostering creativity and social interaction. It encourages them to develop strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and patience while having fun with friends or family.
- With three or more players, use a pen and paper to create a game bracket. Winner gets bragging rights or prize of your choice.
- If there are only two kids playing games, winner gets to pick the next game, or prize of your choice.
Game marathons, be it board games or card games, offer a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, making it an ideal way to pass the time when outdoor activities aren’t an option.
DIY Projects and/or Arts and Crafts
On a rainy day, diving into arts and crafts offers a delightful way to spark creativity and pass the time indoors. Whether it’s painting, drawing, or crafting, the possibilities are endless, allowing individuals of all ages to unleash their imagination. From DIY projects to experimenting with different mediums, rainy days provide the perfect opportunity to explore new techniques and express oneself through art.
- Coloring and Drawing. Coloring book, plain paper, you name it. All you need is paper and some crayons, colored pencils or markers to make the time go by.
- Friendship Bracelets. Colored embroidery floss and knots, will make a variety of bracelets.
- Origami. The art of paper folding. There are plenty of kits for this.
- Beading. Beading is great for all ages. Pony beads are great for elementary students and older kids can graduate to seed beads. This activity builds dexterity and explores patterning.
- Bath Bombs. This is a fun one, but requires parent supervision if you have younger kids.
- Knitting. There is traditional knitting, or finger knitting has gotten very popular.
- Rainy Day Box. While we have plenty of arts and crafts, having a fun activity set aside for rainy days, is special for kids. One craft activity I’ve liked in the past is the Sticker Faces by Melissa and Doug. The kids like it and it doesn’t make a mess. It is a great activity when you may be working from home and can’t have one-on-one attention with your kids the entire rainy day.
Indoor Tent or Blanket Fort
Transform the living room or play area into an indoor tent is an exciting and imaginative way to turn a rainy day into an adventure for kids. My kids don’t need a rainy day excuse to build a blanket fort. Using blankets, pillows, and chairs, they can construct their cozy fort. Once the tent is built, they can huddle inside with books, toys, or even have a picnic, creating lasting memories while escaping the gloomy weather outside. It’s a simple yet magical activity that fosters imagination, turning a rainy day into a cozy indoor camping experience.
Puppet Show with Handmade Puppets
Making a puppet is an excellent rainy day activity for kids because it combines creativity, storytelling, and hands-on crafting. It encourages children to use their imagination to design unique characters and bring them to life through puppetry. As they engage in the process, they use fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, and self-expression, all while having fun indoors on a rainy day.
Brown Paper Bag Puppet:
Materials needed:
- Brown paper lunch bag
- Googly eyes or buttons
- Paper scraps scraps
- Glue or a glue stick*
- Markers or crayons
- Optional: yarn, pipe cleaners, or other embellishments for decoration
- *Hint: I like to use glue sticks, it dries faster
Steps:
- Lay the paper bag flat on a table with the bottom flap facing up. This flap will become the puppet’s mouth.
- Glue or stick on googly eyes or buttons near the top of the bag, just above the flap.
- Use markers or crayons to draw a nose, mouth, and any other facial features on the flap to create the puppet’s face.
- Cut out shapes from paper to create additional features like ears, hair, or clothing for your puppet. Glue these onto the bag.
- If desired, add embellishments like yarn for hair or pipe cleaners for arms.
- Let the glue dry completely before using your puppet.
Once your puppet is complete, slip your hand inside the bag and use your fingers to move the mouth. You can give your puppet a name and create stories or put on a puppet show with it!
Sock Puppet:
Materials needed:
- A clean sock
- Googly eyes or buttons
- Felt or fabric scraps
- Fabric Glue or a needle and thread*
- Optional: yarn, feathers, or other embellishments for decoration
- *Hint: If your kids are old enough, have them use a needle and thread, there is no waiting for the glue to dry. Plus it teaches basic sewing skills (like sewing a button back on) that come in handy once an adult
Steps:
- Choose a sock for your puppet. A brightly colored or patterned sock works well, but any clean sock will do.
- Lay the sock flat with the heel facing up. This will be the puppet’s mouth.
- Glue or sew on googly eyes or buttons near the top of the sock, above the mouth.
- Cut out shapes from felt or fabric to create features like a nose, mouth, ears, or hair for your puppet. Glue or sew these onto the sock.
- If desired, add additional embellishments like yarn for hair or feathers for wings.
- Let the glue dry completely before using your puppet.
Once your puppet is complete, slip your hand inside the sock and use your fingers to move the mouth. You can create different voices and personalities for your puppet and put on your own puppet show!
Make Play-dough or Slime
Making play-dough or slime on a rainy day is a wonderful way to engage kids in a hands-on, creative activity indoors. It’s a fun and easy DIY project that can be customized with different colors, scents, and textures, allowing children to explore their imagination while developing sensory skills.
Play-dough
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Food coloring (optional)
- Essential oils or extracts for scent (optional)
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the water, vegetable oil, and food coloring (if using).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the saucepan with the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and forms a dough-like consistency. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the dough has formed, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Once cooled, knead the dough on a flat surface until smooth and pliable. If desired, add a few drops of essential oils or extracts for scent and knead until incorporated.
- Store the playdough in an airtight container when not in use. It should last for several weeks if stored properly.
This homemade play-dough is non-toxic and provides hours of fun for kids of all ages!
Slime
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup white school glue
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup liquid starch
- Food coloring (optional)
- Glitter or sequins (optional)
Instructions:
- In a bowl, mix together the white school glue and water until well combined.
- If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to achieve the desired color, and mix well.
- Slowly add the liquid starch to the glue mixture, stirring continuously.
- As you add the liquid starch, you’ll notice the mixture start to thicken and clump together.
- Continue stirring until the slime pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a cohesive ball.
- Once the slime reaches the desired consistency, knead it with your hands for a few minutes until smooth and stretchy.
- If desired, add glitter or sequins to the slime for extra sparkle and texture. Knead until evenly distributed.
- Store the slime in an airtight container when not in use. It should last for several weeks if stored properly.
Enjoy playing with your homemade slime! Just remember to wash your hands after playing and avoid getting slime on fabrics or carpets, as it can be difficult to remove.
Why Have a List of Rainy Day Activities for Kids?
Having rainy day activities for kids on hand is not just a practical measure for coping with unexpected weather; it’s a gateway to countless memorable experiences and cherished moments with our little ones. From fostering creativity and imagination to strengthening bonds and teaching resilience, rainy day activities offer a wealth of benefits for both children and adults alike. After all, a little rain shouldn’t dampen our spirits.
I’ll leave you with these last words on Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Rainy Day Activities for Kids with Wit
Having a screen-free rainy day, will help kids develop wit. Give them a problem to solve, such as make a craft project with these three materials or come up with your own nursery rhyme or make it through this obstacle course not using your feet. Activities like these will foster creativity, critical thinking, resilience and more.
Rainy Day Activities for Kids with Grace
If the gloomy weather brings gloomy attitudes, try practicing gratitude and kindness. Have the kids brainstorm ideas on ways to extend kindness on rainy days, like sharing an umbrella or offering a smile to brighten someone’s day. Practice smiling, turning it into a game of goofy faces, asking if each silly face is a warm smile. Additionally, practicing gratitude for shelter, warmth, companionship, during rainy weather helps kids develop a graceful attitude towards life’s challenges.
This post is part of a year project understanding AI and chat bots. AI was used to brainstorm, correct grammar, wordsmith, etc. As much as AI was used, human editing and elaborating was needed for when AI didn’t magically put into words what I was thinking for this post. For other posts in this series check out.