Don't let a rainy day dampen your family fun! While the sound of raindrops hitting the roof may feel like a bummer, it's actually the perfect time to bond with your little ones. And guess what?
I've got you covered with 30 awesome ideas to keep your kids entertained and happy indoors. From crafty projects to exciting games, you'll have a blast with your family while staying dry and cozy. So, sit back, relax, and let's turn a gloomy day into a memorable one!
- Have storytime. You can’t go wrong with a good old-fashioned storytime. If your kids are old enough, they can take turns reading.
- Go to the library. When you want to get everyone out of the house for free, the local library can’t be beaten.
- Bake cookies. Tie on your aprons and let little ones help with mixing, rolling out dough, and decorating.
- Make pizza. Pizza is a fun one, as it's easy to roll out the dough, spread on the sauce, and layer on the toppings.
- Play a board/card game. The classics are great, but there are also tons of newer board games and card games great for kids.
- Create a treasure hunt. If your kids are too small to figure out scavenger hunt-style clues, simply give them a list of household items that they have to track down and collect.
- Visit a museum. Children’s museums with interactive and engaging activities are a great way to pass the time on a rainy day. Before you buy tickets, check to see if you can get a discount through your local library.
- See a movie—at home. Pop some popcorn, pull out the blankets and settle in to watch a new movie or an old favorite.
- Have a living room dance party. This is a great way to get the wiggles out! Everyone in your family can take turns putting on their favorite songs.
- Have an indoor picnic. You don't have to be outside to eat on the ground. Pack a picnic basket with your children, spread out a blanket in the living room, and enjoy the meal you prepared.
- Solve some riddles. Riddles are a great way to pass the time and get kids to think outside of the box.
- Play school. As a fun twist, let your kid be the teacher and you be the student.
- Choreograph a dance. They can also learn the choreography of a popular dance online, then record it with a phone or perform it for the family.
- Build a fort. Building a blanket fort is great imaginative play. Couch cushions, pillows, and chairs are also encouraged.
- Put on a play. Acting out a favorite picture book will make for engaging theater. Or, depending on how old your oldest is, create your own play together. Costumes are a must for the final performance.
- Transform cardboard boxes. We all have that giant stack of recycling in our garages—challenge your kids to use the cardboard (and/or other materials like plastic bottles and egg cartons) to build new things to play with.
- Play with playdough. Playdough can provide endless fun for kids from preschool age all the way to middle school. Plus, it's a cinch to clean up.
- Make puppets and put on a show. Items like stuffed animals, socks, and cut-out shapes on popsicle sticks can be turned into puppets while the back of a couch or a table covered with a cloth can serve as a stage.
- Build a masking tape city. For a fun indoor activity, create roads and buildings on the floor using masking tape, especially in carpeted rooms. Then, use toy cars to play.
- Write a poem or a song. Older siblings can help smaller ones think of words that rhyme with one another.
- Write postcards or letters. For children who can write, give them the tools to write letters or postcards to their friends, siblings, or relatives.
- Make greeting cards. Kids can create their own cards by cutting out words and pictures from magazines, or by drawing them by hand.
- Line up dominos. The more dominos you have, the longer your child can spend creating designs with them and then watching them fall.
- Read a book. The perfect indoor activity.
- Put together a puzzle. Breaking out a puzzle on a rainy day. Puzzles can keep kids of all ages occupied for hours.
- Draw. Children of all ages can enjoy using crayons and colored pencils. You can choose to print out coloring pages or images that they can trace or copy, or simply provide them with paper and let them unleash their creativity.
- Play video games. With adult permission and limits, educational video games and apps are an engaging way to pass the time.
- Expand a picture. Have your child choose a picture and paste it in the center of a large sheet of paper. They can then expand the picture around it and get creative with the setting and others in the image.
- Build with Legos. Following a kit is fun, but challenging your child to build something new using all the pieces they have will help spark their creativity.
- Practice an instrument. From the xylophone to the drums to the recorder to the trumpet, no child is too small to make some music. You can even make your own musical instruments.
