40 Rainy Day Ideas

Rainy days when your kids are little will be the days you will miss most when they grow older. Days when you have permissions to just stay home and enjoy the sweet sound of rain and snuggle without purpose on the couch reading books and watching movies.

If you are wanting a little extra inspiration to entertain the kids on a rainy day, here are forty ideas to get you started.

Things to do on a rainy day at home

1. Make Slime– Or refer to the other Craft & Fun Ideas page of Brisbane Kids
2. Build the biggest indoor cubby house the world has ever seen. 
3. Bake with your kids– let them be in charge of the decorating
4. Jigsaw time!! Do it to a soundtrack of Mozart!
5. Teach your kids some easy card games. Show your toddler how to play snap, your primary schoolers to play Go Fish and your teenagers to play Rascals and Royalty
6. Rent/stream a movie online, or at the library, get some popcorn and make a day of it.
7. For rainy day fun with early learnings, do some collage. Drag out your old magazines – look for colour themes.
8. Sort through your toy boxes – the kids will play and you can declutter.
9. Make an indoor obstacle course
10. Put on some music (old records would be good) and dance in many different ways i.e. disco, tribal, crazy contemporary
11. Have a lunch picnic on the floor 
12. Make paper planes and test them out.
13. Play indoor hopscotch with washi tape
14. Embrace the rain and get outdoors – jump, play and run in it or just take a stroll under the umbrella. 
15. Make slime goop – cornstarch + water + food colouring- watch it go solid when you leave it alone, and melt again by the heat of your hands – magic!
16. Display your family photos on the TV or device. Maybe even get the kids to make their own slideshow of a particular event or person (you would be surprised by their tech knowledge)
17. Construct puppets from old gloves or socks and hold a fun drama performance.
18. Set up a shop front – a bit of pantry stuff and some coins.
19. Have a trivia contest – choose a host, make teams and score to find out who is the smartest in the family (don’t forget to have a range of questions tailored to all members of the family)
20. Have a concert – any item can be used for a concert i.e. doing skits/plays, dancing, singing, magic shows, showing off a special talent, telling jokes etc. The kids can practice their talent and could even make tickets and programmes.
21. Become storytellers by making up your own stories – they could even be spooky stories for a rainy, gloomy day! You could even record a child’s storytelling on tape so it can be played back to them another day. (I highly recommend doing this, from experience)
22. Make robots/monsters/box people/cities out of old boxes or suitable throw-away items and paint them.
23. Make paper mache masks or creatures using balloons, newspaper/scrap paper, flour and water – paint when dry.
24. Write a letter to Grandma, Grandad or any beloved relative or friend and post it to them. Take the kids to the post office for the full experience.
25. As it gets closer to Christmas – make your own decorations or start hanging your Christmas Lights this can also be used at Easter, Halloween etc.
26. Decorate blown eggs – blowing the white and yolk out of an egg can take a long time for a child!! This will keep them occupied for a while!
27. Make up a family time capsule.
28. Make a batch of playdough and get creative – you could even try Nutella Playdough (and yes it is edible)
29. If you dare, make instruments out of household objects and JAM – this could be an item to do in your concert!! (Rubber bands are great for guitar strings stretched over different objects to create different sounds, different levels of water in glass containers make great notes, rice or grains in containers for shakers – use your imagination and anything can be an instrument!
30. Hold a disco in the dark – turn off the lights, turn up the music, bust out the glow sticks and boogie.
31. Use whiteboard markers or paint pens to draw on the windows (just check in an inconspicuous spot that they rub off first)
32. Put different-sized containers out in the rain and have the kids try and think about which one will fill first- prizes for the winner.. and everybody.
33. Dust off the board games – try a new one you haven’t played before or dig out an old classic. 
34. Download Duolingo (there is a free version) and teach the kids to say a couple of greetings in different languages. 
35. Make mud pies – fill disposable containers with mud, decorate them with leaves, flowers and nuts
36. Buy some clay and do create clay masterpieces
37. Look at how to draw tutorials on YouTube. You could even laminate and display your favourites. 
38. Hold a silent disco – put on headphones and dance til your hearts content. 
39. Brighten your day and plan your next family holiday – look at magazines, brochures, websites and travel shows for inspiration. 
40. Arrange your bookshelves and the kids’ bookshelves into colour blocks. 

For more rainy day inspiration browse:

Best Places to Go on a Rainy Day

Rainy Day Ideas South Brisbane

Rainy Day Activities North Brisbane 

Frame a rainy day as a positive. No need to do washing, mow the lawns or be outside (if you don’t want to). Spend quality time inside with your loved ones and create new family memories.