Fun kids activities for rainy days

Kids stuck inside? We’ve got you covered with this list of fun activities your children can do on a rainy day in the comfort of their own home.

The rainy days can be a difficult time for any parent as it can be challenging to keep kids occupied and entertained indoors. We’ve got you covered with this list of fun activities your children can do on a rainy day in the comfort of their own home.

1

Set up an arts and crafts station

Kids don’t often get the chance to run wild with messy paints and other art materials, so set up an arts and crafts station with paper, crayons, kokis and paints in an area of the house that you’ve child-proofed with newspaper or other protective materials.  

2

Build a blanket fort

Camping outside is fun, but that’s out of the question when it’s pouring with rain. Let your child ‘design’ a cosy nook that they can escape to to play or read, and then get to work bringing it to life with blankets, pillows and furniture. You can also recreate a camping experience by setting up a small tent in their bedroom. 

3

Conduct some science experiments

Did you know that you can create science experiments with pantry ingredients and common household materials? Your kids will get to enjoy some playtime while also learning about science. Some ideas include making a ‘volcano’ with baking soda and vinegar, a homemade lava lamp with oil and water, ‘sticky’ ice, or you could introduce the topic of density by using salt to make an egg float. 

4

Bake a batch of sweet treats

Allowing your kids to be more involved in the kitchen will foster their sense of independence. If your child is very young, choose a simple recipe that doesn’t require an oven, such as homemade peanut-butter cups. Let them measure out the ingredients, mix, and afterwards let them decorate the fruits of their labour. 

5

Put on a movie marathon

When else will the kids get to watch TV for hours on end? Let them choose a couple of their favourite movies and create a cinema experience by making buckets of popcorn, complete with butter salt and Smarties. 

6

Host a karaoke party

You don’t need a karaoke machine to deliver a fun singalong experience for your kids. If you have a music-streaming app like Spotify on your TV, you can access karaoke mode. Navigate to the song player, select the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen and it will bring up rolling lyrics. 

7

Have a dance contest

If the kids have anxious energy or cabin fever from being cooped up, you can encourage them to get physical with a dance party. Put on some high-energy music and let the kids dance and jump around. Create a competitive element by awarding a prize to the person with the best moves. 

8

Bring out the board games

Older kids especially will enjoy general knowledge games such as 30 Seconds or Trivial Pursuit or strategy games that the whole family will enjoy, such as Catan. You could even teach them a card game such as poker and play with bronze coins instead of real money. 

9

Send them on a scavenger hunt

Want to get your kids to practise arithmetic, handwriting, sounding out words, sleuthing and have fun all at the same time? Create a scavenger or treasure hunt by hiding clues and riddles all over the house and let them get to work trying to figure them out.