Rainy days with energetic toddlers and preschoolers can be challenging! But with a little creativity and items you already have at home, you can turn a grey day into a fun adventure. Here are 20 tried-and-tested activities that will keep little ones engaged, learning, and happy.
1. Indoor Obstacle Course
Age: 18 months+
Create a course using cushions to jump on, chairs to crawl under, tape lines to walk along, and tunnels made from cardboard boxes. Perfect for burning energy!
2. Playdough Creations
Age: 2 years+
Homemade or store-bought playdough provides hours of entertainment. Add cookie cutters, rolling pins, plastic knives, and small toys. Make your own with flour, salt, water, oil, and food coloring.
3. Cardboard Box City
Age: 2 years+
Collect cardboard boxes and let kids create houses, cars, or rocket ships. Provide markers, stickers, and tape for decorating. This can entertain for hours!
4. Sensory Bins
Age: 12 months+
Fill a large container with dried pasta, rice, or beans. Add cups, spoons, and small toys for scooping and pouring. (Supervise young toddlers to prevent choking.)
5. Dance Party
Age: All ages
Put on your child's favorite music and dance together. Add scarves or ribbons for extra fun. Great for gross motor skills and burning energy!
6. Painting Without the Mess
Age: 12 months+
Put paint in a zip-lock bag, seal well, and tape to a window or highchair tray. Kids can "paint" by squishing the bag without the cleanup!
7. Indoor Camping
Age: 2 years+
Build a fort with blankets and chairs. Add pillows, books, and a torch. Have a "campfire" lunch inside the tent!
8. Water Play in the Bath
Age: 6 months+
Fill the bath (warm water on a cold day!) and add cups, funnels, sponges, and bath toys. Let them splash and pour to their heart's content.
9. DIY Musical Instruments
Age: 18 months+
Make shakers from sealed containers filled with rice or beans. Use pots and wooden spoons as drums. Create a family band!
10. Treasure Hunt
Age: 2 years+
Hide toys or treats around the house. For older kids, create simple clue cards or a picture map. Younger toddlers enjoy just searching!
11. Sorting and Matching Games
Age: 18 months+
Sort toys by color, size, or type. Match socks from the laundry basket. Sort colored pom-poms or buttons into muffin tins.
12. Baking Together
Age: 2 years+
Simple recipes like cookies or muffins are perfect for little helpers. They can measure, pour, mix, and (the best part!) taste! Builds math skills and following instructions.
13. Masking Tape Roads
Age: 18 months+
Use masking tape to create roads on the floor for toy cars. Add buildings made from blocks. Hours of imaginative play!
14. Story Time Theater
Age: 2 years+
Read a favorite story, then act it out together with dress-up clothes or toys. Encourages literacy and imagination.
15. DIY Bowling
Age: 18 months+
Set up empty plastic bottles or toilet paper rolls as pins. Use a soft ball to knock them down. Great for hand-eye coordination!
16. Sticker Art
Age: 12 months+
Give toddlers stickers and paper. Peeling and sticking builds fine motor skills. Older kids can create sticker scenes or patterns.
17. Kitchen Science
Age: 3 years+
Simple experiments like mixing baking soda and vinegar, making "oobleck" (cornflour and water), or watching ice melt. Messy but magical!
18. Puzzle Marathon
Age: 18 months+
Get out all the puzzles! Start with easier ones and work up to harder ones. Great for problem-solving and concentration.
19. Balloon Keep-Up
Age: 18 months+
Blow up a balloon and try to keep it from touching the ground. Safe, active fun indoors. (Always supervise with balloons.)
20. Dress-Up and Pretend Play
Age: 2 years+
Let kids raid your wardrobe (or have a dedicated dress-up box). Encourage role-play: doctors, shops, cafes, firefighters. Develops social and language skills.
Tips for Successful Rainy Day Activities
1. Lower Your Expectations
Rainy days are survival mode! The house will be messy, and that's okay. Clean up together at the end.
2. Rotate Activities
Don't do all 20 in one day! Choose 2-3 activities and spread them throughout the day between meals and quiet time.
3. Prep in Advance
Keep a "rainy day box" with special toys or activities that only come out on indoor days. The novelty factor keeps kids engaged longer.
4. Include Quiet Time
Balance active activities with quiet ones. Follow a dance party with puzzles or reading to prevent overstimulation.
5. Get Kids Involved in Cleanup
Make tidying up part of the activity. Sing cleanup songs, race to put toys away, or turn it into a game.
6. Don't Forget Screen Time Limits
It's tempting to rely on TV or tablets, but these activities are more engaging and beneficial for development.
7. Embrace the Mess
Some of the best activities are messy! Put down a mat, use washable materials, and remember: mess = learning and fun.
Age-Appropriate Quick Reference
Best for Under 2s
- Sensory bins
- Water play
- Sticker art
- Painting in a bag
- Dance party
Best for 2-3 Year Olds
- Playdough
- Indoor obstacle course
- Treasure hunts
- Cardboard boxes
- DIY bowling
Best for 3-5 Year Olds
- Baking together
- Kitchen science
- Story time theater
- Complex pretend play
- Craft projects
Bonus: Activities Requiring No Setup
For those desperate moments when you need something NOW:
- Simon Says: Great for listening skills
- Hide and Seek: Classic for a reason
- Red Light, Green Light: Practices self-control
- Singing Together: No materials needed!
- Pillow Pile Jump: Pile up cushions and jump (on the floor, not furniture!)
Australian Rainy Day Resources
- Local Libraries: Many run free rainy-day programs and story times
- Indoor Play Centers: When home activities aren't cutting it
- Community Centers: Often have parent-child activities
- Museums with Kids Sections: Many offer free or cheap entry for young children
Remember
Rainy days don't have to be boring or stressful! With a little preparation and creativity, they can become special bonding time. Your child will remember the fun they had making forts and dancing in the lounge room, not how tidy the house was.
Mix active and quiet activities, follow your child's interests, and don't be afraid to get messy. Before you know it, the sun will come out again - but your little ones might just ask to do rainy day activities anyway!