It is easy to come up with sunny day activities for your kids. They are happy enough to go for to the park, or even out in the garden. But, it is an entirely different story entertaining kids when it rains. If the rain is keeping you indoors, you should try some of these fun activities. Different options will keep everyone entertained, from pretending the floor is lava or coming up with your own story. It’s a win-win situation, they will be happy, and you will have fun! And the best part is that they’re free! And there are some great educational apps they can access, it will also keep them away from their devices.

Balloons

Balloons are a great option if you want to entertain your kids when it rains. You can use these inexpensive items for various activities and games. The biggest win in our house is a balloon face painting, where we create different characters from our ballons. Sometimes we even make them look like our family members and have fun for hours making up silly conversations. Make sure to keep extra balloons on hand just in case one of them bursts accidentally.
You can even create artwork with the ballons. Fill them with just a little bit of washable paints, tape them on a big piece of paper and then pop them. Kids love the excitment of popping and making a mess while creating a beautiful, messy masterpiece.

Water guns

If you want to embrace the rain, grab some water guns and proper clothing and let them run wild. You can even teach them that a little bit of water will not hurt them and that you can find enjoyment every day. If you want to add to the excitement, add some washable paint or dyes to the water. Kids will enjoy some paintball.

Pretend the floor is lava

The classic game of ‘Pretending the floor is lava’ is a simple activity but a fun one regardless. Create a challenging track with some pillows and furniture, and let your kids spend hours trying to find the best ways to get from one part of the room to the other one. We usually put additional obstacles in the way with the kid’s toys, such as dinosaur island or Barbie oasis. Since she adores playing this game, we went ahead and actually purchased “Floor is Lava” game, and she couldn’t be more happier. Makes it a lot easier to put the house back in order when you only have to pick up game pieces.

Indoor games

Indoor games can be a great option to occupy the kids during the bad weather. This can be anything, from doing the puzzles to creating a racetrack with some tape. The racetrack is my little girl’s favorite. We grab some tape and turn the entire living room into a racetrack that can compete with any of the Formula 1 tracks. We have bands, pit stops, racers and audiences made from Lego figures, parking spaces, and even a little podium for the winners. Pass the parcel is a great game when you have more kids to entertain. We usually wrap up a few small toys in different layers of wrapping paper, so everyone gets a prize at the end. Best of all, kids get so excited with the idea of the present that they don’t even care what they get, which is why we can keep reusing the same ones. You can even create a wellness retreat at home.

Build a city or a fort

We all have plenty of pillows and blankets lying around the house; why not use them to build a fort. Ask the kids for the idea of the best pillow position and encourage them to think of new challenging ideas. You can even be crafty. Create an entire city out of ice cream sticks, toilet paper rolls, or even playing cards. You can even hide some treasure somewhere in the city you build and send your kids on a treasure hunt. If you are not crafty like me, you can get your own build a fort kit to make it easier.

Crafting

This is the last option I would ever choose since I have no creative bone in my body, but it is one that my little girl adores. Her favorite is to use some of the items we have around the house that would end up in the bin and create something new out of them. Egg cartons can become cars, cereal boxes can become a bed for Barbie, and toilet paper rolls can become binoculars. If she could, she would spend hours in a window spying on the neighborhood cats through her binoculars. This also teaches kids about the importance of reusing, recycling, and upcycling.

When the weather turns foul, everyone can get bored quickly, which turns into nervousness even quicker, especially with the smaller kids. If you don’t want to deal with an upset child, especially when you have nowhere to run away, choose some of these activities for kids when it rains and enjoy the day.