50+ Rainy Day Activities for Kids to Try at Home

Build a Rainy Day Kit Before the Rain Starts

A rainy day kit is one lidded box holding 6 groups of supplies, which lets you start any activity on this page in under 5 minutes. Fill the box once, store the box out of sight and open the box only when it rains.

What goes in the kit

Category	What to include
Craft supplies	washable Crayola paints, glue sticks, safety scissors, coloured paper, sticker sheets, 1 roll of masking tape
Sensory materials	kinetic sand, Play-Doh, scoops and small cups
Building toys	LEGO, Magna-Tiles, wooden blocks
Activity cards	printed scavenger hunt clues, bingo cards, drawing prompts, a pack of UNO cards
Sensory bin fillers	dried pasta, rice, oats, cotton balls, pom-poms
Science basics	baking soda, white vinegar, cornflour (cornstarch), food colouring, measuring cups and spoons

What Are Easy Rainy Day Activities for Kids at Home?

There are 10 easy rainy day activities for kids at home, including an indoor camping adventure, edible finger paint, balloon toss, window art, block bowling and a gentle obstacle course. Each activity needs household items and 0 to 10 minutes of setup.

Indoor Camping Adventure

To set up an indoor camp, drape 2 blankets over a table or 3 chairs, add 3 pillows, a few stuffed animals and a torch (flashlight). Read 1 book by torchlight, sing 2 campfire songs and eat a pretend picnic inside the tent.

Edible Finger Paint

To make edible finger paint, stir 3 to 4 drops of food colouring into 1/2 cup (120 g) of plain yogurt for each colour. Spread the paint on a tray or on paper and let your toddler swirl the paint with fingers. Skip yogurt paint, if your child has a dairy allergy.

Balloon Toss

To play balloon toss, blow up 1 balloon and keep the balloon in the air by tapping it with hands, elbows or knees. Adults inflate the balloon and pick up any burst pieces at once, because balloon fragments are a choking risk for children under 8.

Window Art with Washable Markers

To make window art, give your child washable markers and let your child draw raindrops, clouds and rainbows straight onto the glass. The upright surface strengthens arm and hand muscles. Wipe the glass with a damp cloth afterwards, and use a little white vinegar on stubborn marks.

Block Bowling

To play block bowling, stand 6 to 10 blocks at the end of a hallway and roll a soft ball from 2 m (6 ft) away. Count the blocks that fall and stand the blocks up again, which builds coordination and counting.

Homemade Modeling Dough

To make modeling dough, mix 1 cup (125 g) of flour, 1/2 cup (145 g) of salt and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water with a few drops of food colouring. Add a spoon of flour, if the dough feels sticky. Squishing, rolling and cutting the dough builds fine motor skills, and the dough is not for eating.

Indoor Scavenger Hunt

To run an indoor scavenger hunt, hide 5 objects or write 5 clues around 2 rooms. Use picture clues for pre-readers, such as a photo of a red sock or a favourite book. For an ABC version, send older children to photograph an object for each letter with a phone.

Shadow Puppet Theatre

To build a shadow theatre, hang a white sheet and place a lamp 1 m (3 ft) behind the sheet. Cut animal shapes from cardboard, tape the shapes to craft sticks and tell a story. Move the lamp closer to enlarge the shadows and farther away to shrink the shadows.

Gentle Obstacle Course

To make a gentle obstacle course, line up cushions to climb, a blanket tunnel over 2 chairs to crawl through and a 2 m (6 ft) strip of masking tape to walk as a balance beam. Finish with a soft toy as the prize. A rainy day obstacle course builds gross motor skills and burns energy in 10 to 15 minutes.

Sensory Walk

To make a sensory walk, lay a path of towels, bubble wrap, pillows and a soft rug, and let your child walk or crawl across the path barefoot. Name each texture aloud as your child steps on the texture.

Rainy Day Activities by Age

Activities change at each age, because attention span, hand skill and energy change. The sections below cover 7 age groups, from newborns to 12 year olds, and every list item starts with an action verb.

Rainy Day Activities for Babies (0–6 Months)

There are 6 rainy day activities for babies aged 0 to 6 months, including tummy time, black and white cards and mirror play. Babies this age learn through sight, sound and touch, and rain on the window gives a steady background sound.

• Lay your baby on a towel, play mat or carpet for supervised tummy time, 2 to 3 times a day while your baby is awake
• Hold high-contrast black and white cards 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) from your baby’s face
• Narrate your routine aloud, from changing to feeding
• Sing and sway with soft music
• Place an unbreakable baby mirror next to your baby during tummy time
• Sit by a window and describe the raindrops

Rainy Day Activities for Babies (6–12 Months)

There are 7 rainy day activities for babies aged 6 to 12 months, including sensory bags, peekaboo and soft ball rolling. Sitting and crawling babies reach, grab and drop everything, and each activity below uses that habit.

• Seal hair gel and a few flat shapes inside a zip-lock bag, tape every edge and press the bag flat on a tray
• Play peekaboo with a light scarf, then hide a toy under the scarf
• Hide a toy under a cup and lift the cup together
• Stack soft blocks and rings
• Pat a sealed water mat, or a taped zip-lock bag of water with floating shapes
• Roll a soft ball back and forth during sitting or tummy time
• Support pull-to-stand practice along the sofa

Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers (1–2 Years)

There are 9 rainy day activities for toddlers aged 1 to 2 years, including cushion obstacle courses, a toy car wash, sticky wall art and a cardboard train. Toddlers stay with 1 activity for about 10 to 30 minutes, so prepare 4 or 5 options and finish 1 active game before lunch.

• Build a cushion obstacle course with a toy tunnel and a masking tape balance beam
• Pour water between cups and jugs on a towel, with an adult beside the tray at all times
• Squeeze, roll and poke Play-Doh or homemade dough
• Dance freeze dance with scarves and ribbon wands
• Stamp paint with sponge shapes, potato halves and fork prints
• Scoop dry pasta or oats in a sensory bin
• Wash toy cars in a basin of soapy water and dry the cars with a towel
• Stick felt shapes and yarn onto contact paper taped sticky side out on a wall
• Push a cardboard box train through the rooms and decorate the train with crayons and stickers

Rainy Day Activities for 3 Year Olds

There are 8 rainy day activities for 3 year olds, including colour match hop, shape hunt, a stuffed animal picnic and banana oat cookies. Children aged 3 follow 2-step instructions and enjoy helping.

• Hop onto coloured paper sheets on the floor as you call out colours and shapes
• Hunt for 6 large paper shapes taped to walls and furniture and name each shape
• Plant a bean in a wet paper towel inside a zip-lock bag and tape the bag to a sunny window
• Fish for felt fish with a paper clip on each fish and a magnet on a string
• Invite stuffed animals to a picnic and deliver handmade invitations first
• Move like animals, such as slithering like a snake and hopping like a bunny
• Fill a paper towel tube with dry rice for a DIY rainstick craft, with both ends sealed shut with tape and cardboard
• Bake banana oat cookies by mashing 2 ripe bananas, stirring in 1 cup (90 g) of quick oats and baking spoonfuls at 175 °C (350 °F) for 12 minutes

Rainy Day Activities for Preschoolers and 5 Year Olds

There are 8 rainy day activities for preschoolers aged 4 to 5, including slime, a paper plate raindrop mobile, cardboard city building and memory games. Preschoolers and 5 year olds follow multi-step instructions and enjoy making things, so craft and science projects fit this age best.

• Make slime with PVA glue, baking soda and contact lens solution, with an adult measuring
• Craft a paper plate raindrop mobile with blue paper drops hung from yarn
• Build a cardboard city from boxes and add doors, roads and signs with crayons
• Paint cardboard boxes into cars, castles and rocket ships
• Paint coffee filter paper with watercolours and watch the colours spread
• Fold paper planes and measure each flight with a tape measure
• Play a printable memory game with animal cards
• Practise self-control with freeze dance, stopping on every pause in the music

Rainy Day Activities for 8 Year Olds and Elementary Kids

There are 10 rainy day activities for 8 year olds and other elementary school kids, including LEGO challenges, stop-motion films, card games and indoor mini-golf. Children aged 6 to 8 plan projects over 30 to 60 minutes and play games with rules.

• Build the tallest LEGO tower, or a bridge that holds the most pennies
• Film a stop-motion animation with a phone, small toys and the free Stop Motion Studio app
• Bake banana bread, muffins or cookies from scratch
• Play card games such as UNO, Go Fish, Snap and Rummy
• Try board games such as Catan Junior, Ticket to Ride First Journey and Codenames Junior
• Set up indoor mini-golf with cups, books and cardboard tubes as obstacles
• Write and illustrate a 6-page comic book
• Grow a bean sprout in a zip-lock bag taped to a sunny window
• Code a game on Scratch at scratch.mit.edu, which is free and browser-based for ages 8 and up
• Follow a Cosmic Kids Yoga video on YouTube

Rainy Day Activities for 10 Year Olds, Big Kids and Older Kids

There are 8 rainy day activities for 10 year olds and other older kids, including board game tournaments, home escape rooms, origami and a homemade board game. Big kids aged 9 to 12 want challenge, choice and a finished product.

• Run a family board game tournament with a bracket and a prize
• Make your own board game with a hand-drawn path, 20 squares, dice and 5 rules
• Create a home escape room with 5 clue cards and 1 locked box
• Fold origami animals from 15 cm (6 in) squares of paper
• Write and direct a 5-minute play or puppet show for the family
• Build a marble run from cardboard tubes and tape
• Cook a full recipe, such as pizza dough or pancakes, with an adult nearby
• Run a partner interview, asking a family member 10 questions about their childhood

Activities by Energy Level and Prep Time

Pick an activity by energy level first, then by prep time. The 5 groups below cover high energy, medium energy, calm play, under 5 minutes of prep and 5 to 15 minutes of prep.

High Energy: Burn the Wiggles

• Run an indoor obstacle course
• Play freeze dance
• Bat a balloon volleyball with no furniture in the way
• Race crab walks and bear crawls across the living room
• Jump on a mini indoor trampoline, with an adult supervising
• Follow Cosmic Kids Yoga

Medium Energy: Creative and Engaging

• Make crafts and rainy day art projects
• Bake and cook with your child
• Build with LEGO, Magna-Tiles and wooden blocks
• Act in dramatic play with a dress-up box
• Dig into sensory bins with scoops and tools

Calm and Quiet: Wind-Down

• Complete a jigsaw puzzle
• Read picture books or play audiobooks
• Draw and colour
• Write a journal page, from age 6 and up
• Shake a glitter jar and watch the glitter settle
• Fill a quiet sensory tray

Under 5 Minutes of Prep: Emergency Options

• Build a blanket fort from sofa cushions and a duvet
• Start a dance party
• Roll socks at pillowcase pins for pillowcase bowling
• Read books already on the shelf
• Throw rolled socks into a laundry basket

5 to 15 Minutes of Prep

• Mix homemade playdough with 2 cups (250 g) of flour, 1 cup (290 g) of salt, water and food colouring
• Fill a sensory bin with rice or dried pasta
• Write 5 clues for an indoor scavenger hunt
• Set up a baking soda and vinegar experiment

What Are Fun Rainy Day Science Experiments for Kids?

There are 6 fun rainy day science experiments for kids, including a baking soda and vinegar volcano, a balloon inflating experiment, walking water, oobleck, a glitter jar and fizzing colours. Each experiment uses kitchen supplies and finishes in under 20 minutes.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

To make a volcano, stand a small cup in a tray, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 5 drops of red food colouring and a squirt of dish soap, then pour in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of white vinegar. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and releases carbon dioxide gas, which pushes the foam out of the cup.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Balloon

To inflate a balloon with a chemical reaction, pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of vinegar into a 500 ml (16 oz) bottle and use a funnel to put 3 tablespoons of baking soda inside the balloon. Fit the balloon over the bottle neck and lift the balloon so the baking soda drops in. The gas inflates the balloon in about 30 seconds.

Walking Water Experiment

To make walking water, line up 6 clear cups, fill 3 alternate cups with water and food colouring in red, yellow and blue, and bridge each pair of cups with a folded paper towel. The water climbs the paper towels over a few hours and mixes into orange, green and purple in the empty cups.

Oobleck

To make oobleck, stir 2 cups (250 g) of cornflour (cornstarch) into 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a shallow tray. Oobleck feels solid when squeezed and runs like liquid when released, so children combine science and sensory play.

Glitter Jar

To make a glitter jar, fill a clear jar with warm water, add 2 tablespoons of clear glue and 1 tablespoon of glitter, glue the lid shut and shake. The glitter takes 1 to 3 minutes to settle, which gives an anxious or overexcited child a calm, slow focus point.

Fizzing Colours

To make fizzing colours, put 2 tablespoons of baking soda in each cup of a muffin tin and fill small bowls with vinegar mixed with food colouring. Children drip the coloured vinegar onto the baking soda with a dropper and watch the fizz.

More STEAM Rainy Day Activities

There are 8 more STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) rainy day activities, including a float or sink test, a spaghetti tower, salt watercolour art and a bar chart of favourite activities.

• Grow cress seeds in eggshells and watch the shoots appear in 5 to 7 days
• Test 10 household items in a bowl of water and record which float or sink
• Code a Scratch game at scratch.mit.edu
• Film a stop-motion animation with Stop Motion Studio
• Stack the tallest spaghetti and marshmallow tower in 10 minutes
• Test a cardboard and tape bridge with pennies
• Sprinkle table salt on wet watercolour and watch the crystals form texture
• Chart everyone’s favourite rainy day activity as a bar chart

What Are Good Rainy Day Drawing Ideas for Kids?

There are 8 good rainy day drawing ideas for kids, including drawing the view from the window, raindrop watercolours, a weather chart and a comic strip. Drawing builds fine motor skills and needs only paper and crayons.

• Draw the view from the window and add every colour you see in the rain
• Spray watercolour paintings with a water bottle to make drippy raindrops
• Colour a rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet
• Sketch an animal wearing rain boots and holding an umbrella
• Design a weather chart with sun, cloud and rain symbols and fill in 1 day at a time
• Blow thin paint across paper with a straw to make drip paintings
• Draw a 4-panel comic strip about a puddle adventure
• Decorate a paper umbrella shape with patterns and stickers

What Are the Best Rainy Day Games for Kids?

There are 10 best rainy day games for kids, including Go Fish, a memory game, freeze dance, charades, hide and seek and pillowcase bowling. Games with simple rules keep a group of 2 to 6 children busy for 20 to 40 minutes.

• Play Go Fish with a standard deck of cards
• Match pairs in a memory game with printed animal cards
• Run freeze dance and stop the music every 20 seconds
• Act out animals or movies in charades
• Hide and seek around 2 rooms with a time limit of 5 minutes
• Roll rolled socks at pillowcase pins
• Play I Spy by colour with younger children
• Compete at UNO, Monopoly or Scrabble with older children
• Race paper boats across a tray of water with a straw
• Count raindrops on the window and bet on the winning drop

What Are Rainy Day Activities for Kids at School?

There are 7 low-prep rainy day activities for kids at school, including Simon Says, charades, drawing games and a reading corner. Indoor recess groups need quiet games that fit between desks.

• Play Simon Says with actions such as hopping and stretching
• Act out charades from a bowl of animal cards
• Draw on a whiteboard in a guess-the-picture game
• Read in a cushion corner with picture books
• Stretch with yoga poses on a printed card set
• Ask 20 questions to guess a hidden object
• Fly paper planes down an empty hallway with permission

What Are Rainy Day Activities for Kids and Adults to Do Together?

There are 7 rainy day activities for kids and adults to do together, including a movie marathon, a board game tournament, baking, a pillow fort and an indoor picnic. Each activity works for mixed ages from 3 to adult.

• Watch a family movie marathon on Netflix with popcorn and sleeping bags
• Hold a board game tournament with a score sheet
• Bake cookies and let each person decorate 3
• Build a pillow fort large enough for all of you
• Spread a blanket for an indoor picnic with sandwiches and fruit
• Dance to a playlist that each person adds 3 songs to
• Finish a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle over the afternoon

What Are Free and Printable Rainy Day Activities for Kids?

There are 5 free and printable rainy day activities for kids, including animal matching cards, a memory game, a make-your-own board game page, a partner interview sheet and a homemade rainy day activity book. PBS Kids and PBS Parents publish free printable matching, memory and board game pages, such as the Animal Tracks Matching Game, the Pinkalicious and Peterrific Matching Game and Make Your Own Board Game.

• Print animal cards and match each animal to its tracks
• Colour and cut out pairs for a memory game
• Draw squares, rules and a start and finish on a blank page for your own board game
• Interview a family member with a 10-question sheet to learn about similarities and differences
• Staple 10 blank pages into a rainy day activity book, and fill each page with 1 prompt such as draw a puddle or write a rain poem

Free activities need no purchase. The best free activities use items from the kitchen and recycling bin, such as the balloon toss, blanket fort, cardboard city, pillowcase bowling and scavenger hunt above.

What Rainy Day Activities Can Kids Do Outdoors or Out of the House?

Kids can splash in puddles outdoors, or visit 8 indoor places away from home, including a public library, a children’s museum, a YMCA pool, a bowling alley, a trampoline park, an indoor play area, an aquarium and a bookstore. Search for indoor play near me and check opening hours before you leave.

Outdoor Puddle Jumping

To jump in puddles safely, dress your child in rain boots and a waterproof coat and pick shallow puddles under 5 cm (2 in) deep. Collect rain in a container and guess how long the container takes to fill. Go inside at the first thunder, because lightning strikes up to 10 miles (16 km) from a storm.

Rainy Day Activities for Kids While Camping

There are 5 rainy day activities for kids while camping, including card games in the tent, a tent scavenger hunt, shadow puppets with a torch, hot chocolate and a rain sound game. Pack 2 card decks, a small notebook and coloured pencils for every camping trip.

• Play card games such as UNO and Go Fish in the tent
• Hunt through the tent for 5 hidden items
• Make shadow puppets with a torch on the tent wall
• Drink hot chocolate and read aloud from a book
• Count the seconds between raindrop sounds on the tent roof

Places to Go Out of the House

• Borrow picture books and join story time at the public library
• Explore a children’s museum or art museum
• Swim during a YMCA open swim session
• Bowl a few frames at a local bowling alley
• Jump at a trampoline park with a toddler session
• Play at an indoor play area
• Visit an aquarium or indoor zoo exhibit
• Browse a bookstore with a train table or story corner

Frequently Asked Questions

More Indoor Activity Ideas

• 15 Rainy Day Activities for Kids
• Toddler Activities at Home
• Dollar Tree Crafts for Kids
• Christmas Activities for Kids
• Playroom Ideas for Kids

Planning a celebration too? See our First Birthday Party Ideas and Family Halloween Costumes.