What to Do on a Rainy Day for Kids: 100 Indoor Ideas!

Blah!

Dreary day?

So what?!

Get up off of that couch!

We have a list of fun stuff to do on a rainy day!

Don’t let that pitter-patter sound get you down!

Yeah, yeah…

I get it.

When you are a parent, it can be challenging finding activities to do on a rainy day because children’s interests only go so far for so long and they have ten times the energy that we do!

It has helped me greatly to have a list of activities to do with my own children.

This way, when the weather is crappy and I cannot think of what to do with them, I can resort to this list.

Several of these activities can be done with older children, as well, and you do not have to spend a lot of money to engage in most of these fun events!

If you find that you need some reasonable materials, you can find some items here.

Ok!

Rainy day fun… here we go!

*Some of the links within this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase an item, I receive a small compensation from certain items.

Play Hide-n-Seek
Build forts in the living room and see who has the best fort
Hide plastic eggs around the house and have your children find them
Play board games
Make towers with marshmallows and toothpicks
Lay on the floor and let your kids climb all over you!
Play Hot Potato
Sit in a rocking chair together and read some books
Take a random object and see how many things you can make with it (For example, a wrapping paper tube can be a horn, a paddle to a boat and a limbo stick)
Make homemade birthday cards for friends and family who have birthdays this month
Take silly pictures of each other
Bake cookies
Stick glow-in-the-dark stars all over the ceiling and then lay on the floor and try to count them all
Have a cleaning contest to see who can clean up the toys the fastest!
Wash toys in the kitchen sink
Have a “snowball” fight with clean, balled-up socks
Play What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?
Play I Spy
Play Truth or Dare
Make a collage out of old magazines
Throw balls into a laundry basket from a distance
See who can stand on one foot the longest!
Have a staring contest
Just dance to some music!
“Remodel” a part of the house together so that it becomes a playroom, a reading room or a quiet room
Take turns giving each other 3-step instructions to do: (run around the couch, do a somersault and then shake your butt like a dog)
Make a Dream Board where each person designs a board that represents what they want for their future
Write and illustrate a story about each other and then read the story to that person
Fish for socks (Mix up a bunch of socks into a large pile and then see who can find matches the fastest. Whoever has the most matches wins!)
Play Construction Paper Twister (throw different colored construction paper sheets down on the carpet and then tell players to place hands or feet on certain colors)
Set up an obstacle course and time how long it takes everyone to get through it
Play Find My Underwear (hide someone’s clean underwear somewhere in the house and then have the family find it)
Clean a closet together and enjoy going through some old things
Do a Show n’ Tell where each family member chooses a special item of theirs and then tells the rest of the family about that item and why it has such meaning
Have a singing contest
Drink hot chocolate together
Tell funny stories
Work together to keep a balloon up in the air for as long as possible
Have a pillow fight
Put together a Love Package for someone in need and send it to them (kids can make homemade cards/drawings to add to it)
Pop popcorn the old-fashioned way (on the stove)
Have a hair and makeup party
Play Simon Says
Engage in a game of: Monkey in the Middle
Play Follow the Leader
Sport the activity of: Guess the Item (Each member picks a household item and puts it into a box/bin and then others have to guess what it is by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions)
Make homemade orange juice (this takes time because you have to squeeze a lot of oranges!)
Do a virtual call together to someone whom you all have not spoken with in a very long time
Have a picnic in the living room, complete with a blanket and picnic basket
Play Guess Who Knocked (one person goes into a room and closes the door. The rest of the family stands outside the door and one member knocks on the door. The person in the room has to guess who knocked)
Make a clothesline (Tie pieces of clothing to other pieces of clothing and see how long of a clothesline you can make!)
Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Make homemade Playdough and then have fun playing with it
Make old fashioned homemade popsicles using Kool-Aid, ice cube trays and popsicle sticks/toothpicks
Play Who Stole the Cookie? (Place a cookie on a table. Any person can “steal” it at any point throughout the day. If they get caught stealing it by another family member, then they have to put it back. If not, then the family has fun trying to guess which family member actually “stole” the cookie. This game works best if you have a larger family)
See who can stack toilet paper the highest without it falling. Better yet, work together to see how high you can get it!
Play Blanket Burrito (take turns rolling each other up in blankets on the floor like a burrito!)
Play Leap Frog
Get behind one another to make a train and then chug around the house to some music
Build intricate block towers
Build intricate card towers out of playing cards
Play Pass the Parcel
Work on a 1,000 piece puzzle together (or whatever number of pieces is appropriate for your family)
Make a unique dessert together
Play Musical Statues
Make tambourines (Tape 2 paper plates together and tuck dried beans inside. Be certain the paper plates are completely sealed so the beans don’t fly out!)
Dress up and have a fashion show
Play Musical Chairs
Make a collage of everyone’s handprints
Break the rules and blow bubbles with a straw and glass of milk
Make the longest chain of paperclips ever!
Take turns playing Thumb War
Make puppets out of brown paper lunch bags and then put on a puppet show
Make and decorate paper airplanes and see which one can fly the furthest
Try origami (paper folding)
Build various car ramps out of items around the house
See who can do the most push-ups, jumping jacks and/or sit-ups
Plan a future, family vacation
Make personal, homemade pizzas and see who can design the most unique pizza
Play card games: Go Fish, Old Maid, Kings Corners, Black Jack, Bridge, Rummy, Euchre
Play Charades
Make a Memory Jar (Have everyone write down their favorite memories onto slips of paper and put them into a special jar)
Create Memory Blocks (Take a block for each event and write a memory with a marker about the event on each side of the block)
Build Paper Chains
Go Bowling (Find items around the house to use as “pins” and take turns rolling a ball to knock them down)
Make smoothies
Paint pictures
String O-shaped cereal and make bracelets and necklaces
Have a pajama party
Tell jokes
Make Pet Rocks
Play Rock, Paper, Scissors
Read a chapter book together and have each family member read a few paragraphs and then pass the book for the next person to read
Make a gift basket for someone special
Work together to keep a beach ball or other light-weighted ball up in the air
Hand each family member a sheet of paper, each with a different, odd shape drawn onto it and then have them make something out of the shape with crayons. For example, a long, squiggly shape could be turned into a slide or a roller coaster! Share afterwards.
Finger paint
Start an indoor garden
Make a Pillow-Pile in the middle of the living room to roll around, jump in, or sit and read in.
Snuggle

There you have it!

Fun stuff to do on a rainy day!

And here is a bonus…

Number 101: Some creative fun within a box! Check it out here!

Enjoy!

**Find more great things to do at Mama’s Grilled Cheese here!**

Mama Morgan

Mama Morgan is a single parent by day and a writer by night! She is raising two, young children with special needs during a global pandemic. She aims to give other parents confidence, hope, and a practical, down-to-earth reading adventure through her own experiences. While Morgan is heavily focused on caring for her little ones, she is also dedicated to helping others and making the world a better place. Mama’s Grilled Cheese is just her delicacy!

What to Do on a Rainy Day for Kids: 100 Indoor Ideas!

*Some of the links within this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase an item, I receive a small compensation from certain items.

Play Hide-n-Seek

Build forts in the living room and see who has the best fort

Hide plastic eggs around the house and have your children find them

Play board games

Make towers with marshmallows and toothpicks

Lay on the floor and let your kids climb all over you!

Play Hot Potato

Sit in a rocking chair together and read some books

Take a random object and see how many things you can make with it (For example, a wrapping paper tube can be a horn, a paddle to a boat and a limbo stick)

Make homemade birthday cards for friends and family who have birthdays this month

Take silly pictures of each other

Bake cookies

Stick glow-in-the-dark stars all over the ceiling and then lay on the floor and try to count them all

Have a cleaning contest to see who can clean up the toys the fastest!

Wash toys in the kitchen sink

Have a “snowball” fight with clean, balled-up socks

Play What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?

Play I Spy

Play Truth or Dare

Make a collage out of old magazines

Throw balls into a laundry basket from a distance

See who can stand on one foot the longest!

Have a staring contest

Just dance to some music!

“Remodel” a part of the house together so that it becomes a playroom, a reading room or a quiet room

Take turns giving each other 3-step instructions to do: (run around the couch, do a somersault and then shake your butt like a dog)

Make a Dream Board where each person designs a board that represents what they want for their future

Write and illustrate a story about each other and then read the story to that person

Fish for socks (Mix up a bunch of socks into a large pile and then see who can find matches the fastest. Whoever has the most matches wins!)

Play Construction Paper Twister (throw different colored construction paper sheets down on the carpet and then tell players to place hands or feet on certain colors)

Set up an obstacle course and time how long it takes everyone to get through it

Play Find My Underwear (hide someone’s clean underwear somewhere in the house and then have the family find it)

Clean a closet together and enjoy going through some old things

Do a Show n’ Tell where each family member chooses a special item of theirs and then tells the rest of the family about that item and why it has such meaning

Have a singing contest

Drink hot chocolate together

Tell funny stories

Work together to keep a balloon up in the air for as long as possible

Have a pillow fight

Put together a Love Package for someone in need and send it to them (kids can make homemade cards/drawings to add to it)

Pop popcorn the old-fashioned way (on the stove)

Have a hair and makeup party

Play Simon Says

Engage in a game of: Monkey in the Middle

Play Follow the Leader

Sport the activity of: Guess the Item (Each member picks a household item and puts it into a box/bin and then others have to guess what it is by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions)

Make homemade orange juice (this takes time because you have to squeeze a lot of oranges!)

Do a virtual call together to someone whom you all have not spoken with in a very long time

Have a picnic in the living room, complete with a blanket and picnic basket

Play Guess Who Knocked (one person goes into a room and closes the door. The rest of the family stands outside the door and one member knocks on the door. The person in the room has to guess who knocked)

Make a clothesline (Tie pieces of clothing to other pieces of clothing and see how long of a clothesline you can make!)

Play Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Make homemade Playdough and then have fun playing with it

Make old fashioned homemade popsicles using Kool-Aid, ice cube trays and popsicle sticks/toothpicks

See who can stack toilet paper the highest without it falling. Better yet, work together to see how high you can get it!

Play Blanket Burrito (take turns rolling each other up in blankets on the floor like a burrito!)

Play Leap Frog

Get behind one another to make a train and then chug around the house to some music

Build intricate block towers

Build intricate card towers out of playing cards

Play Pass the Parcel

Work on a 1,000 piece puzzle together (or whatever number of pieces is appropriate for your family)

Make a unique dessert together

Play Musical Statues

Make tambourines (Tape 2 paper plates together and tuck dried beans inside. Be certain the paper plates are completely sealed so the beans don’t fly out!)

Dress up and have a fashion show

Play Musical Chairs

Make a collage of everyone’s handprints

Break the rules and blow bubbles with a straw and glass of milk

Make the longest chain of paperclips ever!

Take turns playing Thumb War

Make puppets out of brown paper lunch bags and then put on a puppet show

Make and decorate paper airplanes and see which one can fly the furthest

Try origami (paper folding)

Build various car ramps out of items around the house

See who can do the most push-ups, jumping jacks and/or sit-ups

Plan a future, family vacation

Make personal, homemade pizzas and see who can design the most unique pizza

**Make a Dream Board where each person designs a board that represents what they want for their future**

**Play Construction Paper Twister (throw different colored construction paper sheets down on the carpet and then tell players to place hands or feet on certain colors)**

**Play Find My Underwear (hide someone’s clean underwear somewhere in the house and then have the family find it)**

**Do a Show n’ Tell where each family member chooses a special item of theirs and then tells the rest of the family about that item and why it has such meaning**

**Put together a Love Package for someone in need and send it to them (kids can make homemade cards/drawings to add to it)**

**Sport the activity of: Guess the Item (Each member picks a household item and puts it into a box/bin and then others have to guess what it is by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions)**

**Play Blanket Burrito (take turns rolling each other up in blankets on the floor like a burrito!)**

**Find more great things to do at Mama’s Grilled Cheese here!**