5 Rainy day activities for kids

Rainy day activities make even the grayest skies turn blue

Rainy days might seem like a bummer for little ones who are itching to play outside, but they can actually be a golden opportunity for some indoor fun! Just because the skies are gray doesn't mean the day can't be colorful and exciting. From treasure hunts to crafts deluxe, safe indoor sports to sorting games, and even some road construction (don't worry, it's just tape!), there are plenty of activities to keep kids engaged and learning during your shift, while staying dry and cozy indoors. 

So, let the raindrops tap dance on your rooftop and dive into these 5 rainy day activities!

5 rainy day activities for kids that are both fun and educational

These five activities are great when you have plenty of indoor time but do not want screen time. They can be adapted based on the child's age and what you have at home. 

1 - Treasure Hunt

An indoor game that is easy to adapt to age is a treasure hunt. 

  • For the youngest, it may be enough to hide a favorite stuffed animal, let the ears stick out and exclaim: "Where is the teddy bear?".

  • For toddlers who have understood the concept of finding hidden objects, you can hide the teddy bear in more difficult hiding places and search together. 

  • For older children, the treasure hunt can become an exciting and tricky game by drawing a treasure map or leaving notes with clues along the way - and taking turns being the one who hides the object.

2 - Crafts Deluxe

Bringing out all the crafts at home and hoping that children will entertain themselves for a whole morning is often wishful thinking. However, children aged 4-6 can definitely become completely engrossed in crafts if they get a little help to start. 

  1. Draw the frame of a house, a tree, a boat, or your child's favorite object. Then let the child color or draw details, glue sequins, or stick stickers, depending on their age. 

  2. You can also prepare the craft together by cutting pieces of colorful tissue paper and crumpling them up. Then the child can "color" the picture by gluing the paper tufts onto the paper. 

  3. Leftover cardboard boxes often make excellent houses to decorate.

3 - Safe Indoor Sports

Children who like to play ball will often grumble when you say they can’t kick the soccer ball indoors. Give them a safe - and fun! - alternative with balloons as balls. 

  1. Play balloon tennis using a fly swatter, paper plate, or cardboard roll. 

  2. Try to keep the balloon in the air as long as possible by bopping it to each other with your hands. 

  3. Play balloon basketball by placing a basket or bucket that you take turns trying to hit - from increasingly further away if it starts to get too easy.

4 - Sort of sorting

Around the age of three, many children like to sort into different categories. Use this to your advantage for a time-consuming and easy activity when it’s raining out. 

  1. Arrange a number of small boxes and a pile of objects, for example, mixed Lego bricks (or larger objects for little kids who put everything in their mouths). 

  2. Then decide on a category - 

    • Younger kids may enjoy sorting colors

    • Older children may need a challenge, perhaps fetching objects based on their use, or sorting Lego pieces with the same number of "nubs." 

  3. Let the child sort independently, but help if the child has questions. Maybe you can simultaneously sort something in the adult world (the laundry pile calls) so that the kiddo feels like you are both doing something similar next to each other. 

Pro Tip! For small children just starting to grasp the concept, lay out three or four sheets of colored paper instead of the boxes. Then let the child match the colors of the object with the color of the paper.

5 - Road work ahead

With a little masking tape, you can create fun games that suit any age. The possibilities are endless, and when the game is over, clean up is a breeze. 

  1. Step one: tape roads through the home, using masking tape (make sure this is okay with parents before starting, though!). 

  2. Step two: let the child walk on a balance beam, drive a toy car, pull a rolling toy, or otherwise move along the road in any way that works for their age. If there are several people on the road, you can practice taking turns, letting someone pass, or why not try to catch each other? 

You can also tape squares and play hopscotch, or tape letters and let the child jump from letter to letter to spell their name or other words. Basically, masking tape + imagination = hours of rainy-day activity fun. How can it not be a success?

With these rainy day activities, you won’t need to get your feet wet!

What are your favorite rainy day activities?

If you are an experienced babysitter or nanny, you probably have a fair few rainy day activities up your sleeve too, and we’d love to hear about them! Pop over to our Facebook or Instagram and tell us all about them. While you’re at it – if you are looking to bring your skills to a new family and are looking for a nanny job, get in touch. We have helped wonderful families find dedicated nannies and babysitters in professional, rewarding positions for well over a decare. Let us help you, too!

Cajsa Landin