Before I had kids, I loved rainy days. It was the perfect excuse to stay in my pajamas, binge watch Netflix and order takeout. But all that changed since becoming a mom. Every mom dreads a rainy day. Keeping kids entertained while cooped up inside all day is no easy feat, and it’s hard to get a toddler’s energy out if they can’t run around outside. Little kids need the fresh air and without it, they become hyper little maniacs. Luckily, our nanny has found some amazing activities to keep our little maniacs busy when it’s pouring and because it’s rained a lot since I’ve had kiddos, I’ve discovered quite a few on my own. Here are my favorite rainy day activities for toddlers.
Arts and Crafts
Michaels hosts craft activities for kids that we’ll hit up when the weather is bad and we’re bored, but we also do lots at home. Charlotte is a little young for cutting, but we’ll decorate with stickers, I’ll cut and he can help tape or glue and decorate.
Play doh
James and Charlotte discovered the magic that is Playdoh and they’ve been having so much fun playing with it. Honestly, you can just let them play with it using old kitchen utensils and a mat, but there are so many fun Playdoh toys we’ve gotten as gifts that the kids love.
Painting
James and Charlotte both love coloring, but using paint or real markers feels like a special treat since we don’t normally let them play with either that frequently because mom tends to freak out about getting either all over the place. We’ll lay out newspaper all over, and let them paint on white contact paper or old Trader Joe’s bags. We have used crayola paints in the past but I’m also loving their paint markers, which tend to be a little less messy. When I don’t want to deal with a mess at all (or we’re on a plane or train), we’ll use these water coloring books, which are genius.
Coloring
Of course coloring is a favorite activity and easy way to keep them busy for a bit. We found some coloring books with characters they love like Elmo and Moana to make it more fun. Sometimes they’ll play with normal crayons and other times, they’ll use these magic crayola markers. They don’t make a mess and they’re fun for them to draw with.
Museums
When we lived in New York City, which is home to some of the world’s best museums, rainy days that used to be spent at the movies were spent at museums, which actually makes me feel better afterward – like I got smarter by osmosis or something. And it’s nice to feel like you’re doing something “cultural” for your kid. We still don’t live far from NYC so we try to make the trek when it’s raining and we need a fun plan. We also love to go to children’s museums since they’re made for kids and so there’s a lot to stimulate them, but they tend to get super crowded when the weather is bad so sometimes we’ll just go to an “adult” one that will somewhat interest them and allow them to run around like the Natural History Museum. When James was a baby, it was easier to stick him in the carrier or stroller and go to the Met or Moma,but unfortunately, they’re both at the age now where they want to touch everything so we try to avoid those for now.
Malls
Shopping is an easy way to kill time and malls tend to offer something for everyone. Many like The Westchester have play areas for kids, there’s food, Santa in winter, and lots of stores and bright lights and new things to keep them busy. Plus, they can run around. It’s a pain to chase after them, but if you know that’s what you’re going to be doing and aren’t super set on doing some serious shopping, it can be a great way to let out some energy.
Puppet Show
This isn’t one we’ve tried yet, but it’s something I want to do now that they’re a bit older and understand pretend play. You can build a puppet house out of cardboard and paint it, maybe make sock puppets, and put on a show. Or you can use a puppet play kit like we recently got.
Baking
Both kids love to play in the kitchen and help make stuff, so baking is my go-to when we need an indoor activity that will keep them busy for awhile. We have made everything from cookies and cupcakes (which are fun because they can decorate them) to healthy banana muffins to pizza (which I realize probably doesn’t count as baking but they had so much fun making it) to French toast and pancakes. Really anytime they can get their hands dirty and mix and stir and pour, they’re happy and then when it’s ready, you have a meal or snack already ready.
Dance Party
Indoor Treasure Hunt
Honestly, Charlotte feels a little young for this one but a lot of fellow moms recommended it. Right now, I try hiding a few fun things around the house and they’ll stay in the game for maybe one of the items (although usually I have to show them where it is after a few minutes), but they’re still a little young to fully get the concept and Char has too short of an attention span to really stay on the hunt for long. However, I did enlist the kids in hiding treats from Dakota (our mini goldendoodle for those of you who are new to the blog) and they loved doing that and then watching her find the treats (and helping her to find them).
Build a Pillow Fort
I loved building forts on rainy days when I was little and a lot of mom friends do this with their kids (or let their kids do this) to help beat boredom. I’ve also built a landing out of pillows and cushions and let them jump from the couch onto it and they love love love that. It makes me a little nervous that they’ll miss the pillows or try it when the pillows aren’t there, but so far, so good.
Library or Bookstore
The library is always a good refuge in bad weather. You can read books, let them run around a little, and hopefully, catch story time. We also love to hit up our local bookstore, which has a whole area for kids, as well as Barnes and Nobles, which also has a fun kids section. Even if we don’t do a ton of reading, I feel like it’s somewhat educational to be surrounded by books, right? And sometimes a change of scenery does wonders.
Indoor Picnic
I love doing indoor picnics. They feel special and it’s just cute. But honestly, it’s also a mess, especially with our poorly behaved dog and our messy kids.
Face Painting
This isn’t something I’ve actually tried at home, but it’s another mom suggested activity. It’s something easy to do with Halloween makeup or even old makeup you have lying around. Bonus points if you’re the chill mom who lets the kids paint her face too. (I doubt I will be but then again, I’ve gone out in public looking a lot worse.)
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