100 Screen-Free Things to Do on a Rainy Day

If it's the school holidays, a Bank Holiday or just the weekend, it always seems like there is a pretty good chance it will rain!

If you are scratching your head for an idea of what to do and need some great ideas of things to do when it is raining, here are 100 ideas for things to do without resorting to putting on the TV or computer.

Put on a Play
Try to take a Pet Portrait - trying to get a picture of the Cat or Dog could take hours!
Have a Dressing Up session.
Make an indoor obstacle course.
Pretend that you are a spy and write secret messages.
Make music with whatever instruments you have; grab a tambourine and shake it along to your favourite song if that is all you have!
Make a Puppet Show.

A Cardboard Box. The unlimate plaything.

Find a big cardboard box. Your children will know what to do.
Read a Book
Build a pillow den.
Play The Name Game
Crank the radio up and dance, dance, dance!
Play Simon Says.
Play Hunt the Thimble - or hunt any item small enough to be hidden fairly successfully.
Do a Jigsaw
Start writing a diary.
Read a book aloud.
Play Charades.
Have a room tidying contest to see who can tidy their room the fastest. Yes, they may fall for this one, but only once, so save it for an emergency!
Make Sock Puppets
Do a Wordsearch
Play Hide and Seek

Science Fun

Plant a Cress-Head in an eggshell.
Make a tornado in a jar.
Build a LEGO Egg Decorating machine. This is awesome.
Make Saving Foam Mountains
Make your own Indoor Volcano
Find out just How Strong is Spaghetti.
Discover how plants absorb water with this cool Celery Stick Experiment.
Make a Paper Bridge
Make your own Lava Lamp. So Retro!
Do these experiments to find out which side of your body is dominant.

In the Kitchen

Image Credit: Taylor Grote

Have a Posh Tea Party. Get out the best china (depending on your kids age) and enjoy the finer things in life. Crustless sandwiches? Earl Grey Tea? The choice is yours.
Make some Slime
Let the kids play with their food as they make Edible Finger Paint.
Bake a Cake.
Make popcorn.
Make something in 3D with Salt Dough Modelling
Make no-bake refrigerator biscuits.
Try these Wheels on the Bus cookery ideas.
Decorate biscuits.
Make Ooblek
Have an Indoor Picnic
Make your own playdough
Make crayon muffins from old broken crayons.

Crafty Ideas for Rainy Days

Craft Ideas for a Rainy Day

Image Credit: rawpixel

Try a Tie Dye
Make a Pinata
Make your own Carnival Mask
Write your own newspaper or magazine.
Make a Friendship Bracelet
Make boats out of old margarine tubs - add a lolly stick mast and paper sails.
Make a firebreathing dragon from a toilet roll.
Make a pasta necklace.
Teach your children to knit
Try some origami.

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Get Arty

Image Credit: Tim Arterbury

Paint a Picture
Try making some Coin Rubbings.
Draw a really big picture - use a roll of cheap lining paper from a DIY shop and make a freize.
Have a go at Toy Car Painting
Make a card for a friend with a birthday coming up soon.
Make a Falling back in Space Portrait.
Make Bubble Prints
Have a go at Pebble Painting
Have a really good colouring session. Colouring Pictures
Make a Leaf Collage

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Craft Ideas with Recycled Materials

Make your own bangles from a plastic bottle.
Make a wind turbine from a coffee can for when the rain stops.
For older kids - Make a Duct Tape Wallet. This does require some use of a craft knife, so must be supervised.
Make a Tree out of newspaper or cardboard.
Build your own Dinosaur Island from Papier Mache.
Make your own Soup Can Bowling Set
Make and wear a Newspaper Hat.
Make these fab Decorative Storage Containers from Cans
Make a Toy Parachute
Make Egg Carton Turtles

Playtime!

Image Credit: Markus Spiske

Play paper and pencil games - Noughts and crosses, Heads bodies and legs, hangman or battleships.
Have a Board Games afternoon.
Learn to do some magic tricks.
Teach the kids a new card game.
Make a LEGO Fidget Spinner
Create an indoor Treasure Hunt
Play "I Went Shopping and I Bought....." How long can you remember the list of items?
Find every piece of LEGO in the house and build a massive building. (Bonus - the kids will have tidied up all their LEGO!)
Make a pretend shop.
Have a Letter Sounds Scavenger Hunt
Blow bubbles.
Invite all your toys to a pretend party.
Play I-Spy.

Brilliant Places to Visit on a Rainy Day

Child in Wellies - Going out in the rain

Image Credit: Daiga Ellaby

Visit an Art Gallery
Go Bowling
See What's On at the Cinema
Go Roller Skating
Visit a Museum
Go to an Indoor Trampolining Centre
Go to a Hands on Science Centre. We love The Look Out Discovery Centre in Bracknell, look out for your local one.
Try out Ice Skating
Go to the Theatre
Go to the Library - it's not just for books remember, there may be special events during school holidays.
Visit your local Indoor Soft Play Centre
Go Swimming

So there you are, 100 things to do on a rainy day. I hope that has given you lots of ideas for next time it rains!