11 Fun Things To Do On A Rainy Day
Image Credit: NeONBRAND
I don't care what the weatherman says when the weatherman says it's rainin' - you won't hear me complainin' because I've got all these ideas for things to do on a rainy day!
It can be really tough at the weekends or during the school holidays if the weather is really bad, and you were hoping to take the kids out, whether it is to the park, for a walk or a day trip to an outdoors theme park.
But if the weather turns out to be wet, there are lots of things to do on a rainy day with kids, and I've collected together 10 of the best things that you can do on a rainy day, which really embrace the fact that it's raining. Some of them are educational and all of them are great fun for children from toddlers to teens and (whisper it) parents might enjoy joining in with them too!
Lots of these things are free things to do on a rainy day, use recycled items or things that you may already have around the house.
So here we go - let's enjoy the weather however wet it is!
Fun Things To Do On A Rainy Day With Kids
Here are some fun rain related activities that you can do when it's raining. Some can all be done indoors, while the others will need some wet-weather gear.
- Raindrop Racing
- Make A Rain Guage
- Play With Water Toys - In A Puddle
- Learn About The Water Cycle
- Make Mud Pies
- Get Snappy
- Puddle Jumping
- Water Fight
- Can You Drink Rain?
- Paper Boat Races
- Listen
This game works if the rain is falling onto a window. Each member of the family chooses a raindrop. Watch the raindrop to see which one reaches the bottom of the window first.
Did you know that you can easily make a rain guage to measure the amount of rainfall in your garden, yard or other outdoor space?
These instructions from the Met Office explain how to make your own rain guage from an empty fizzy drink bottle.
Get your water toys and bath toys and play with them in a puddle - just do wash them afterwards and before you put them in the bath with you again!
Lots of plastic toys can be put on the dishwasher (check labels) to clean and sanitise them too.
Why does it rain? How does rain form? Why does it matter? The Met Office has this excellent page of short, easy to understand videos about rain as well as sleet and snow.
This is a good one if you don't mind a bit of mess. The bravest amongst you could make mudpies with your hands, or use a bucket and spade from a day out at the beach.
Mix some soil with water from a puddle and get creative!
You may not automatically think of a rainy day as particularly photogenic, but you can still get outside and take pictures if there is some good light.
If it is only a little drizzly, you may be able to safely use a camera phone to take pictures, but if you are nervous about this or the rain is heavy, you can get a waterproof digital camera which is designed for use under water. These start at around $40/£35.
Go out and love that rain. Put on a waterproof coat, grab an umbrella, put on your wellies and go splash in pu ddles.
If you are going to get wet anyway, have a water fight - use squirt guns, super soakers, water balloons or my own favourite childhood go-to water toy, an empty washing up liquid bottle.
Try to see if you can catch raindrops on your tongue. This is the simplest activity ever, just open your mouth and let the rain fall into it - no equipment needed.
Make paper boats (there are some good instructions here) and race them in a puddle, or collect rain in a bowl and race them there.
This is a great idea for calming the kids down after some boisterous play.
Sit quietly by an open door or window or perhaps under a shelter if you have access to one, and listen to the different sounds that the rain makes. Can you hear the noises that raindrops can make on a roof, on trees or on the ground?