30+ Fun & Easy Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Got rain in the forecast? No problem! I’ve gathered a fantastic list of indoor and outdoor activities perfect for those wet days.
Whether you’re snuggled up inside or embracing the rain outdoors, these ideas will keep your toddlers and preschoolers entertained for hours.
Rainy Days Ahead
Last summer, we spent two weeks at the cottage, and it rained for most of it! While the sunny days were perfect for swimming, the rainy ones were a bit chilly for that.
We ended up staying indoors most of the time, but I wish I’d had this list back then. My husband took the little ones out to fish, but if I’d known about these outdoor rainy day activities, I would have joined them in a heartbeat!
So, be sure to bookmark this post or keep it in mind for the next time rain is in the forecast. With these fun and easy ideas, you’ll never dread a rainy day at home with your little ones again!
Indoor Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Giant Nail Salon – Happy Toddler Playtime
Why not set up a mini nail salon right in your living room? Grab some nail polish, stickers, and other decorative items, and let your kids go to town painting their nails or each other’s. It’s a great way to encourage creativity and fine motor skills.
Fizzy Shapes Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with baking soda and add various shapes. Then, give your child a spray bottle or dropper filled with vinegar. As they spray or drop the vinegar onto the baking soda, it’ll fizz, creating a fun sensory experience.
Cotton Ball Flower Painting for Spring
Break out the cotton balls for a beautiful flower painting activity. Just dip the cotton balls in paint and press them onto paper to create colorful flowers. This one is perfect for developing fine motor skills and creativity.
Super Easy Ice Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with ice and add small toys or objects. Let your child explore the ice with their hands, using warm water to melt the ice and retrieve the toys. It’s a fantastic way to combine sensory play and science exploration.
Make an Aquarium: An Easy Art Activity
Create a simple aquarium using construction paper, markers, and glue. Draw and cut out fish, plants, and other underwater creatures, then glue them onto a blue background for a beautiful aquarium scene.
Baby Doll Colouring Activity
Hand your child a baby doll and some non-toxic markers. Let them color the doll’s clothes or create designs on the doll’s body. This activity encourages creativity and helps improve fine motor skills.
Baby Doll Haircuts Activity
Set up a pretend hair salon with baby dolls. Give your child a pair of scissors and let them give the dolls haircuts. It’s a fun way to promote fine motor skills and imagination.
Balloon Bug Tennis
Create a simple tennis game using balloons and fly swatters. Blow up a balloon and let your child hit it back and forth with the fly swatter. This activity is excellent for developing hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.
Torn Paper Rain Boot Craft
Provide your child with construction paper, glue, and scissors. Let them tear the paper into small pieces and glue them onto a paper rain boot template to create a colorful rain boot craft.
Paper Towel Roll Domino Challenge
Set up a domino challenge using paper towel rolls. Arrange the rolls in a line and let your child knock them over with a ball or toy car. This activity is great for developing hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
2-Ingredient Silly Putty
Make your own silly putty using just two ingredients: glue and borax. Mix equal parts of glue and borax solution to create a stretchy, gooey silly putty. It’s perfect for sensory play and science exploration.
Pillow Road
Create a pillow road using pillows and blankets. Arrange the pillows in a line and let your child walk, jump, or crawl along the road. This activity is excellent for developing gross motor skills and balance.
Mega Blok Jumping
Set up a jumping challenge using Mega Bloks. Arrange the blocks in a line and let your child jump from one block to the next. It’s a fun way to develop gross motor skills and coordination.
Cardboard Box Fishing
Create a simple fishing game using a cardboard box and string. Cut out fish shapes from the box and attach a string to each fish. Let your child “fish” for the fish using a magnet or hook. This activity promotes fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
DIY Hallway Laser Maze {Indoor Fun For Kids} – Its always Autumn
Create a laser maze in your hallway using string or yarn. Tape the string to the walls at different heights and let your child navigate the maze without touching the string. It’s a great way to develop gross motor skills and problem-solving skills.
Gross Motor Activity for a Rainy Day: Walking on Pillows – Hands On As We Grow
Create a pillow obstacle course using pillows and blankets. Arrange the pillows in a line and let your child walk, jump, or crawl along the course. This activity is excellent for developing gross motor skills and balance.
DIY Indoor Mini Golf Course – Days With Grey
Create a mini golf course using household items. Set up obstacles using cups, books, and other objects. Let your child use a small ball and putter to navigate the course. It’s a fun way to develop hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
Play Dough – Happy Toddler Playtime
Make your own play dough using simple ingredients like flour, water, and salt. Provide your child with cookie cutters, rolling pins, and other tools to create shapes and designs. This activity promotes creativity and fine motor skills.
Outdoor Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Fizzy Frog Puddles
Create fizzy frog puddles using baking soda and vinegar. Mix baking soda with water to create a paste and shape it into frogs. Place the frogs in puddles and pour vinegar over them to create a fizzing reaction. It’s perfect for sensory play and science exploration.
Puddle Splash Spring Art – Lemon Lime Adventures
Create beautiful puddle splash art using watercolors and paper. Let your child splash in puddles and then use the watercolors to create colorful designs on the paper. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Rainy Day Outdoor Play Ideas – Fire Flies and Mud Pies
Explore the outdoors on a rainy day with these fun play ideas. Let your child splash in puddles, make mud pies, and explore the natural world. It’s a great way to promote imagination and sensory play.
Rain Painting – Housing A Forest
Create beautiful rain paintings using watercolors and paper. Let your child paint a design on the paper and then place it in the rain to create a unique watercolor effect. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Awesome Outdoor Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers – Toddler Approved
Explore the outdoors on a rainy day with these fun activities for toddlers. Let your child splash in puddles, make mud pies, and explore the natural world. It’s a great way to promote imagination and sensory play.
Monster Puddles – Growing a Jewled Rose
Create monster puddles using food coloring and water. Mix food coloring with water to create different colors and pour them into puddles. Let your child splash in the puddles to create colorful monster designs. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Make and sail Soda Bottle Boats – The Pinterested Parent
Create simple soda bottle boats using empty soda bottles and other materials. Let your child decorate the boats and then sail them in puddles or a small pool. It’s a fun way to promote creativity and fine motor skills.
Mud Painting – Twin Mom Refreshed
Create beautiful mud paintings using mud and paper. Let your child collect mud from the outdoors and use it to create designs on the paper. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Draw with wet Chalk – Happy Hooligans
Create beautiful chalk drawings using wet chalk. Let your child draw designs on the sidewalk or driveway and then use water to create a unique watercolor effect. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Rain Boot Printing {Process Art For Chilly Days} – Mommy Baby Play
Create beautiful rain boot prints using rain boots and paint. Let your child dip their rain boots in paint and then step onto paper to create colorful prints. This activity promotes creativity and sensory play.
Invitation to Build: Create a Dam – Kitchen Floor Crafts
Create a simple dam using natural materials like sticks, rocks, and leaves. Let your child build the dam in a puddle or small stream. It’s a great way to promote problem-solving skills and imagination.
An Invitation to Play in the Rain – How We learn
Explore the outdoors on a rainy day with this fun invitation to play. Let your child splash in puddles, make mud pies, and explore the natural world. It’s a great way to promote imagination and sensory play.
Make Your Own Puddle and Mud Tidal pool – Buggy and Buddy
Create a simple puddle and mud tidal pool using natural materials like sticks, rocks, and leaves. Let your child build the pool in a puddle or small stream. It’s a great way to promote problem-solving skills and imagination.
Make Paper boats and sail them in the puddles
Create simple paper boats using origami techniques. Let your child decorate the boats and then sail them in puddles or a small pool. It’s a fun way to promote creativity and fine motor skills.
How to Make a Paper Boat, origami
Learn how to make a paper boat using origami techniques. Follow the step-by-step instructions to create a simple paper boat. This activity promotes fine motor skills and creativity.
Rainy Day Fun: Science Experiment – Confidence Meets Parenting
Explore the science of rain with this fun experiment. Let your child collect rainwater and observe how it interacts with different materials. It’s a great way to promote scientific exploration and curiosity.
Will You Try Any of These Outdoor and Indoor Rainy Day Activities with Your Toddler or Preschooler?
Pin it for later!
Rainy days can be a blast with the right activities. Whether you’re cozying up indoors or embracing the rain outdoors, these ideas will keep your little ones entertained and engaged.
So, the next time you see rain in the forecast, don’t worry – you’ve got a whole list of fun and easy rainy day activities to choose from!
