I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve had enough of all of this rain. I know it’s important and all that, but it’s really gotten in the way of our pool, beach and amusement park plans over the last few weeks. We’ve spent a lot of time in the house, and I’m not gonna lie, many hours on screens. Here are some great activities to keep your kids active, learning and having a great time, even when you can’t escape the house!
15 Rainy Day Activities for Active Kids and Toddlers:
Get Messy in the Bath– The bath tub is one of the best places to get messy because clean up happens naturally. I love these homemade bath paints from Parenting Chaos.
Jump That Energy Out– Small trampolines like this one from Fisher Price take up very little space, but keep little ones endlessly entertained.
Create Your Own Snuggle Fort– I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling like fort-making was one of the highlights of my childhood. I love a good fort! It’s free and keeps kids busy for hours.
Dance it Out with Scarves– These colorful scarves from Amazon are so much fun to dance with or throw up in the air and catch. I’m always amazed by how long they keep my children entertained.
Go Fishing– I love this laundry basket fishing idea from Munchkins and Moms. Kids love sitting in them so much, why not make a fun game out of it? You can use magnetic fish and fishing poles if you have them, but feel free to get creative like the blogger below.
Paint the Easy Way– Little ones love to paint, but they might not have the ability to grasp a paintbrush yet. I love this cotton ball painting idea from Domestic Mommyhood that makes painting easy for toddlers.
Make it Rain– These rain sticks from Happy Hooligans are colorful and easy enough for toddlers to help make. Let them practice their fine motor by picking up the corn, rice or other small noise-making items and putting them in the paper towel roll.
Host an Animal Pool or Ice Skating Party– How cute and easy would it be to freeze water in a small tray or even a foil pan and make animals their own indoor ice rink like this pic below from I Can Teach My Child. If you don’t have time for the freezing, make the toy animals their own pool or bubble bath.
Become a Sorting Expert– Color sorting is so easy and fun for kids, while also being a great learning opportunity. I love this Cereal sorting mat from I Can Teach My Child. For a more active color sort, give kids a color and have them run around the house with a basket collecting everything they can find that matches the color you chose.
Create a Pillow Roadway– I love this fun idea from Hands On As We Grow! Collect all of the pillows and couch cushions in your house and lay them on the floor to make an indoor roadway for kids to run around on.
Make Child-Sized Art– Get a large piece of paper or poster board and trace the outline of your child’s body. Next, have them color and decorate the inside. This is a great activity to do year after year to see how they grow and how their drawings mature.
Photo credit: Passionate Homemaking
Experiment with Sensory- I love the sensory activities we made last week for playgroup. Check the recipes out here. Another option is an easy sensory bin filled with corn, rice, or anything else small and fun to scoop up and pour out. The yellow sensory bin below is featured on Every Day Chaos and Calm.
Stack ’em Up– How easy is this, but I swear, it keeps them busy! Experiment with cups of different sizes to see what works best for your child.
Photo credit: Everyday Chaos and Calm
Make a Busy Bag– There are so many variations of busy bags, but basically they are engaging activities that kids and toddlers can complete mostly independently, and they are stored in bags so they are ready to go at any time. The Teaching Mama does a great job listing some great examples on her blog. Check out her great color sorting bag below.
Have Your Own Mini Toddler Obstacle Course- This is similar to what you’d see at a toddler gymnastics class, an obstacle course that little ones can go through over and over again to work on their gross motor skills and spatial awareness. How fun would it be to create your own obstacle course at home? It just takes some creativity. Start by finding some things that your kids can go under, step over and step on and some bean bags to throw into bins or to balance on their heads. Whatever you do, make sure you model it for them, step by step.
Photo Credit: How to Run a Homemade Daycare
∗ I also have to include this amazing list of 45 age-appropriate indoor learning activities for the littlest of learners, 18-24 month olds.
Hopefully the skies will part and the sun will come shining through again before we know it! Until then, keep your sanity by keeping the little ones occupied and having fun…..and be sure to stock up on wine.
♥ Erin
