We've got tons of ideas for things to do on a rainy day with kids - both indoors and outdoors - that will stop things being boring even when it's pouring.
1. Make your own playdough
It turns out that making your own playdough is not only easy to make, but it's also rather therapeutic. Fact: squishing and moulding the stuff into all kinds of things is fun for all ages. Hop into our doughtally easy guide on how to whip up a batch of your own.
2. Whip up mud pies
How creative can you get with mud? Pull on your wellies and find a muddy spot to find out! Whip up a mud pie or create a modern muddy masterpiece using squishy, squashy, glorious mud: it really is excellent stuff. Did you know that not only is mud an easy, free resource to keep children busy with, but that it can boost immune systems too? You see, mud is packed with a microscopic bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae (M. vacca) that helps little ones develop better immune tolerance and can also encourage the release of serotonin – a chemical that helps lower stress and regulate moods - in those ever-busy young brains. Bring the family pooch along too to add to the messy fun.
3. Dust off the board games
Pull out the board games and challenge the fam to a friendly battle of Blokus, exercise your fast fingers with a game of Hungry Hippos and then get settled for a marathon Monopoly session. Don't forget to check out our guide to what we think are the best family board games first.
4. Go puddle jumping
Whack on your wellies and get outside for a good old stomp in the puddles. Guaranteed squeals of laughter all round.
5. Bake some goodies
Rainy days are perfect for a storm of a different type: a baking storm! Keep it simple but delish and get your young chefs to help mix, measure, pour and, of course, decorate! Kick start the kitchen fun with our guide to these delish recipes that don't need flour or eggs, and then move on to these easy recipes designed with small makers in mind. And while you're waiting for your goodies to bake, why not whip up a homemade hot chocolate recipe while you're at it too?
6. Knock over some pins
Turn a space in your home into a DIY bowling alley! We're huge fans of toilet roll craft, so try this tutorial by Mom.com to make your own set of pins.
7. Build a dam
Bring your little beavers to a local stream and using twigs, branches and rocks build a dam. You'll need to work quickly to stop your dam getting washed away and, yes, you're going to get wet so don't wear your good clothes. Don't forget to dismantle it/knock it down when you're done.
8. Break out the washi tape
Washi tape, washi tape: how we love thee. So much so that we've written a whole guide awash with washi tape craft ideas. You're welcome.
9. Gather all the felt tips together
Google 'free colouring sheets' and print out a pile to keep you and the kiddos busy for hours. Hot tip: we print ourselves a pretty little mandala number to do while the kids are colouring in their more Disney-orientated sheets. There's only so many times we can colour in Elsa, after all.
10. Build a fort
Put your blanket fort building skills to the test and help the kiddos create a cool space for a ton of imaginative play and maybe even an indoor picnic for bonus fun.
11. Challenge the kids to a Lego contest
Tip out the bricks and challenge the fam to a Lego comp to find out who has got what it takes to be a Master Builder. Just make sure it's all picked up afterwards: everything is deffo not awesome when you step on that stuff with bare feet!
12. Read a good book or two
Snuggle up with a big pile of words and rediscover all those stories you haven't read together in a while. And once you're done, create and illustrate a book of your own together! We've got a guide to our own favourite picture books if you need some new inspiration.
13. Get ready for Valentine's Day
We know it's still a month away but for a rainy day full of love how about breaking out the googly eyes and getting busy with some cute Valentine's craft?
14. Go on a scavenger hunt
We've got a fair few free, printable scavenger hunts here at London for Kidz for you, including ones that are perfect for a rainy day indoors.
15. Snuggle up for a movie marathon
Shut the blinds, whack the heating on and snuggle up with the fam for a movie fest of all the old and new movies you've been meaning to watch for ages. Dive into our list of the best classics for more inspo!
16. Transform your trash into treasure
Get busy with some fun upcycling projects with the kids including turning old jeans into bags, shoes into gardens and plastic bottles into pencil cases.
17. Rescue worms!
With rain comes worms so why not combine a nature walk (in waterproofs) with a spot of animal rescue? When you see a worm in a puddle - which you will - pop it in a small bucket with a little soil in it and then take it back to some moist earth. Handle the worms very briefly though as it's not good for the little critters to be held for long. If you can't find anywhere suitable to relocate the puddle worms then to extend the adventure how about creating your own wormery? The Woodland Trust has some easy instructions.
18. Turn rocks into sharks
We've got a cool guide to rock art which includes turning rocks into sharks, cactus, monsters and fish.
Need some more rainy day ideas? Then hop into one of these activity-packed guides:
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