Rainy days can have us all wondering what to do with ourselves. It can also drive us parents crazy! Here are some ideas for rainy day activities to keep kids busy – with or without Mom and Dad!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of all these fun, rainy day activities! Your kiddos will love it!

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It’s April, and that means the rain is here! Hey – it’s better than snow at this point in the year. Which is exactly what we had about a week ago – yikes!

These Spring rainy days seem to be the hardest. Everyone is itching to get outside and enjoy some gorgeous spring weather, but the rain keeps us in. So, what do you do on those days where the family is stuck inside? Do you entertain the kids all day? Listen to, “I’m bored” on repeat? Or, set your kiddos up with some rainy day activities they can do by themselves or as a family if you’re up for it?

I choose the latter! A couple family activities enjoying each others’ company is always nice, but we also have some ideas for making these rainy day activities something they can do without mom and dad too!

Rainy Day Activities

Games

We love playing games on rainy days. At the moment, we are into card games, Monopoly, and a couple other random goofy games. Our kids are 6 and 7, so we’re finally able to play games with reading and strategy, but we have some tips for little ones too! It’s very fun to take some time to do this as a family, but there are some games the kids like to play together too.

With Mom and Dad. As kiddos are little or not reading well, it’s often easier to play games as a whole family. It’s also a lot of fun! For the longest time, Trouble was our go-to family game because the kids could pop the dice and count the spaces. Now that they’re older we love Monopoly (we have the Scooby Doo version and there are so many fun kids ones) and have just started playing more card games together. Old Maid is a great one for younger kids. UNO is fun as they get older. We also love Kings in the Corners with a regular deck of cards.

By themselves. Disney BINGO was always a go-to when I needed a few minutes for the kids to play by themselves. It’s so much fun and the DVD does the work calling out the numbers. Of our games, our kids will play a few of the easier ones alone. They like Catch the Fox, Build or Boom, and Lumpy Cubes. None of these involve reading and they are so fun for kids!

Crafts

Crafts are great rainy day activities if you’re up to the mess. More often than not, we try to choose things that can be cleaned up easily.

With Mom and Dad. Sometimes it’s just easier to include crafts in the rainy day activities that need Mom and Dad’s help. It keeps the mess under control and we are there to help with anything that might not be safe alone. The sky is the limit on crafts! There are so many things you can do, and a lot of them can include things around the house or straight from the recycling bin!

By themselves. If you have the right craft in mind, Mom and Dad can set it up and let the kids go to town. I love creating a craft that the kids can play with for a long time. Just recently, we made Basketball Cup and Ball games and the kids loved the challenge of getting the ball in the cup. Also, one of our favorites is Bubble Towers. They’re easy enough for the kids to make themselves, and blowing the bubbles can keep them entertained for quite a while! Beads are also a relatively easy to clean up craft. We have been loving playing with Perler Beads and the kids had a lot of fun making these Coco-inspired Color Changing Bracelets.

Also read: Ball in Cup Craft and Game

Movies with Themed Snacks

You can’t talk about rainy day activities without mentioning movies. There is nothing better than getting cozy together with a movie and the sound of the rain. We love coming up with a theme to go along with our movie. It just makes it a whole event.

With Mom and Dad. Some movie snacks are easiest if made by mom and dad. For example, our Spoonful of Sugar Cookies, Frozone Float, Hulk Muffins, and Dumbo’s Circus Popcorn and Peanuts are all something I would make and serve to the kids. The Dumbo popcorn is pretty easy and the kids help, but I wouldn’t consider it a parent-free snack or activity.

By themselves. For something the kids can do themselves without a lot of mess, I like to go with mixes. Letting the kids create their own trail mix, cereal mix, or cracker mix is a great way to give them the chance to do it on their own. Regardless of what snack you choose, Mom and Dad can still catch a little break while the movie is being watched and the snacks are being devoured.

Also read: Green Healthy Hulk Muffins

For some of the best creative Disney movie night menus, check out my friend Ester at A Magical Kingdom Called Home. She’s the best!

Also read: Spoonful of Sugar Cookies

Rainy Day Activities to Get the Wiggles Out

There is nothing worse than super hyper kiddos stuck inside. Sometimes you have to get creative to get the wiggles out. There are still plenty of things you can do in the house without having the kids run laps around you in the kitchen!

With Mom and Dad. Follow the Leader and Simon Says are easy ways to help the kids get a little energy out. Or, as a family, come up with a physical challenge that can be done in the house. Try wall sits, jump ropes, standing on one foot, yoga, balancing, etc… A family dance party is always an easy favorite in our house.

By themselves. Setting up an indoor obstacle course is a great way to get the kids started and then have them keeping themselves busy for a little while. Another idea is to blow up a couple balloons and have them try to keep them in the air. Simon Says, as mentioned before, is a great one to just yell out as you cook dinner, clean up, fold laundry, etc.

Castles and Treasure Hunts

Rainy days are a great time to get creative with your indoor space. It’s so fun and special for the kids to create a fort, make a cardboard box castle, or setup a tent inside. It’s also easier than you think to create an indoor scavenger hunt!

With Mom and Dad. As a family, get really creative and build an amazing fort in the living room. Have a lot of large boxes? Put a couple together to make a castle. Make a treasure map and having the kids find things around the house.

By themselves. The great thing about forts and treasure hunts is that it only takes a little bit of setup and starting with help from Mom and Dad and then the kiddos’ imaginations should take over. Build the forts and castles just big enough for the kiddos, so you don’t have to stay in there with them (unless you want to!). Get them some flashlights and send them in the fort. Grab some markers and let them decorate the castle. Send them off on the treasure hunt and you’ll have plenty of time to get a few things done.

Best idea yet – make their treasure hunt serve as double duty and get them to collect things from around the house that need to be cleaned up anyway. I used to do that all the time when the kids were little to help them like cleaning!

Also read: How to Help Kids Like Cleaning

Reading and Screen Time

I bet you’re wondering why I put these together?

I have to admit, our screen time goes up when we can’t get outside. They just seem to go hand-in-hand. However, not all screen time is something to be ashamed of.

Vooks

We love to read books on the kids’ tablets. Recently, we found Vooks which is an amazing service for streaming kids storybooks brought to life with animation.

With Mom and Dad. Reading with the kids is so good for the whole family. Such a great time to bond, and it makes a world of difference in how the kiddos progress in all areas of learning.

By themselves. What I love about Vooks is, especially for our kindergartner, she can listen and read along with the books without needing an adult to help. That means, it’s the perfect thing to bring out when Mom or Dad need a little time to get other things done.

For our, 7-year-old, it’s just a fun way for the story to come to life. Both kids love the stories, and there are plenty they already recognize. They love Duck on a Bike, Where the Wild Things Are, and A Snowy Day. We also found new favorites like, Groovy Joe and Sky Color. They really enjoy them! I also love the categories they developed – Be Kind, Be Brave, Be You, and Dream Big. Love that!

Rainy Day Activities Giveaway!

Along with sponsoring this post, the sweet folks at Vooks have offered a giveaway to help you with your rainy day activities, travel activities, or anytime activities!

They are giving away TWO three-month subscriptions, and one ONE-YEAR subscription to Vooks! Your kids will love it!

Click here to enter!

Giveaway ends May 1, 2019 at 11:59 CST. Winners will be notified and prize will be sent via email.

Check out Vooks.com while you’re waiting to win because they have some titles you and your kiddos can try for free!

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