Kids Rainy Day Activities for Days at Home

Days at home with children can feel long! There’s so many craft and game ideas floating around online for rainy days, but what ones work? And more importantly – How to sift out the ones that leave a massive mess with interest lost within minutes!

As we are all stuck indoors so much more at the moment, I thought I would share our favourite easy games to play at home that have been tried and tested with my children.

How to Make a Skittle Rainbow

This has to be the easiest by far, but don’t let the fact it looks like it will be over in seconds put you off.

Basically it’s adding water to Skittles so the dye runs out, but both my children at different times have been so excited about this. I did it for the first time with my little boy when he was about three and he was mesmerised. Then again, last week with my six year old and she loved it.

All you need is a bag of skittles, a plate and a jug of warm water.

Give your children the task of arranging the sweets around the edge of the plate and once you have enough to create a circle you are ready to create your rainbow. Slowly pour the warm water in the centre of the plate and sit back and watch as the colours start to run and mingle creating a pretty rainbow.

After you have done one my children then loved using the rest of the bag to make colour designs with different combinations. Once finished, they also enjoyed using a straw to slurp up what my daughter called rainbow juice from the plate!

Try Paint by Numbers for Quiet, Creative Time

On rainy days, try Paint By Numbers for a less chaotic, less distracting leisure that nevertheless encourages creative thinking. Kids love seeing their art come to life, and the kits make it easy for them to do it without feeling like they have to “get it right.” It’s a fun activity that everyone in the family can do together. You may even go a step further with Custom Paint By Numbers kits, which turn your own family photos or pet pictures into paintable templates. These are personal, memorable, and mess-free. A great choice if you want to spend some quiet time inside without using screens

Learn Classic Games

Classic games have stood the test of time for a reason—they’re fun, engaging, and often come with great educational benefits. Learning how to play traditional card and puzzle games can be a fantastic way to bond with family members while also sharpening cognitive skills.
One great example is Spider Solitaire, a fun and challenging twist on traditional solitaire. This game requires players to strategically stack cards in descending order, promoting logical thinking and patience. It’s an excellent way for kids and adults alike to develop problem-solving skills while enjoying a relaxing game.

Kitchen Cupboard Lava Lamp

This simple science experiment using items normally lurking at the back of the kitchen cupboard was lots of fun when we tried it in the summer. With just a few ingredients you can make a chemical reaction that’s pretty to watch and keeps going and going. I’ve shared how we made our easy lava lamp here

Two Ingredient Slime

The lure of slime has never waned in my house, and so my little girl loved being able to make it herself with what we had at home. We’ve had actual slime kits with all the chemicals and faff, but an easy peasy alternative is corn flour and water. I was sceptical thinking it was just going to make either a runny mixture or playdough, but the texture this easy slime mix makes, is brilliant.

As well as my daughter I quite enjoyed having a play – It has that satisfying feel of coming together into a solid lump when you squeeze it, yet it reverts back into liquid dripping through your fingers, as soon as you open up your hand.

To make, you simply pour a bag of corn flour into a bowl and then while stirring add the water a little at a time. We added some food colouring too, which if you have some brightens it up.

Spaghetti and Marshmallow Towers

The marshmallow spaghetti game takes seconds to set up and is lots of fun. We tried this in the first lockdown so took advantage of the weather and made them in the garden, but its also great for rainy afternoons indoors.

All you need to do is to give each child a bowl of marshmallows and some dry spaghetti and the aim of the game is to see who can build the best structure using only these items. I’ve written about the fun we had doing the marshmallow spaghetti challenge here

Some more boredom busters to try…

We are really lucky to have a big garden space to play in, and like many, we have a trampoline that the kids LOVE to bounce on. With so many hours to fill right now, I’ve written a post here with 6 fun things to do on a trampoline.
 
Have you heard of squishy bags? An easy way to have fun with slime at home without the mess. here’s how we made ours.

You can also play card games like Hearts or Spades. These timeless games are perfect for family fun and help keep everyone entertained during rainy days indoors!
 
If you want something educational to do, it can be both fun and educational for children to do some research into their family tree. Online databases, such as https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/obituaries/all/usa/florida/orlando/orlando-sentinel enable you to search records, uncover branches of your family tree and discover stories of your ancestors. And speaking off educational games, you could also take the time to go through free maths colouring sheets with your child! It’s fun, plus they get to have their minds stimulated in a creative way; it’s a win-win! But the options are endless, as long as everyone enjoys the activities.