101 Ways to Have Family Fun at Home
It was a rainy southern Saturday, and we were spending the day at grandma’s house, aka “Greems”, wondering what to do with the cousins for the day.
It was supposed to be a day of backyard splashing and relaxing poolside {kiddie pool, that is!}, when it started to rain and the monsoon showed no sign of stopping.
Brainstorming with my mom and sister, we came up with 101 rainy day activities that will keep kids of any age entertained, but most of all make beautiful memories. We tried many of these ideas that rainy afternoon, and our cousin playdate was a success!
So let your next rainy day be a day full of laughter and memories, as you try a few of these fun activities!
Games
1. Go fish
2. Charades
3. Win, Lose, or Draw
4. Tic-Tac-Toe
5. Hangman
6. Hide & Seek
7. Make a treasure hunt around the house
8. Simon Says
9. Hopscotch grid out of tape
10. Ball toss into buckets or pots
11. Musical chairs
12. Hot potato
13. Memory
14. Clothespin drop
15. Red light, green light
16. Make an obstacle course
Make believe/fantasy
17. Have a tea party
18. Put on a play
19. Dress-up in adult clothes
20. Play doctor
21. Make a fort
22. Play grocery store
23. Play beauty shop
24. Play school
25. Have a pretend birthday party
26. Play spa day (complete with beauty treatments)
27. Pretend to be superheroes
28. Pretend it’s a holiday, such as Christmas, and do activities accordingly
29. Play bank
Car & Truck Fun
30. Make a track out of a pizza box
31. Put masking tape on the floor for a road- Sammi from Grounded & Surrounded
32. Use cookie sheets to make ramps
33. Make a garage for the cars out of a box
Indoor Water Fun {Yes, seriously!}
34. Wash dolls
35. Play with Aqua-Doodle from Melissa & Doug {This is a family favorite!}
36. Take a bath with bath paints
37. Wash farm animals
38. Put the cars through a “car wash”
39. Fish for items in the bath tub using string and sticks
Art Projects
40. Sculpt with clay
41. Paint
42. Stamp with fruit and other objects
43. Make sculptures out of recycled goods
44. Make a snow globe with water, glitter, and a jar
45. Play with Kinetic Sand
46. Draw a self-portrait
47. Make goo or slime
48. Play in shaving cream
50. Have a coloring contest
51. Paint with empty toilet paper rolls
52. Make masks out of paper plates
53. Create a marshmallow tower with toothpicks and marshmallows
54. Make a bird feeder with a milk jug
55. Make rain catchers with recycled yogurt containers
Technology
56. Find a new game app
57. Make a home movie
58. Make an interactive collage using Thinglink.com
59. Record a music video
60. Have kids record themselves reading aloud their favorite book
61. Get silly with Dubsmash
Food/Baking
62. Make microwave s’mores
63. Have fun making ants on a log (peanut butter, celery, and raisins)
64. Cut out fruit shapes and make kabobs
65. Make popscicles
66. Have the kids make their own pizza
67. Make flavored popcorn
68. Create your own ice cream sundae
69. Make your own ice cream
70. Have a cookie decorating contest
Creative fun
71. Cardboard box challenge- what can the kids make with a few boxes?
72. Play with flashlights
73. Make shadow puppets
74. Have a talent show
75. Karaoke
76. Do a science experiment
77. Make up a family story
78. Play indoor bowling
79. Have a homemade photo booth
80. Make your own instruments
81. Have a Lego challenge
82. Let them decorate an old tee-shirt with markers and designs
83. Do puzzles
Acts of Kindness
84. Make a surprise party for Dad
85. Make thank you cards for community helpers
86. Call a relative you haven’t talked to in awhile
87. Make a care package for a soldier
88. Sort toys to give to charity
89. Plan a family service project {great ideas found here}
90. Create a surprise for your neighbor
Exercise
91. Dance party
92. Child yoga
93. Put on rainboots and march through the puddles
94. Play follow the leader
95. Contest- who holds the family record for the most____? (sit-ups, push-ups, etc…)
Education
96. Have a “letter” scavenger hunt around the house, searching for items that begin with a certain letter
97. Sort and count the items in the pantry
98. Make a map of your city or state using food
99. Count and roll the change in the house
100. Write a new ending to a favorite story
101. Make a thunderstorm current to study weather
What are your favorite ways to keep the kids busy on a rainy day?
