Anyone else’s little one LOOOOOVVVEEE to be outside? My little guy is a HUGE fan of going to parks, going for walks, finding bugs, riding his scooter or bike, all those outdoor things. So, even though I LOVE rainy days, they tend to put a slight damper on the day for my little guy since we can’t go out and do ALL the fun things we normally do.

So, I pulled together some simple, fun ideas for things you can do along with us when your toddlers and preschoolers are stuck inside for the day and trying to climb the walls. :)

1. Pop up a tent or build a fort!

We have a simple tent that just pops up and twists back into place that my guy just LOVES to pull out and play in when we’re inside. We found ours at IKEA, but I’m sure Amazon has some similar ones. Or, you can build a fort with pillows, blankets, and furniture to play in too. Toss some books and stuffed animals in there and you have instant at-home entertainment.

2. Play hide and seek.

Pretty self explanatory. Haha! But Little Man totally loves to hide from me and then pop out before I can find him. It’s a fun way to explore little nooks and crannies of the house, as well as teach your kiddos patience in waiting, how to count, and how to play together. All great toddler skills to practice with one simple game!

3. Bust out those busy boxes and busy books!

Rainy days are the PERFECT day for busy boxes and busy books. These activities are the perfect way for your little ones to learn WHILE they feel like they’re playing. My toddler loves all the bright pictures and, most days, wants to play with them as he sees me making them on the computer. Haha! They’re easy to keep all in one place, they go along with whatever theme you’re learning about (holidays, colors, early math or literacy skills, etc.), and they’re a super fun way to learn essential skills.

4. Pick an art project to do together.

Creating something new together is always fun and really builds a bond with your kiddos. So, pick an art project or craft idea that feels “do-able” to you and try it! Yes, it’ll probably be messy…pull out a plastic tablecloth or old shower curtain or sheet and do it anyway. Yes, they’ll need your attention and help to make it, but just think of how much teaching you can do about perseverance and trying new things! Not to mention, working on crafts is a GREAT way to practice fine motor skills and encourage creativity. :) If you need some fun ideas for what to create, check out THIS ARTS AND CRAFTS PINTEREST BOARD where I add some of my favorite activities for little ones.

5. Read together.

Pulling out some books that your little one hasn’t seen in awhile is a perfect way to get lots of exposure to phonics and reading skills, as well as super entertaining and fun. Show your little ones how to act out what’s happening in the story using puppets (which is another fun thing to make on a rainy day!) or stuffed animals or even your own bodies. Acting out stories is a great way to improve retelling skills.

Click any of the following links to check out my favorite books for littles for lots of occasions!

WINTER BOOKS

VALENTINE’S DAY BOOKS

ST. PATRICK’S DAY BOOKS

SPRING BOOKS

6. Make something yummy together.

My son totally loves getting to toss in a cup of flour or measure out a teaspoon of salt to help me in the kitchen. So, pick a fun recipe that your kiddos will enjoy eating later and make it together. :) You can let your little one help you add in the simple things that you know will be the least messy or you can go full-out and let them just toss all the things in and clean up afterward. Whatever you’re comfortable with will still be fun for them! :)

Need some fun toddler snack ideas? Check out this board full of snack ideas!

7. Go splash!

UM…have you EVER met a child who didn’t LOVE rain boots?! I’m pretty sure I’ve never met one. HAHA! We just found some great rain boots for Little Man at Target and he never takes them off. So, we both pull on our boots and coats and out into the puddles we go! Just toss a couple beach towels by the door for when you come back, play for a bit, and then strip down to the bare minimum inside the door with towels. Simple, fun, and not even THAT messy. :)

8. Get out a sensory bin.

Sensory bins are a great way to to learn and play inside too! You can just fill a bin with small somethings (dry beans, dry noodles, pom poms, rice, shredded paper, water beads, vase fillers, dry corn, non-sticky cereal, etc.), set it out on a towel, and let your little one explore. You can toss in some spoons, scoopers, or bowls to practice scooping and dumping. You can add in little cards to find inside the sensory bin that add a learning component to it. My favorite sensory bin activities to add to our bins are HERE!

9. Pull up your favorite music player and have a sing-along dance party!

We use Spotify and play it through my phone or Google Home and just have a high-energy dance party! You can grab songs that sing about animals, letters, numbers, counting, manners, feelings…ANY kind of music like that is so great because you’ll hear your little one singing it later on and you KNOW that something good is getting stuck in their brains. :) And, the little dance/exercise party is a great mood-booster and stress-buster for YOU as the parent too. So, when in doubt, stop and have a dance party!

10. Find an indoor play place to go to for a few hours.

We are lucky enough to have a few indoor play places that are open for us to visit on occasion, so I definitely encourage you to look around your city to see if there’s anything similar for you. Our play place is called Little Land and it’s a bunch of swings, toys, jungle gyms, and physical activities (balance beams, bouncy things, soft mats, rock walls, etc.) to allow kiddos to get all that extra energy out when they can’t romp outside. :) Definitely worth the price of admission once in awhile on a cold, rainy day.

11. Go on a scavenger hunt to find things.

Scavenger hunts are ALL THE RAGE in our house. Haha! We go hunting for things in specific rooms, we go looking for shapes around the house, we even hunt for colors by playing “I Spy”! Going on scavenger hunts is a great way to practice visual discrimination, learn new vocabulary words for things around the house, and teach perseverance when they need to look and look to find the thing they’re searching for. Again, all great skills to practice!

We usually use scavenger hunts LIKE THESE ONES or the shape hunts that my kiddo loves so much. If you want to try one of the shape hunts, just hop on my email list by clicking HERE and you can grab a sample from my Free Resource Library. :)

12. Practice fine motor skills.

You can practice fine motor skills in SO many simple ways at home. Fine motor skills are just your child’s ability to use their fingers and hands to make small movements. So, things like coloring, cutting, gluing, ripping, grasping, pinching, transferring, scooping, dumping, playdough-mashing, and inserting things into small spaces ALL practice fine motor skills. So, pick anything new and entertaining really! Stick straws in holes, search for mini erasers in a bin of beans, make shapes out of playdough…whatever your kiddo is enjoying and is using their little fingers and hands to do it with is PERFECT. :) CLICK HERE to check out my Pinterest board full of fine motor skills ideas!

13. Make a cozy spot and watch something together.

I’m a BIG fan of movies. I just LOVE a good, snuggly movie day, but, as a mama, I definitely feel that “mom guilt” over potentially allowing too much screen time. So, we definitely watch movies and Little Guy’s favorite shows, but I set timers to that we break up that screen time throughout the day. Maybe 15 minutes of a show and then hide and seek? Or one movie and then some puddle splashing? It’s all about balance!

Something else that helps me feel less guilty about screen time with my toddler is trying to make the majority of his screen time education based. We watch things like Blippi, Cocomelon, and Bounce Patrol a LOT because they’re shows and songs that promote learning and grasping concepts that my almost-preschooler needs to know anyway. Win win!

14. Call a friend and have a play date at one of your houses.

Simple, happy, fun for everyone involved! :)

15. Learn a new chore!

This one might seem weird, but a lot of kids really like to learn how to do things that their parents are doing. It makes them feel so grown up and independent. So, teach your little one how to toss a load of laundry in and let them help by throwing in the soap pod or clothes. :) Pull out a broom or two and let them help you sweep up! My mom used to let us throw dirty socks onto the ceiling fan and once each blade was covered in a few socks, we’d turn the fan on and “dust” the fan blades by watching the socks fly off all over the room. HAHA! So, get creative and let your kids help you clean up…they’ll probably love it and enjoy the new task! This editable chore chart is full of things that my toddler can do on his own or at LEAST help me with, so we use this throughout the weeks too. :)

I hope some of these ideas will keep you and your little loves playing and learning on rainy days for awhile! Let me know if you have any amazing rainy day activities that you’d add to this list too…I’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts.

Wishing you lots of enjoyable together time!