The words “summer holidays” might conjure up images of paddling pools, picnics and gloriously sunny days in the garden. Unfortunately, the British weather does not always cooperate. When the rain arrives, it can be tempting to write off the entire day. The children are restless, the garden is out of bounds, and you have already heard “I’m bored” more times than you care to count. However, a wet day does not have to mean an expensive trip to the cinema or hours spent in front of a screen. There are plenty of rainy day activities for kids that require very little money, planning or specialist equipment. Some can be enjoyed at home, while others give you a reason to pull on your waterproofs and head out.
Here are 50 ideas to help you get through even the soggiest days of the summer holidays.
Easy Rainy Day Activities
These are the ideas to try when the rain has taken you by surprise, and you need something you can arrange in a few minutes.
1. Build a blanket den
Gather blankets, cushions, pegs and dining chairs, then let the children create a cosy indoor hideaway. They can read inside it, take in a picnic lunch or turn it into a castle, shop or secret headquarters.
2. Have a living-room picnic
Lay a picnic blanket on the floor and serve the lunch you would have taken outside. Sandwiches, chopped fruit and other finger foods make this feel like an event without creating too much extra work.
3. Hold a board-game tournament
Choose several short games and award points after each round. You could make simple medals from cardboard or allow the winner to choose the family film that evening.
4. Play balloon tennis
Use paper plates attached to wooden spoons as rackets and a balloon as the ball. It provides an energetic game without introducing a hard ball to your living room.
Make sure young children are supervised, particularly if a balloon bursts, as pieces of latex can present a choking risk.
5. Make a dressing-up box
Search wardrobes for hats, scarves, old shirts, handbags and costume jewellery. Children can create characters, perform a fashion show or invent a play based on their outfits.
6. Create an indoor treasure hunt
Hide a small treat, book or toy and leave a trail of clues around the house. For younger children, use pictures or coloured arrows instead of written riddles.
7. Play the alphabet game
Choose a category such as animals, foods or countries and take turns naming something beginning with each letter of the alphabet. You can add a timer for older children.
8. Put on some music and have a disco
Ask everyone to choose a favourite song and build a family playlist. Add musical statues, musical bumps or a prize for the most inventive dance move.
9. Make a cinema at home
Close the curtains, prepare some popcorn and create paper tickets for a family film. Allowing the children to run the “box office” and show everyone to their seats makes it feel more special.
10. Play hide-and-seek
Sometimes the simplest games are the most successful. Set clear boundaries first so nobody climbs into an unsafe cupboard or hides near household chemicals.
Rainy Day Craft Activities For Kids
You do not need an overflowing craft cupboard to make something interesting. Many of these ideas use packaging and everyday materials that would otherwise be recycled.
11. Make junk-model robots
Collect cereal boxes, cardboard tubes, yoghurt pots and clean food packaging. Add glue, tape, pens and foil, then challenge everyone to build a robot or imaginary machine.
12. Paint stones
If you have collected stones on a previous walk or beach trip, decorate them with poster or acrylic paint. They could become ladybirds, monsters, houses or colourful garden markers.
13. Create a family comic
Fold several sheets of paper into a booklet and draw a comic about your family. It could be based on something that really happened or give everyone a secret superpower.
14. Design a new board game
Children can draw a board, write rules and make playing pieces from buttons or small pieces of modelling clay. The real test is whether the rest of the family can understand and play it.
15. Make paper aeroplanes
Experiment with different designs, then see which plane travels furthest or lands closest to a target. Older children could investigate whether small changes to the wings affect the flight.
16. Create homemade bookmarks
Cut strips from thin cardboard and decorate them using pens, paint, stickers or ribbon. These can be used during the holidays or given to relatives as small handmade presents.
17. Put on a puppet show
Turn old socks or paper bags into puppets and use the back of the sofa as a stage. Encourage the children to plan a beginning, middle and end for their story.
18. Make salt-dough decorations
Use this salt dough recipe, gradually until you have a workable dough. Shape it, bake it at a low temperature until hard and decorate it once cool.
An adult should handle the oven, and salt dough should not be eaten or left where pets can reach it.
19. Start a summer scrapbook
Add photographs, tickets, drawings and short notes about your summer. A rainy day is a good opportunity to record the things you have already done.
20. Draw your dream day out
Give the children a large sheet of paper and ask them to invent the perfect attraction. What rides would it have? What food would it serve? Would there be animals, water slides or dinosaurs?
Indoor activities to burn off energy
Being stuck inside is much easier when children have an appropriate way to use some of their energy.
21. Build an indoor obstacle course
Use cushions to step across, masking-tape lines to balance along and chairs to crawl beneath. Avoid furniture that could tip over and give children enough space between each activity. Even better if you have climbing toys for toddlers that can be refashioned.
22. Try a family exercise video
Look for an age-appropriate children’s yoga, dance or movement video. Let each child select a session so that everyone gets a turn to choose. Our personal favourite is Danny Go.
23. Play the floor is lava
Scatter cushions or paper “stepping stones” around the room and challenge the children to cross without touching the floor. Remove anything fragile first.
24. Hold a mini sports day
Choose indoor-friendly events such as a sock-throwing competition, a balancing challenge and a crawling race. Keep a scoreboard and hold a simple medal ceremony afterwards.
25. Learn a dance routine
Choose a favourite song and create a short routine together. Older children might enjoy filming and editing the final performance.
26. Play animal races
Cross the room while moving like different animals. Children can waddle like penguins, hop like frogs, crawl like bears or walk sideways like crabs.
27. Make a laser maze
Attach lengths of crepe paper or wool across a hallway using removable tape. The challenge is to climb through the “lasers” without touching them.
Take care not to create a trip hazard or block an exit, and remove the maze once the game has finished.
28. Have a tidy-up race
This is not likely to occupy an entire afternoon, but it can bring a chaotic activity to a useful conclusion. Play one song and see how many toys everyone can put away before it ends.
Quiet Activities For Rainy Days
Not every wet day needs to be packed with entertainment. The summer holidays are long, and children can benefit from quieter days at home too.
29. Visit your home library
Gather books from around the house and arrange them like a miniature library. Children can make membership cards, organise the books and take turns being the librarian.
30. Listen to an audiobook
Choose a story everyone can enjoy and listen while drawing, completing a puzzle or relaxing in the blanket den.
31. Complete a jigsaw puzzle
Select one that is challenging enough to hold everyone’s attention without causing frustration. A large puzzle can remain on a table and be completed over several rainy days. Even better, check out these jigsaw puzzle tips.
32. Write postcards
Send postcards or short letters to grandparents, cousins or friends. Children who are not yet writing can draw a picture and dictate a message.
33. Make a summer wish list
Ask everyone to choose a few realistic things they would like to do before returning to school. Include free ideas alongside larger days out.
34. Start a holiday journal
A journal can contain writing, drawings, lists and photographs. Children do not need to fill it every day; a page after an interesting outing is enough.
35. Sort through old photographs
Look at family pictures together and tell the stories behind them. Children might enjoy choosing photographs for a small album or family display.
36. Learn simple origami
Start with an easy boat, hat or animal design. All you need is square paper and a set of clear instructions.
Rainy Day Activities In The Kitchen
Cooking together occupies children, develops useful skills and produces something everyone can eat afterwards. The level of adult help required will depend on the child’s age. Check out these tips for baking with very young children.
37. Make pizzas
Use homemade dough, flatbreads, pittas or another suitable base. Put out bowls of toppings and allow everyone to create an individual pizza.
38. Bake simple biscuits
Rolling and cutting biscuit dough is particularly appealing to younger children. They can decorate the cooled biscuits or enjoy them plain. If you want to level up try my easy cupcake recipe for kids.
39. Hold a smoothie challenge
Provide several fruits and allow everyone to suggest a combination. An adult should operate the blender and ensure the lid is fitted correctly.
40. Make fruit kebabs
Children can arrange soft fruit on suitable child-safe sticks or simply create colourful fruit faces on plates. Whole grapes should be cut appropriately for young children.
41. Let the children plan lunch
Give them a budget or a selection of available ingredients and ask them to plan a balanced family lunch. Older children can help prepare and serve it too.
42. Make homemade playdough
Create a simple playdough mixture and add food colouring once it is cool enough to handle. Store it in an airtight container afterwards, and remember that it is for playing rather than eating.
Cheap Places To Visit With Kids When It Rains
If everybody needs to leave the house, there are several places you may be able to visit without paying for an expensive family attraction.
43. Go to the library
Libraries offer far more than shelves of books. Many arrange free holiday activities, craft sessions, story times and reading challenges, although programmes vary between branches.
Check your local library’s website or social-media page before travelling.
44. Visit a free museum
Many UK museums and galleries are free to enter, although some request donations or charge for particular exhibitions. Look beyond the large national museums: smaller local museums can be surprisingly child-friendly.
45. Go swimming
A visit to your local pool is ideal when the children need exercise. Search for family sessions or school-holiday offers and check whether booking is required.
46. Browse a garden centre
Larger garden centres are often partly indoors and may have fish, small animals, cafés or children’s displays. Turn the visit into a challenge by asking children to find plants in five different colours.
47. Take a bus or train ride
If you already have a travel pass, choose a short journey to somewhere you do not usually visit. The transport itself can be exciting for younger children.
48. Go bowling at an off-peak time
Bowling is not free, but weekday and early sessions can sometimes be less expensive. Look for family packages before booking and compare the total price rather than the headline cost per person.
49. Visit a pet shop or aquarium shop
Children can look at the fish, reptiles and small animals without committing to buying a pet. Make it clear before entering that this is a looking trip rather than a shopping trip.
50. Search for a local free indoor event
Shopping centres, community spaces, libraries and museums sometimes arrange free summer activities. Search your council’s events listings and local community pages to see what is happening nearby.
Outdoor Activities For Children Who Do Not Mind The Rain
Rain does not always mean you need to stay inside. If there is no thunder, dangerous wind or flooding, put on waterproof clothing and make the weather part of the activity.
You could:
- Jump in puddles
- Measure rainfall in a homemade rain gauge
- Look for worms, snails and slugs
- Float leaves in running water
- Photograph reflections in puddles
- Walk through a local wood
- Hunt for rainbows
- Build a waterproof shelter
- Take a rainy walk on the beach
- Return home for warm drinks and dry clothes
The National Trust also encourages families to continue exploring in wet weather and suggests activities including welly wandering and building a den. National Trust
Avoid woods during strong winds, keep away from fast-flowing water and do not allow children to play near drains or flooded roads.
Make A Rainy Day Activity Jar
You can make future wet days easier by preparing a rainy-day jar now. Write some of your favourite ideas from this list on separate pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Use different colours for free activities, outings, energetic games and quiet ideas. When boredom strikes, ask a child to choose one.
You could also create a small rainy-day box containing:
- Colouring pencils and paper
- A pack of cards
- Balloons
- Stickers
- Masking tape
- A simple craft kit
- A jigsaw puzzle
- A book saved for the holidays
- A list of local free places to visit
You do not need to entertain children every moment of the summer holidays. Boredom can sometimes lead them to invent their own games, revisit neglected toys or become absorbed in a book. Think of this list as a source of inspiration when everybody needs a little help, not another 50 tasks that must be squeezed into six weeks.
The British weather may be unreliable, but with a few good ideas ready, the family’s enjoyment of the holidays does not have to depend on the forecast.
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