15 Ways to Keep Kids Busy on Rainy Days

It’s that time of year where we have a lot of rain in our forecast. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with new ideas to keep little ones busy, so today I am sharing 15 ways to keep kids busy on rainy days. Or you really could use these ideas any time you need something different to keep kids busy!

1. Make a Big Race Track

My boys love playing with cars, so to make it really fun we set up a big race track! I used the same gutter we used for our soap boat racing. We just put it on the stairs and it made the cars zoom down so fast!

This is also great exercise for kids because they are running up and down the stairs to get the vehicles.

2. Create in the Kitchen

To do this activity, just pull extra or expired items from our pantry and let kids create whatever they want. It usually looks disgusting, but they are so proud of their work! And it is a great way to clean out your pantry.
3. Make a Pom Pom Shooter

This one is so much fun! We got the directions from this blog and it brings a lot of fun on rainy days to our house! (Please only try this idea if your little one does not put things in their mouths. Also please watch your kids carefully since balloons are involved!)

4. Build with Cups

For this activity, simply take plastic disposible cups and let your child build and be creative! It is simple, but you may be surprised at how entertained your child can be with this. My boys built towers, castles, and tried knocking them down with the pom pom shooters. Lots of fun!

5. Make New Crayons

If you need an activity that is a little longer, then try making new crayons! All you do is take old crayons and peel off the paper (that is the time consuming part!). Then you break them into pieces and place them in a silicone mold or muffin tin. Lastly, you bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit and then let them cool. If you want detailed instructions with pictures, check out this post.

6. Marble Racing

Make your own marble race track with pool noodles! This is our pool noodle water wall, which also is great for racing marbles! To see instructions on how to make it, visit this post.

7. Baking Soda & Vinegar Experiments

Baking soda + vinegar = lots of fun! You can find 5 fizzy experiments in this post.

8. Paint Rocks

An easy activity is to collect rocks from outside and paint them. You can use acrylic or washable paint. We also added some googly eyes!

9. Car Wash

Create a car wash for toy vehicles using your sink! Just fill the sink up with soapy water, have a bucket of water to rinse with, and add a towel. You could also wash action figures, plastic dolls, etc.

10. Make a Rainstick

A fun craft to make is a rainstick! Here is how you make one:

1. Take a cardboard tube and poke brads through it on the outside of the tube.

2. Cover it with aluminum foil. Cover one end and tape it shut. (You could also stuff the bottom with aluminum foil if you don’t like the look of tape on the outside.)

3. Fill the tube with items like rice, beans, and popcorn kernels.

4. Cover the open end and tape it shut. Then decorate it with stickers.

Move the tube back and forth and listen to the sounds. It should sound like rain!

11. Freeze Dance

This is a game where you put on music to dance to and then pause it during the song and have your child freeze. Then resume the music and pause again. If you play with multiple children, you can play that if a child moves during the freeze time, they sit out. And then keep playing until there is a winner. My kids love dance time and this game burns energy on rainy days!

12. Upcycled Crafts

If you want to make a craft, then you can try one of these upcycled crafts using materials from around the house. You can find instructions for the crafts here.

13. Rain Gauge

Measure the rain with a rain gauge. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but just leave a sturdy cup outside and check on how much rain goes in it throughout the day. You can stick a measuring stick in the cup for an accurate measurement.

14. Window Markers

Window Markers are so great! They are just like markers, but you draw on your windows. The best part is that it is easy clean up! All you do is just wipe with a wet cloth.

15. Play in Puddles!

If it is a light rain, with no lightning, go on a nature walk with rain boots and make a splash! You will score mom points for letting your kids get wet and messy with puddles!