Nothing is worse than planning an outdoor family outing, only to have it ruined by one small detail: Mother Nature. But just because you can’t soak up the sun and play outside, doesn’t mean you can’t have a blast spending time with your kids inside on a rainy day! Read on for nine fun activities you can do indoors when the weather isn’t cooperating with your plans.
Animal Races
Running indoors could be recipe for disaster, so slow down the kids and make races a little more challenging. Have them run on their hands and knees like a horse, slither around the floor like a snake, or sideways craw like a crab until they hit the finish line. Doing it this way is definitely a recipe for laughter on an otherwise rainy day!
Basement Bowling
Transform your space into your own private bowling alley by filling plastic bottles about ¼ of the way with water, and using a soft ball to knock ‘em down. You can set this up wherever you have the space, whether it’s in the basement, the living room, or even a long hallway. The best part? No waiting on line for a lane to open up!
Experiment in the Kitchen
If you can’t make it outside to play, have some fun in the kitchen and use the opportunity to teach your kids (especially teens and preteens!) how to whip up delicious, healthy meals. Check out our Recipes section for easy ideas that you can easily make in no time, like our delicious Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie!
Dance, Dance
One of the best ways to get some exercise in on a rainy day is to just turn up the tunes and let loose! Let everyone in the family choose their favorite songs and have an indoor dance party in your living room or basement. You can also make it a little more competitive by turning it into a dance competition – winner gets to pick what’s for dinner!
Organize an Obstacle Course
Grab some small tables, chairs and anything else you can find to build your own obstacle course. Get the kids involved with building it, since it’ll require some real creativity to make things interesting. Then, see who can make it through the course the quickest (without cheating, of course)!
Red Light, Green Light
This classic game is always a hit, especially with younger children, including toddlers. Have of the players stand at a starting line, and have one player act as a traffic cop who has his or her back turned to the other players. When the traffic cop says “green light”, the players try to move as quickly as they can to the finish line before the cop says “red light”, and they freeze in place. If the traffic cop turns around and catches anyone still moving, they are sent back the starting line; whoever crosses the finish line first wins.
Take an Indoor Field Trip
Don’t let a little rain keep you and your family from getting out and about! Plan a trip to the local indoor swimming pool, or go roller skating or ice skating. If you can manage to get a few families to join in, you can even arrange a group game at the local gym or YMCA and play kickball, basketball, or volleyball.
Hold a Yoga Sesh
Channel your inner calm (and your kids’!) by having a yoga session. YouTube has tons of videos online for the whole family that you can follow, and you may even be able to stream free videos from your TV provider on demand. Not too into yoga? Try pilates, kickboxing, or martial arts workouts.
Play Sardines
Looking for a twist on the classic hide and seek? In sardines, only one person hides and everyone else seeks. This is a great way to get everyone moving around the house, instead of sitting and hiding for an extended period of time.
– By Sara Kildunne