When it rains, you may run out of options on what to do with your child indoors. There are however many activities and games that you can play on a rainy day indoors to entertain the kids, and keep them busy off the screen.
A Comprehensive List of Non-Screen Indoor Activities for Kids of All Ages
1. Playing in the Rain
Even when raining, you can still be outdoors with your kids and have fun. Rain is exciting for babies and you can incorporate this as a fun activity. As long as there is no lightning, you will find that playing in the rain is an engaging and fun thing to do with your kids to break the boredom.
It is especially a perfect winter activity for your children because it does not involve the TV or phone. You can play with your kids only or with your whole family.
Some of the best games you can play include;
- Football
- Sliding around
- Catching the ball
- Take a walk in the rain with your child.
- Worm hunts
- Explore forests and trails
Follow this with a hot bubble bath later to make it more memorable for your baby. Also ensure you outfit yourselves with good raincoats , boots and really large umbrellas.
2. Read Stories to your Kids Indoors
You can use the extra time on a rainy day to read to your children. Dress warmly and snuggle in front of the fire. Pick some of their favorite stories and read to them. It is an engaging thing that keeps the kid away from computer or TV. You can even do this as a whole family.
Alternatives to story books are magazines, that are entertaining for kids. You can keep a monthly subscription that will send you monthly copies so that you have enough to read with your kids when it rains, more so in winter.
3. Coloring
Coloring is one of the favorite things for toddlers as young as 2 years; keeping them away from the TV. Stock on new coloring books so that you have enough for days when it rains. In addition, get stickers that you can stick on books and make wonderful creations.
4. Knitting
Knitting is a very original and constructive way of engaging your child into quality time. It does not involve TV time, phone, tablet, or computer but keeps them creative. Buy a knitting set for you and your child and when it rains, get down to it. It is quite fulfilling.
5. Writing and Journaling
You should make a habit of journaling or writing down your thoughts, your dreams, etc. When it rains, show your child how to write down their thoughts among other things to write about. Such writing time is good for your child because it takes them away from the screen.
6. Painting
If you don’t want them in front of the TV or on their phone on a cold rainy, then you can try painting to engage them. Put the baby in the tub and let them paint all the old toys with washable paints over and over again.
It will keep your 3, 4, or 5 years old toddler occupied for longer than a lot of other crafts on a rainy day.It is a fun toddler activity that you can let them do alone or join in as a family to make it more memorable.
7. Cook or Bake to Avoid Boredom
Cooking your favorite meal or baking can really take your boredom away when it rains and also keeps your child away from the screen. Buy your child a small cooking or baking set and cook or bake together.
Children do love cooking and there is no perfect time to do it than when it rains. It is more delicious, warms up the house, and makes the place smell good. It can be really messy but all you need are disposable tablecloths to cover the floor.
8. Create an Indoor Play Area
During winter, you need an indoor play area for kids as they may spend a lot of time indoors. Keep them away from the TV or phone by setting up a collapsible play tunnel. Make the tunnel a sensory one and race to go through it. It is a really fun activity when it rains when you can’t take your child outside.
Also, fill it with beach balls and let your child as young as 1 or 2 years play from there. Beach balls are easy to kick, lay on them, and throw, but they are soft and cheap if they get destroyed. They are perfect for kids as young as 2 or 3 years and will keep them occupied off the TV or phone.
9. Dancing, Yoga, and Exercise
As it rains outside dancing and exercising will keep your child from being bored. Kids love dancing so when it rains, play some music and make it a dance party. You may use your TV to display dance moves that you and your child can follow through.
You can make more fun by shadow dancing where you create a shadow in the room using a lamp, darkening the rest of the room, and casting your shadow and that of your baby on the wall. Play some music and encourage them to dance to shadow dances too.
Another variation is dancing statues whereby you play music and encourage your child to dance. Then randomly stop the music and ask the child to freeze in a pose.The dancing and exercising are very good for kids from 3 years and above.
Alternatively, you can do yoga together. Kids as young as 5 years can master the art of yoga hence a rainy day is a perfect time to do it when you are all indoors.
11. Create a Baby Fun Bath
Nothing says fun for toddlers on a rainy day like a fun bath. Buy a set of bath paints and crayons that your child will use to paint the tub. It will occupy your baby and take away the boredom in a very entertaining way.
Include big plastic cups, spoons, or brushes in the bath. Take turns with your baby to mix the different colors. Also, make bubbles from the bath which is one of the best winter activities for your kids.
12. Exclusive Bath for your Baby
If you run out of things to do with your child when it rains, try an exclusive bath. Make it a spa day for your kid with massage, scrubbing, oils, and all. Your baby will love the little pampering from the bath and massage.
13. Assembling Furniture
Help your child assemble some new furniture when it rains. Keep them away from the TV by letting them help you in planning on preparing furniture by sanding, drilling, or sawing among others.
The activity is best and fits kids as young as 5, 6, and 7 years and above. It let them learn about planning, building, painting, etc. It will constructively keep your child away from the TV.
14. Create a Fun Fort
Small children aged 3, 4, and 5 years love playing in forts. When it rains and you have run out of things to do with your child, create a blanket and couch cushions fort and let your child play in it.
15. Have your Child Help with House Chores
You should allow your child to learn to do house chores. As young as 3 years, let them participate in age-appropriate chores. It will keep them occupied away from the screen and teach them valuable skills.
Some fun house chores that toddlers love are washing dishes, mopping, wiping, cleaning toys, putting away groceries, laundry, reorganizing her dresser, reorganizing the spice rack. You can also declutter house items with your 7,8,9 or 10 years old child to keep busy and off the screen.
16. Pet Play Time
Children will find playing indoors with pets such as dogs and cats, fun. Let your child throw the toys around for the pets, who leap in the air and catch things they throw.
17. Playing Hide and Seek
Hide and seek is a traditional game but nonetheless fun for you and your child on a rainy day. Take turns with your child to hide while the other seeks them out.
Also, hide a number of items in a room, give your child a bucket and encourage them to find as many as they can. Hide a variety of stuffed animals, have your child search for the “wild” animals, and name them as they find them.
18. Throwing Stuff
Some kids are into throwing stuff. If your kid wants to throw, find soft stuff they can throw around. You can use bean bags, balls, pillows, etc, and let throw them in a room with minimal breakable stuff and some boxes as targets.
19. Make Music
Make music using a xylophone, maracas, bells, beat sticks, etc. You can use empty cartons, drinks bottles, pots & pans, etc. to make all sorts of homemade musical equipment just by filling them with rice or hitting them with a wooden spoon.
20. Other Activities
- Sorting whereby you let your child practice sorting using colored puff craft balls by color, size, shape, etc.
- Shredding newspapers or old magazines
- Watching and counting the raindrops down the window
- Use old foam tiles to make stepping stones for the kids to hop around on the floor
- Modeling with play-dough
- Drawing
- Playing with bubbles – there are several bubble toys to use.
- If you have access to an indoor pool, then indoor swimming is a good activity for your child.
- Making bracelets with beads
- Build gingerbread villages and then use your toy dinosaurs to invade and crush the town.
- Use duct tape on the carpet to make street roads
- Freezing toys in ice and letting your child melt them in warm bathtub water.
- Indoor snowball fight where you grab your balled-up socks and throw them at each other
- Create an indoor sandbox using a baking tray with rice or red lentils or other small items. throw in some sand shovels or large spoons
- Fill and dump where your child has an assortment of containers and little toys to fill and dump.
- Making cards for people using paper cuttings and stickers.
Popular Indoor No-Screen Games for Kids
1. Board Games
There are several board games that are fit for your baby. As young as 4 years children can play board games including Twister Rock em Sock em Robots, Twilight Imperium and Monopoly, etc. Board game are perfect on a rainy day because they occupy your child.
2. Legos
Ensure that the game pieces are not too small for your child to choke on. As young as 3 years children can play legos. Play lego contests when you pick a theme, get ten minutes to build and someone else has to judge. The game keeps your child away from the screen, especially during winter.
3. Balloon Keep up Games
The game simply requires you and/or your child to keep the balloon off the ground. It can be very tiring but will keep your child away from the TV and pass time when it rains outside. You can make it a fun family activity to do at home regularly. It is a cheap game since you only need balloons.
4. Obstacle Games
There are several best obstacle games like putting chairs back to back with just enough room for the child to walk between them side stepping. The other variation is taping a line on the floor for a balance beam.
Other variations include using a small box to jump over, using the kid’s table to crawl under, or taping string in a doorway to limbo under. The games are fun on a rainy day as they fit the indoor playing space.
5. Puzzles Baby Game
Buy age-appropriate puzzles and let your child figure out the puzzle. You can find some really cheap puzzle games that your baby will love to play, especially in winter.
6. Fetching Game
Small toddlers love playing this game. Small kids as young as 3 years find it very entertaining.Just kept throwing a ball and your baby will go and get it and bring it back. It will keep your baby occupied if it is raining outside.
7. Touch Color- Fun and Occupying
Play touch color whereby you call out a color and have your child touch something nearby of that color. It is a fun and learning game as pass on time on a rainy day.
8. Bubble Wrap Fun- Keeps Kids from TV
Play bubble wrap fun whereby you get some bubble wrap and let your child explore the different ways to pop the bubbles such as squishing with hands, walking on them, or rolling them up, etc. You can find a cheap bubble machine that you will use to create bubbles and keep your baby busy indoors without a TV.
9. Hula Hoop
Play a hula hoop whereby you lay a hula hoop on the ground, show your child how to walk around the circle with one foot in and one foot out of the hoop. As a variation, hold the hoop vertically, and have your child crawl back and forth through it.
10. Touchy Touchy
Play touchy-touchy whereby you call out parts of the body and have your child touch that part on themselves.
11. Lily Pond Hop- Helps Kids Learn
Play lily pond hop whereby you set up carpet squares or mats around a room, have your child be a frog, and hop from lily pad to lily pad.
