Need some fun rainy day activities for kids? If you’re like me, your always looking for new things to do on a rainy day at home to keep your kids busy.
Fun indoor games for families that will keep the kids off electronics and not driving you crazy. If this is your goal too then check out my list of entertaining things to do on a rainy day with kids and get inspired.
Make it a fun indoor game day by having a go-to list already created of things to do. This way there is no stress coming up with kids’ indoor activities on the spot.
I’ve included fun family game night ideas with activities you can do together as a family too!
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Fun Rainy Day Activities for Kids & Indoor Games
Indoor Games with Balloons
Creating indoor games with balloons is a cheap and fun way to entertain your kids at home. Plus it’s easy to keep a bag of balloons on hand so you’re ready for a rainy day.
Find a few your kids will enjoy so you’re prepared and visit our 15 Awesome Balloon Games for Kids at Parties & Home for even more game ideas.
Balloon Hockey
What you need: two laundry baskets and hockey sticks, kid’s golf clubs, or even the cardboard from inside of a large tube of wrapping paper.
The last one might be the safest. Then a bag of balloons from the Dollar Store. Split the family into teams and see which team can get the most goals
Balloon Tennis
What you need: Paper plates, balloons, masking tape, then either plastic spoons or a wooden paint stirrer (you can get these free at a Menards or Home Depot).
This game is a great way to use up the last of the paper plates from a kid’s birthday party or holiday event. I used up the end of our Halloween plates the last time we played.
Tape your spoon or wooden stirrer to the back of your paper plate. Then use it like a tennis racket and the balloon as your ball. Hit the balloon back and forth and see which team can keep the balloon in the air the longest.
You could also have the kids individually try to use their paddles to keep the balloon in the air.
Tip: These are great games to use at sports-themed birthday parties, too. Find more fun birthday party game ideas.
Find more group balloon game ideas you can use at birthday parties, class parties, or backyard BBQs
Hopscotch
What you need: Blue Painters Tape
Use Painters tape to create hopscotch for your kids to hop through. I use painter’s tape because it comes off my floor without leaving any tape marks.
To get an extra boost of energy have the kids hop on one foot or place it at the bottom of the stairs so they can then hop up the stairs.
We use this as a Brain Break idea during Remote Learning too.
What you need: Blue Painters Tape & Streamers
Create a fun laser maze for your kids to climb through. It’s super easy to do with streamers taped across your hallway. I suggest using painter’s tape so that you don’t ruin the paint on your walls.
When it’s all set up let your kids try to get through the maze without touching the lasers (streamers).
You can keep changing the course to make it easier or harder for your kids.
Learn more about making your own DIY Hallway Laser Maze.
Hot Lava
What you need: Pillows
Kids pretend that the floor is hot lava and they can’t touch the floor. Let them make a path with pillows to jump on to make it to a “safe” place like the couch. Keep redoing the path to keep the game going.
If you don’t want the kids jumping on your pillows try the game The Floor is Lava. It’s really fun and has all the pieces to jump on to save your pillows.
Cardboard Toys
Use up all those cardboard boxes from Amazon or Costco and create cheap & fun toys for kids. Take part of the day creating the cardboard toys and then enjoy playing with them all afternoon.
10 Cool Things to Make with Cardboard – Turn all your Cardboard boxes into fun crafts, toys, games & more. Kids will love a cozy book nook on a rainy day too!
DIY Cardboard Marble Run – Make a cool Marble run with an old box and paper towel rolls for a fun STEM project at home.
DIY Spinning Nerf Targets – Cool cardboard targets for kids who love to play with Nerf Guns.
Family Game Night Ideas
Plan a fun family game night on rainy days indoors or host a monthly game night for your family to bond together. Enjoy playing games like Charades, Pictionary, Spoons, Card nights, Indoor Scavenger Hunts, or try a Family Olympics.
You’ll find tons of indoor game ideas in my Best Family Game Night Ideas.
No time to plan a family game night? Don’t worry I make it easy with the Ultimate Family Game Night Printable with 30 pages of pre-planned games, tips, food ideas, prizes, and more.
Everything you need for 12 months of planned family Game Nights.
Would You Rather Game
Kids love playing the Funny Would You Rather Games. It’s a great way to start a conversation with your kids.
Ask the kids silly questions like Would You Rather have bad breath or stinky feet or Would You Rather eat worms or beetles?
Go around the table and see what each of you would rather. Then find out why they’d eat a worm instead of a beetle. The answers are the funniest part!
Get a free printable list of Would You Rather Questions for Kids
Minute to Win It Games
Minute to Win It is games and activities that need to be completed in one minute. They are quick and fun games to play that keep the kids interested and excited.
Get even more ideas from:
20 Easy Minute To Win It Games for Kids,
Best Minute to Win It for Teens & Tweens
Family Friendly Minute to Win It Christmas Games.
Cup Stacking
What you need: 42 solo cups, that’s it.
Two kids each get 21 cups and have one minute to stack them, make a pyramid, and re-stack them in a minute’s time. Whoever does it the fastest wins.
When the game is done let them make their own designs for fun with the cups. Add some army men, little dinosaurs, or princesses figures and let the kids add them to the castle/pyramid structures for pretend play.
Coin Stacking
What you need: 50 pennies (amount for 2 players)
Kids each get a stack of 25 pennies and must stack them up in a minute’s time. The fastest one wins. This is harder than you think.
Suck it Up
What you Need: 50 M&Ms or Skittles, 2 Straws, and 4 paper plates (amount for 2 players)
Each child gets a straw, 2500 M&Ms, and 2 paper plates. The kids have one minute to move all the M&Ms from one plate to the other by sucking them at the end of the straw.
Whoever finishes first, wins. Bonus: kids get to eat the candy which makes this a favorite.
Board Games
Dust off all those games in the closet, then order in some pizza and play a couple of board games together.
If your looking for a fun board game try Candyland for younger kids and Monopoly or Sorry for older kids.
My kids absolutely love playing Monopoly and you can find versions with their favorite characters like Toy Story or Fortnite.
We also enjoy playing Jenga together. It’s a great group game with the added suspense of when will the blocks will all fall down.
For trivia, lovers try the guessing game Headbanz. There are several varieties to make it harder or easier depending on your child’s age.
If you’re stuck at home host a Zoom Family Game Night with Friends and Family. Get some game ideas on our 15 fun Games to Play on Zoom with Kids.
Paper Airplane Challenge
All you need is some paper from your computer printer, then have the kids fold their airplanes and decorate them. This could take a while just in itself.
Then start racing them and see whose plane goes the furthest or which could do tricks. You can add on paper clips as weights to see if that makes a difference in speed or distance. (bonus science lesson)
Do you need some help coming up with different types of paper airplanes to make? Get this book with tons of easy-to-make plane varieties. I found our kids were more excited about playing when they had a new type of plane each round.
Obstacle Course
Use pillows, small cones, hula hoops, or anything you already have in your house and set up an obstacle course to run through. The kids can help make up the course, run through it, and then keep changing it to make it better.
Related Article – Painting with Bubbles A fun art activity at home
10 Minute Lego Challenge
Have the kids do a Lego Challenge to use their creativity and keep busy. Put out a box of random Lego pieces.
Then give the kids 10 minutes to create something out of the Lego pieces available. It’s fun to see what they can create in a short time.
Kids Crafts
Crafts are a great way to keep the kids busy at home. My kids love to make these easy Coffee Filter Butterflies. All you need is coffee filters, a water bottle, and markers to make these beautiful butterflies they can spend all day creating.
If you have old cardboard boxes use them to make Cardboard Butterfly Crafts. A fun recycled art activity with tissue paper, cardboard & markers.
STEM Activities
Try these cool Science Activities on a Rainy Day at Home.
Make a Cool Rain Cloud in a Jar with only a few items. Kids will love watching the food dye (rain) go through the shaving cream (clouds).
Learn How to Make a Volcano at Home. Kids will be in awe when it explodes. They’ll want to try it over and over again.
Where to Play these Indoor Games
Beside using these games at home on rainy days they would be great as birthday party games for a bigger group.
I also love using Minute to Win it Games at school parties, they are always a hit! Or check out our list of easy Elementary School Party Games for more ideas and inspiration.
If you want something more virtual try our Zoom Games for kids. They can visit with friends and having fun playing games without being in contact. Everything from one on one battleships to group games like Are you Smarter Than a 5th grader.
More Games to Play at Home
If you want more indoor games and outdoor activities that won’t cost you a thing use our list of 60 Free Things to Do with Kids. These would be great for trying out a no-spend weekend with the kids.
Head out on a family scavenger hunt through your neighborhood or a local nature trail for a free day out too. Or create some fun DIY Outdoor Yard Games with Dollar Tree items.
Reconnect with your kids and enjoy quality time together with Fun Family Bonding Activities at Home. Cheap Things to do the whole family will enjoy together.
Trying to work from home with kids? Use the I’m Bored Jar to keep kids busy while you work. Filled with 36 Things to Do When Your Kids are Bored.
Keep the kids on a daily schedule while school is out. Here is our free printable daily schedule for kids to help make your day at home less chaotic.
Are you ready now for upcoming rainy days or days off school? The great part about these fun indoor games is you can adjust them to be easier or harder based on your child’s age.
Start out using these as fun things to do on rainy days with the kids and then add a weekly game night to your schedule. Once you start this you, will be surprised how much they love playing family games and don’t mind ditching their electronics.
Well, maybe not ditching the electronics forever, but at least for some nights. But hey, that’s a win too. Make sure to put your phone away, too!
I hope you enjoyed these fun rainy day activities for kids and found cool things to do on a rainy day at home.
If you have another great indoor game your family likes to play please share it with us in the comments. I love hearing from my readers.
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I love the cup stacking idea. Thanks for sharing your great ideas.
Hope your kids love the game!
Hope you kids have a great time playing the game!
I entered the right site! I loved the idea .. I’m already playing with my daughters! they will love it! thanks for sharing!