15 Fun Things to Do on Rainy Summer Days With Your Kids


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It’s pouring down rain outside and the kids are out of school for the summer, maybe it has even been raining or storming for a few days in a row, making it much harder to send the kids out to play.

Instead of being bombarded with the cries of “Mom. I’m bored” from your children, why not have a handy list of rainy summer day activities at the ready?

The majority of the items on this list only require items that you probably already have at home so you don’t have to worry about going out in the rain either!

making slime kids

Build a Fort

Kids love building forts inside and a rainy summer day is a perfect time. Gather up some pillows and blankets and let them get creative building a fort to play in.

Once the fort is complete let them enjoy a special snack inside or give them some flashlights to read a book inside it.

Indoor Obstacle Course

An indoor obstacle course can keep your kids entertained for quite a while and you don’t need a whole lot of room or objects to set one up.

You can set up a simple obstacle course in a hallway with crepe paper or string. Just hang the string or crepe paper up from one side of the hallway to the other in a zigzag pattern and see who can get through the fastest without touching the paper.

You can make your course bigger and more elaborate if you would like by using household objects to jump over, crawl under, or go through if you want to make it more challenging.

Board Games/Card Games

Chances are you have at least a few board games or card games on a shelf at home and a rainy day is a perfect time to pull them out and let the kids play. Let the kids take turns choosing which games to play, and maybe even sit down to play a few rounds with them.

family board games

If you don’t have any board games, or if your kids are tired of them, a rainy day is a perfect time to let them create one of their own.

All you need is some poster board, or construction paper and game pieces or small objects that you have around the house like toy cars or little dolls. Let them draw the game board and create cards to tell you what action you need to do, or just write on the game board spaces.

Bake Treats

A rainy summer day is a perfect time to bake up something special for dessert or a nice afternoon snack. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, rice crispy treats, whatever you have all of the ingredients on hand to make. The kids will love spending time in the kitchen with you to make a special treat.

Make Slime

Do your kids love playing with slime? If so, then making your own slime at home is a perfect rainy day activity! There are lots of recipes for making slime online and many of them only use items that you would commonly have around the house such as glue and contact solution.

Dance Party

Kids getting antsy from being cooped up inside? Not a problem, put on a kid-friendly playlist, turn up the volume and let them dance away some of that pent-up energy.

You could even have a friendly dance competition to see who can come up with the coolest moves.

Art Projects

Rainy days indoors are the perfect time to let the kids get crafty. Chances are you already have everything you need like canvas, paint, brushes, pom poms, markers, paper, beads, sequins, and glitter.

If you don’t already have these items on hand they can be purchased inexpensively from your local dollar store. While you are there keep an eye out for special projects that you can put away just for a rainy day like inexpensive wooden picture frames, door hangers, boxes, and bird houses that the kids can paint and decorate for a special treat.

Make Cards for Neighbors, First Responders, Nursing Home

A rainy day is the perfect time to have the kids sit down and spend some time making thoughtful and creative cards that they can share with others. Your local police or fire station might be the perfect place to drop them off with some cookies to let them know their service and hard work are appreciated.

The local nursing home is another great place to drop off some homemade cards to really brighten up the resident’s day.

Write and Illustrate a Story

Kids have wonderful imaginations and they can come up with some pretty amazing stories. Give them a notebook or some paper and have them write down and illustrate a story.

If your kids are too young to write it out themselves you can help them and then have them illustrate it. Chances are this is a keepsake you will hold on to forever.

Simon Says

A game of Simon Says can be a lot of fun for the whole family and can inspire a lot of laughter as you take turns being Simon. You don’t need anything to play this game except for a little bit of room and your creativity!

Put on a Play

If your kids are a fan of the theater or simply like dramatic plays then a rainy day is the perfect time to put on a play. They can write their own play, or simply act out a favorite story or movie that they know and you get to be the audience!

Karaoke/Band

If your kids love to sing or make music, how about letting them have a karaoke hour? If they don’t like to sing but still enjoy making music, how about using items from around the house to start a band?

Toilet paper rolls and dried beans make great shakers, you could also make instruments out of spoons, or even just a wooden spoon and a saucepan. Want to get the kids moving too? Turn the activity into a marching band!

Cook a Meal Together

Do your kids enjoy spending time with you in the kitchen? If so, then a rainy summer afternoon can be a great time to help them hone their cooking skills by preparing a meal together that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together.

Play Dress Up

If you have a selection of dress-up clothes around the house, or even some old clothes mom and dad don’t wear anymore then you have all you need for an hour or two of fun and imaginative pretend play.

Face paint, make-up (with mom’s permission), and temporary tattoos can also be a fun way to jazz up your costumes.

Play Hide and Seek

Hide and seek doesn’t have to be just for outdoors, a game of hide and seek can offer even more challenging places to hide. Just make sure you let the kids know beforehand if any rooms are off-limits before the game begins.

For more fun indoor activities for kids, check out:

We also have many free printables that can keep your kids entertained for a while, including our popular Free Summer Word Search Printable.

Rainy summer days don’t have to be boring, in fact, they offer an opportunity for lots of creative play and memories too! What are some rainy summer day activities that your kids enjoy?

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