A wet day in the holidays can feel long, especially when plans fall through and everyone is cooped up together. With a few ideas up your sleeve and a little set-up, rainy days can become some of the most memorable of the break. The key is matching activities to your children's ages, building in movement, and accepting a bit of happy mess.
Before you start: easy set-up tips
- Clear one space for messy play. Put an old sheet or tablecloth on the floor or table so you can relax about spills.
- Keep a rainy day box. Fill a box with craft supplies, recycled packaging, tape, string, cards and dice, and bring it out only on wet days so it feels special.
- Plan in blocks. Think morning activity, lunch, afternoon activity and quiet time, rather than trying to fill every minute.
- Involve the kids. Let each child choose one activity for the day.
- Have a tidy-up plan. Agree that each activity ends with a quick pack-up before the next one starts.
Rainy day ideas for ages 5–7
Younger children love hands-on play, make-believe and anything with a bit of fizz or surprise. Keep activities short and be ready to join in.
- Build a blanket fort or cubby and have a picnic or story time inside.
- Make a fizzing colour volcano with bicarb soda, vinegar and food colouring.
- Play indoor hide and seek or hide a toy and give hot and cold clues.
- Set up a pretend shop with play money to practise counting and giving change.
- Roll story dice and tell a silly story together.
- Have a teddy bear's tea party or a toy hospital.
- Do a simple indoor treasure hunt using picture clues.
Rainy day ideas for ages 8–10
Children in this age group enjoy challenges, rules, competition and making things that actually work.
- Run a paper bridge challenge to see whose design holds the most weight.
- Hold a paper plane test lab and measure distances down the hallway.
- Draw a comic strip story with a hero, a problem and a twist.
- Bake something simple and take charge of measuring the ingredients.
- Play board games or card games that involve strategy and counting.
- Create a family newspaper with interviews, weather reports and puzzles.
- Build a marble run from cardboard tubes and tape.
Rainy day ideas for ages 11–13
Pre-teens often want more independence and bigger projects that feel grown-up. Give them responsibility and creative freedom.
- Plan and cook lunch or dinner for the family, including a shopping list.
- Make a short stop-motion film or a mini documentary about the family pet.
- Design and host a family quiz night with themed rounds.
- Write a short story or start a holiday journal.
- Learn a new skill from a book or online tutorial, such as card tricks, origami or drawing.
- Map your neighbourhood from memory, then check it against a real map.
- Run a science experiment and record results like a real scientist.
Rainy day ideas for ages 14–16
Teenagers usually want to choose for themselves, so offer ideas rather than plans. Many enjoy activities that feel purposeful or social.
- Cook a more ambitious recipe or plan a themed dinner night.
- Start a creative project, such as writing music, drawing, photography or a short film.
- Plan a future day out on a budget, researching transport and costs.
- Set some personal goals for the term ahead using a goal planner.
- Play longer strategy board games or card games with family or friends.
- Learn a practical life skill, such as basic sewing, budgeting or simple repairs.
- Read a book that's been made into a film, then watch the film and compare.
Mix bicarb soda and vinegar to make a colourful eruption and discover what a chemical reaction is.
Using only paper and tape, design a bridge between two books that holds as many coins as possible.
Roll a die three times to pick a character, place and problem, then tell or write the story.
Each family member writes a quiz round about places and people, then everyone competes for the trophy.
Keeping energy up indoors
Children who can't get outside often become restless or irritable, and that's completely normal. Building in movement helps everyone feel better.
- Indoor obstacle course – use cushions, chairs and blankets to crawl over, under and around.
- Dance breaks – put on a favourite song between activities.
- Balloon games – keep the balloon off the floor, or play balloon volleyball over a string.
- Animal moves – hop like a kangaroo, waddle like a penguin, slither like a snake.
- Freeze games – musical statues or musical chairs work for a wide range of ages.
- Stretch or yoga time – a calm way to move before quiet time.
Building in quiet time
Being indoors all day can be overstimulating, especially with siblings in close quarters. Plan a quiet period in the afternoon when everyone does something calm in their own space, such as reading, drawing, listening to an audiobook or doing a puzzle. It gives children a chance to recharge and gives parents a breather too.
When siblings are different ages
Mixed-age families can find rainy days tricky. Choose activities with built-in roles, such as an older child running a quiz while younger ones answer, or older children designing a treasure hunt for younger siblings. Older kids feel trusted and younger ones love the attention. Cooking, fort building and board games also work well across ages with small adjustments.
Rainy days don't need to be perfect. A cosy fort, a batch of biscuits and a good game together can make for one of the best days of the holidays.
Turning a wet day into a learning day
Rainy days are also a natural chance for some low-pressure learning. Measuring ingredients while baking is real maths, writing the rules for a new board game is real writing, and recording rainfall in a homemade gauge is real science. Ask curious questions as you go, such as how could we make this stronger or what do you think will happen next, and let your child do the thinking. They'll be learning without even noticing.
Common questions
What can kids do inside on a rainy day?
Try building forts, simple science experiments, baking, board games, comic strips, paper plane challenges and indoor obstacle courses. Mixing active, creative and quiet activities keeps the day balanced.
How do I keep kids active indoors?
Build in short bursts of movement such as dance breaks, balloon games, freeze games and indoor obstacle courses. Even a few minutes of movement between activities helps reduce restlessness.
What are good rainy day activities for teenagers?
Teenagers often enjoy cooking ambitious recipes, creative projects like filmmaking or music, strategy games, planning a budget day out and learning new practical skills. Offer ideas and let them choose.
How can I entertain kids of different ages on a rainy day?
Choose activities with roles for each age, such as older children running a quiz or designing a treasure hunt for younger ones. Cooking, forts and board games also adapt easily.
What should be in a rainy day box?
Paper, pencils, textas, tape, glue, string, scissors, recycled boxes and tubes, a pack of cards, dice and a few simple craft materials. Bring it out only on wet days so it stays exciting.