Rainy Days: How To Keep The Kids Entertained
As any parent knows, entertaining children on a rainy day can be tough. Some of your kids’ favourite activities may be off-limits due to the weather, such as playing in the garden or heading to the park. But the rain doesn’t have to stop play altogether. Here are some brilliant ideas for rainy day fun with the kids.
Visit an Indoor Play Centre
If you can’t go to your kids’ favourite outdoor play park, there’s only one thing to do - head indoors. An indoor play centre offers hours of fun for your children, while you can relax and watch from the side-lines.
You can sip a coffee and catch up on some reading while they burn off all that excess energy on soft play, ball pools, climbing frames and slides. You may even be able to round up some friends or family with children and really make a day of it while the rain pours outside.
Go Puddle Jumping
The rain may be no fun for grown-ups, but for kids it presents an exciting opportunity to find a huge puddle and make the biggest splash possible. Younger children in particular absolutely love puddle jumping in wet weather, and it’s surprising how long it’ll keep them entertained.
You can even enjoy some wet weather games while you’re out, including painting with mud, floating tiny toy boats on puddles or racing leaves and twigs down a gutter. Go on a nature walk, rescue some worms or recreate that famous scene from ‘Singing in the Rain’ - these are all super fun things to do with younger children in the rain. Remember, the sillier the activity, the more fun it’ll be!
The joy of these rainy day adventures with the family is getting soaked and loving it. It can be an invigorating rather than an unpleasant experience if you embrace it.
However, if you don’t fancy carrying a sopping wet, cold child home, it’s best to kit your little one out in head-to-toe wet weather gear before heading out. An all-in-one kids’ puddle suit is ideal. When paired with a colourful pair of our kids' wellies, your kids can splash and puddle jump to their heart's content without getting soaked.
Don't fancy investing in a puddle suit if they don't go out too often? Layer them up in one of our kids' waterproof jackets instead! We've got a colourful collection of boys raincoats and warm waterproof jackets for girls, so they'll look just as adorable as they splash about outside!
Camp Indoors
Putting a den together or setting a mini campsite up properly indoors is a great way to sprinkle some adventure into the day. Let the kids take over either the living room or their own bedrooms (wherever has the available space) with a pop up tent, an un-zipped kids sleeping bag (to use as a blanket) and some bed sheets thrown over chairs to build out their base. It's worth checking out our guide on camping indoors to gather some more ideas on what the kids could do!
Walk the Dog
For many dogs, the day is centred around two main events - mealtimes and walks. Many dogs don’t really mind the wet weather. In fact, some absolutely love it! They’ll make sure to jump in every puddle and streak across muddy fields, even if they do end up completely soaked at the end of the walk. If you've got a puddle suit, your child can join them in the fun!
If you’re planning to brave the rain with your pooch, make sure you have a really good waterproof coat - and not just for you. Wrap up your furry friend in a waterproof and windproof dog coat, making sure to choose one that is reflective so you can always find your pup even in bad weather. This’ll keep your dog warm and just a little drier, so they won’t completely coat your walls and floors with mud when they shake off the drips indoors. It's also worth having a dedicated travel towel for drying off your dog after a walk.
Play with Friends
A great way to keep your child entertained is to invite one of their friends over. If you're friends with any parents from your child's school, or have a friend or family member who also has a child, arrange to meet up at either your house or theirs. That way you'll get to settle in on a comfy sofa, have a good old catch-up and a lovely cup of tea whilst the kids can spend the afternoon drawing or playing.
We hope you found some inspiration from our suggestions on what to do with the kids when it's raining outside. If you want to find some more ideas for when the nice weather finally returns, have a read of our separate article on things to do with the kids.
