Fun Things to Do With Kids on a Rainy Day
Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Modern English Nursery Rhyme About Rain
"It's raining; it's pouring
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed and bumped his head
And he couldn't get up in the morning."
(Copyrighted in 1944 by Freda Selicoff)
Rainy Day Activities for the Whole Family
Rainy days usually keep everyone inside, but it can be the perfect kind of day to spend together as a family doing some fun things you never seem to have time for on other days. Whether your at home or on vacation, a rainy day doesn't mean everyone has to be grumpy. Here are some fun things you can do inside your house with kids on a rainy day:
- Build a fort and read, draw, or color inside of it
- Do science experiments with common kitchen ingredients (like make your own silly putty or make an exploding volcano)
- Have an indoor Olympics with silly games like blowing cotton balls across the floor with straws or see how long you can balance a spoon on your nose
- Use cardboard boxes and recyclables to build a castle, city, bridge or robot
- Play board games, card games or video games as a family
- Create silly parodies to your favorite songs and then make a video of your family singing it
- Do arts and crafts together
If you are willing to leave the house, consider these rainy day activities:
- Visit your local public library
- Visit a local historical center or tourism office to learn about your hometown
- Go to the movies or rent a movie
- Go on a shopping scavenger hunt see how many items you can buy that start with the letter T for under ten dollars, or give everyone $5 and have them pick items to do a craft at home
- Go outside and play in the puddles
- Make a day trip to a nearby city and explore science or history at a museum. See chart below for ideas!
Plan Ahead for Rainy Days
When you are planning a family vacation, do your research to find out what places you could visit if rain ruins your outdoor plans. Although most areas have great indoor activities for kids that you can go to at the last minute and still get in, there are some that require purchasing tickets in advance. By doing your research and knowing what is available and how tickets are sold, you can prevent double dissappointment when rain ruins your plans.
The chart below highlights some of America's best cities for families to travel to and some of the outdoor and indoor activities that each city offers. Each city has at least one activity that is free, all the others are reasonably priced. I personally have visited seven of the cities listed below and of all of them listed, New York City is my favorite for kids. New York offers so many indoor and outdoor attractions and I have gone several times with the kids at different times of the year (and various weather conditions) and we have always had fun.
Fun Things to Do with Kids when it Rains While You are on Vacation
There is nothing worse than planning a great vacation and having it ruined by rain. Recently, my kids had plans to go to Virginia for a long weekend with their aunt. They were going to go to a water park, amusement park, and doing some sightseeing. On that same weekend, my husband and I were going to enjoy some alone time and do some sight-seeing in Pittsburgh. Well, rain changed everything that weekend. It was pouring buckets of rain up and down the east coast. Needless to say everyone was a bit grumpy since we all had been waiting months for this awesome weekend and now all our plans were ruined. The good news is, we found some great things to do in spite of the rain. Always, plan ahead and have a few places picked out to go to in case it rains on your next vacation so you can still enjoy yourself.
Cities for Families to Visit with Rainy Day and Sunny Day Activities
City
| Rainy Day Activities
| Sunny Day Activities
|
|---|---|---|
New York, NY
| Madame Toussand's Wax Museum, Museum of Natural History, Indoor Ferris Wheel at Toys R Us at Times Square
| Central Park, Central Park Zoo, Top of the Rock
|
Boston, MA
| Paul Revere's House, Maritime Museum, Natick Mall
| Freedom Trail
|
Washington, D.C.
| Smithsonian Museums
| Monuments/National Mall
|
San Francisco, CA
| Children's Creativity Museum, California Academy of Sciences
| Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown
|
Chicago, IL
| Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Public Library, Lincoln Park Zoo
| Millennium Park
|
Denver, CO
| Butterfly Pavilion, Children's Museum
| Botanic Gardens, Skate Park, Elitch Gardens Theme Park
|
Miami, FL
| Zippy Rides Jumping Gym, Coral Castle
| Amelia Earhart Park, Miccosukee Indian Village and Airboat Rides
|
New Orleans, LA
| National WWII Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art
| The Jackson Center
|
Atlanta, GA
| Georgia Aquarium
| Olympic Park
|
Baltimore, MD
| National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland Science Center
| Inner Harbor
|
Great Cities for Families to Visit
- Cities for Family Vacations - Top 10 Cities for Families - Family Vacation Critic
I remember the first time I, a child raised near farms, ventured to the Windy City with my parents. I thought taxis were thrilling, the skyscrapers were (rightfully) towering into the sky, and the attractions were far better than anything I could sam - America's best free attractions - Yahoo! Travel
From Yahoo! Travel: Make the most of your summer by visiting these famous spots around the United States; you won't have to pay a penny to do it.
