Rainy days are a great opportunity for indoor toddler activities. We prepared this simple list that includes not only fun learning for toddlers, but also some quiet time for parents too.

Try them and let us know which one is your favorite toddler activity in the comments!

Sensory Play

1. Rainy Day Sensory Bins – Fill a bin with water beads or rice dyed to look like a rainy scene. Add small figures of animals or people with umbrellas.
2. Indoor Sand Play – Use kinetic sand or moon sand (just flour and baby oil) for a tactile experience without the mess.
3. Mud Kitchen – If you’re okay with a little mess, set up a “mud kitchen” with some soil, water, and kitchen tools for pretend play. Instead of soil you can use also 2-3 spoons of whole-wheat flour with coffee beans and a cup of water and create a mud.

Arts and Crafts

4. Finger Painting – Use non-toxic paint for a sensory-rich activity that also encourages creativity.
5. Rainy Window Art – Let them stick stickers or draw with washable markers on windows. Rainy days make these displays even more magical.
6. Make Rain Sticks – Use paper towel rolls, tape one end, fill with rice or beans, and cover with paper or foil. Decorate to mimic the sound of rain.
7. Paper Plate Umbrellas – Cut out an umbrella shape from a paper plate, let them paint or color it, and add a yarn handle.

Movement and Music

8. Rain Dance – Play rain sounds or calming music and have a dance session, mimicking the movements of rain.
9. Puddle Jumping – If you have a safe space, put down blue towels or sheets for “puddle” jumping.
10. Parachute Play – With a large sheet or a real parachute, play games like making waves or “raining” down small balls.

Games

11. Rainy Day Scavenger Hunt – Hide items around the room related to rain (like rubber ducks or mini umbrellas) for them to find.
12. Building Raindrops – Use blocks or Lego to build structures that resemble raindrops or clouds.
13. Puzzles and Matching Games – Work on puzzles with rain or weather themes, or match raindrops to clouds by color or number.

Literacy

14. Rainy Day Story Time – Rainy days are perfect for telling stories or reading fairy tales together.
15. Make Your Own Book – Create a simple book about rain, with them drawing or pasting pictures on each page.
16. Cloud Watching – Look out the window together and describe the shapes of clouds or imagine stories about them. A great song to sing and rhymes to learn is Clouds by Celeste Nous.

Quiet Time Activities

17. Puppet Show – Use hand or finger puppets to tell a story about rain or animals taking shelter.
18. Coloring Books – Weather-themed coloring books can be both educational and relaxing.
19. Shadow Play – Use a flashlight and their hands or cut-out shapes to make shadow “rain” on the wall.

Cooking Together

20. Rainy Day Baking – Bake some cookies or a yummy muffins. You can try our apple oatmeal muffin recipe or these healthy muffin recipes that are simply delicious.
21. Raindrop Snacks – Use blue Jell-O or grapes to make “raindrop” snacks.

Science and Exploration

22. Water Cycle Experiment – Use a jar with some water, a lid, and place it in sunlight to see condensation, demonstrating the water cycle.
23. Rain Gauge – Make a simple rain gauge from a plastic bottle to measure rainfall if it’s safe to go outside briefly.
24. Exploring Textures – Collect leaves or mud from outside (if possible) to explore the textures after rain.

Learning New Skills

25. Dressing for the Weather – Practice putting on rain gear, teaching them about appropriate clothing for different weather.
26. Sorting Clothes – Sort laundry by colors or types while talking about how we keep clothes dry on rainy days.
27. Music with Rain Sounds – Introduce instruments or make homemade shakers to mimic rain sounds.

Calm-down Activities

28. Yoga for Toddlers – Do some simple yoga poses that mimic rain, like “raindrop” (child’s pose).
29. Breathing Exercises – Practice deep breathing with pretend blowing away clouds or rain.
30. Quiet Reading Nook – Set up a cozy corner with pillows and blankets for independent or shared reading time.

These activities not only keep your toddler busy but also will help them to learn something new making rainy days a wonderful opportunity for learning and fun.

#rainyday #indoorplay