Looking for easy games to entertain your toddler on rainy days? You look out of the window and it’s raining – again!
Rest assured, the rain can provide opportunities for play for your toddler that you might not think of on a sunny day.
So read on for some rainy day games for toddlers, and to find out how you can make the most of the weather, inside and out.
How Do You Make Rain Fun?
If your toddler is fascinated by rain (and face it, most toddlers enjoy a bit of weather!), use this to your advantage. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, rain-themed games can be fun.
Indoor Rainy Day Games For Toddlers That Involve Rain
Even if you can’t go out in the rain at the moment, there’s plenty you can do indoors – using just the rain, water, and your imagination!
1. Container Filling Game
Put out different shapes and sizes of containers on your windowsill or patio, and see how much rain you can collect. You can make this into a game or competition between, say, the ice cream tub and the yoghurt pot. Budding scientists will notice that different containers will fill at different rates
2. Drawing On The Window
Remember those rainy childhood days travelling in the car where you used to write on the steamed-up windows? If you have windows which easily condense at home, you can have some classic drawing-on-the-windows fun! Get some literacy skills in there by writing your own name, or you can play noughts and crosses for a bit of maths!
Even on windows that are well-insulated, you can play chase the raindrop – have fun watching raindrops run down the window pane. Trying to guess which one will ‘win’ the race can be very entertaining for little ones.
3. Boat Race – Rainy Day Games For Toddlers
Bring the outdoors indoors by grabbing a washing-up bowl or tub, making a couple of simple paper boats (or using a toy) and seeing which boat can win a race. Use your finger to give the boat a boost, or you can blow it!
4. Sink Or Swim
Again, grab a washing-up bowl, baby bath or tub. This one just needs a few plastic toys, Duplo bricks or animal/character figures.
Take five objects each and predict whether each one will ‘sink or swim’. Then test your theory.
Indoor Rainy Day Games For Toddlers Away From The Rain
5. Scavenger Hunt
Any type of Scavenger hunt can keep little ones entertained for (hopefully) hours! If you have small cars, soft toys, tokens, shells, conkers, Paw Patrol figures – anything where you have at least 10-20 items, these can be hidden around the house. The beauty of this game is that your toddler may have so much fun, they want to hide the items for you to find. Again, and again! Think Easter egg hunt with a twist. Chocolate coins or play money works well too.
6. Matching Games
We also love this easy Peek-A-Book Ghost Match Game from Minne-Mama. Cut out a ghost shape template, then trace and cut that out 10 times using white paper. Number each ghost 1-10. Then make 10 matching pairs (10 more ghosts), also labelled 1-10.
Stick the original ghosts on a board or just lay them out on the floor. Hide the matching pairs anywhere around the house. Your little one goes on a Scavenger hunt for the 10 ghosts and matches them up by number with the original numbered ghosts.
This game can be adapted for pumpkins or anything really. You could do a rain-themed version with large raindrops to find and collect!
7. Shuffle Bottom Fox and Rabbit
This is another one to save in the bank for easy rainy games for toddlers, including two players or more. A bit like Grandmother’s footsteps, this one involves shuffling on your bottom across the floor. Have one person (maybe the adult) stand or sit in front of the wall with their back towards the other player(s). They are the crafty fox!
The other player(s) is the sneaky rabbit! When the fox says ‘go’, the rabbit(s) shuffle as quietly as they can across the floor towards the fox. The fox can turn around at any point, and when they do, the rabbit needs to freeze! Any wiggling or moving and the rabbit will be ‘caught’. The aim of the game is for the rabbit to tap the fox on the shoulder without them catching them.
If you are playing with two players, swap as soon as one of you gets caught.
Add cushions or mats for extra comfort. Check out the bottom shuffle race here for more shuffling ideas!
8. Treasure Island Hop
You can do this with your little one, or with several children or your toddler can try this on their own for a bit of balance and coordination fun.
All you need is a few floor mats or cushions. Four is ideal if you are going head to head with your toddler, so two each.
First, create a ‘treasure’ or ‘desert’ island. You can do this easily by piling up a few soft toys or objects on a mat or cushion. You can even make this part of the game and involve your toddler. Can they add a few dinosaurs, maybe, or toy pirates, trees and props (think maps (rolled-up paper), eye patches, hats, a toy boat)?
The aim of the game is to cross to the desert island from your ship without falling into the sea.
Each player has a mat to stand on, and a mat or cushion to hold. Place the second mat in front of the first one, and hop across to that mat. Then turn around, pick the first mat up again, and place it in front of you. Again, hop across. By doing this, you will eventually cross to the ‘island’ in front of you.
Variations on Treasure Island Hop
Make it into a race by seeing who can get there first, or add an extra challenge by working as a team with your toddler. Both of you have to stand on the same mat, and both cross to the second mat, and so on. All without falling off, of course!
If you have a friend or sibling at home, you can try with three, and so on.
The beauty of Treasure Island Hop is that you can encourage your little one to experiment with distance, balance and coordination. By placing the map they are hopping to a little further away each time, they will learn how to judge distance and work on their balance when they start wobbling!
Great for if you have limited space inside as they’re still working on gross motor skills without running around at top speed. Or if you have a long room or hallway, you can make the ‘sea’ as wide and long as you like.
Also check out our 15 Rainy Day Activities For Toddlers.
9. Build A Tower
Anything you have lying around can be used for this game. Duplo bricks, wooden bricks, stackable toys and cars, cardboard boxes. Simply see who can build the tallest (or widest, or thinnest, or least wobbly) tower. Can your toddler build a tower as tall as they are? Most little ones also love knocking towers down afterwards.
Is It OK To Play Out In The Rain?
The short answer is, yes! Rain is good for you. As we said in Days Out For Toddlers When It’s Raining, the electrons in the air can really help regulate your mood. Not to mention your toddler’s! Even if you’re not into the science of it all, don’t we all feel better after a stomp through wet leaves and puddles? Fresh air and exercise – what’s not to like?!
So if you’re able to get outside, here are a few rainy day games to try.
- Simple water games like putting out old containers and catching the rain
- Water funnels to divert the rain – if you don’t have one, make one using an old milk container or plastic bottle. These can also be attached to a fence or used with extra water on a sand table.
- Sand/water table – let the rain fill up ‘ponds’ and ‘rivers’. Maybe add some plastic animals to create a habitat
- Stomping in wellies and making wet footprints/trails
- Den/shelter building – extra fun when you’re actually sheltering from the weather!
- Magic potions using chalk – let the rain wet a piece of outdoor chalk (or dissolve it in a bit of water). Add water in a container and hey presto! Purple, or pink, or green water!
- Puddle hopping/scooter sploshing – be like Peppa Pig jumping in the puddles
- Pooh sticks in the rain – like traditional pooh sticks but with the added challenge of the sticks being in a more choppy river or stream!
Ever seen a toddler standing under a tree with their tongue hanging out, trying to catch the drips? You’ll often find toddlers invent their own games in the rain!
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
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15 easy to do rainy day activities for toddlers
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