Spring in Iowa is finicky. One day it’s warm and sunny, the next it’s cold and rainy. When inclement weather keeps kids inside, it can be hard to keep everyone entertained. Of course, Des Moines offers plenty of amazing indoor play spaces, bowling alleys, skating rinks and museums where families can take shelter when bad weather arrives, but sometimes staying home can be just as much fun—if you have a few activities up your sleeve.
Whatever the reason you’re staying put, try one of these 25 indoor, boredom-busting games, crafts, and other things to do with kids to turn a rainy day into a memorable one.
25 Rainy Day Boredom Busters
- Bake up some fun.
- Let the kids raid your closet and put on a fashion show.
- Gather the family to enjoy a story podcast.
- Write letters (on actual paper with actual pens and pencils) to out-of-town relatives or friends.
- Blow up some balloons, toss ’em in the air, and don’t let them touch the ground.
- Play “I Spy” or “21 Questions.”
- Make paper-bag puppets and put on a show.
- Tackle a challenging puzzle as a family.
- Challenge your brood to a game of charades.
- Then find your voices with a karaoke concert.
- Bring May flowers by making May Day Baskets.
- Crack open those activity books you have piled up.
- Get everyone together for a family scavenger hunt.
- Have an indoor “camp out” with sleeping bags, a tent, board games, and s’mores.
- Cook dinner together.
- Break out a deck of cards and play “Trash” or “King’s on the Corner”.
- Burn up some energy with a few quick exercises.
- Embrace your inner Einstein with cool science experiments.
- Make a paper kite.
- Publish a family magazine or newspaper.
- Have a readathon – set a challenge to see how many books/chapters can be read during the day.
- Go on an indoor picnic or host a tea party.
- Turn up the tunes and just dance.
- Paint faces.
- Create an indoor obstacle course.
What’s your go-to rainy day boredom buster? Help us all out and share it in the comment section below!
