Rainy Day Fun in Des Moines

Rainy Day Fun in Des Moines

Rainy spring days may be perfect for curling up with a book or stomping in puddles, but sometimes busy kids need more than at-home boredom-busters on stormy days. That’s where these indoor activities for kids come in. No matter the season, Des Moines has an array of great indoor activities for the whole family.

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Here are just a few ideas to try when the rainy-day blahs kick in:

1. Spend the morning at the museum.

Visit the State Historical Museum of Iowa and check out all of their exhibits, including the “Hands On” history exhibit.  Young visitors can literally get their hands-on Iowa history by playing with Duplo blocks, creating crayon rubbings of Iowa symbols, playing with a model train and sitting on a historic tractor for a fun photo op.

2. Go climbing.

Help your kids get their exercise in a new and interesting way: rock climbing! We’re talking about Climb Iowa, which is open seven days a week.  If your kids are like mine, they are climbing up the walls by 10:00 am anyway, so they might as well learn to do it with correct foot placement.

3. Try painting pottery.

There’s plenty of paint to keep your kiddos busy and creative on a rainy day at local ceramics and paint-your-own pottery studios in Des Moines.  Bring everyone in the family along – even the little ones will enjoy grabbing a brush and making their own piece of art.

4. Visit the public library.

As you’ve seen in some of our other posts, we promote local libraries a lot, because they are incredible! Virtually every day has some kind of activity for kids to participate in. It’s not all sitting still and story time either, there are music and motion classes and Lego building clubs available depending on the library or day.

5. Get Your Game On

Play retro video games and current favorites at one of these family friendly arcades in Des Moines. 

Rainy Day Fun in Des Moines - dsm4kids.com

6. Go ahead and jump.

Let the kiddos climb, jump and slide to their hearts’ content at one of the indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks located in the Des Moines area.  These are excellent places for kids to get the wiggles out indoors on a rainy afternoon.

7. Knock down some pins.

Bowling a couple of frames is a great way for kids to while away a rainy afternoon. And, as an added bonus, many Des Moines area bowling areas, house restaurants, arcades and other entertainment options, if you want to change up the fun.

8. Head to the movies.

Going to the movies is a great rainy day stand by. Stock up on popcorn and treats, head to your local movie theater, and get ready for a few hours of relaxation and entertainment.

9. Go under the dome.

The weather is perfect in the Des Moines Botanical Garden’s dome 365 days a year.  You can peruse their indoor gardens and be sure to check their website to see if they have any special activities like story time or youth workshops scheduled on the day of your visit.

10. Lace up your skates.

I can’t imagine a more fun rainy-day activity than going roller skating.  If you haven’t taken your kids roller skating before, a rainy day is a great opportunity to introduce them to some old school fun!

 

 

How does your family have a little rainy day fun in Des Moines?