Things to Do with Kids at Home

Last Updated on December 3, 2020

Rainy forecast graphic

Does the weekly forecast look like this again?

We all know what it is like, living on this island that is worldwide known for its famous rainfall. You are stuck at home, it is raining and you are looking for something fun to do with the kids. These activities can be done in as a family activity or your kids can do them on their own. They are super easy and only require things you have around the house. Get your kids excited and surprise them with these entertaining ideas to do at home. Turn up Mr Blue Sky on your speaker, sing-along and start having fun with these indoor activities.

Here is a list of some of our kids’ favourite activities to do at home:

  • The floor is lava: This game is great because you can play it anywhere, kids get creative using objects around them, and they also get tired by jumping around. Make it extra fun by switching rooms.
  • Activity sheets: We always keep some on hand to keep our kids busy when there is “nothing” to do. Older kids have a great time choosing their activity sheets themselves from the pc and are more likely to complete them if they selected it. Click here to find free printables: Maze, Colour by Number, Colouring Pages.
Child is colouring with crayons
  • Write a story: Get your children to write a story about their latest favourite book character or ask them to write a story for granny that always adds some extra motivation. Is your child stuck for ideas? Try using a ‘roll a story‘ board. You roll the dice, and that decides who and where your character is set. Kids can come up with lots of crazy ideas on how their story should go. 
  • Look at Cute Animals on a Live Cam: By far, one of our favourite rainy-day activities is to go and have a look at what cute animals do while we are waiting for the rain to pass. At explore.com you can find hundreds of different animals to look at and the website is kid-friendly. Look at little puppies sleeping or wolfs howling. Animal cams are always a great way to spend time together. 
  • Obstacle course: One of the best things to do on a rainy day, kids get themselves tired. They love creating the course, and then they can challenge themselves by trying to complete the course as many times as possible during one song. 
Girl smiling in a toy tunnel
  • Visit the Museum at Home: Many museums offer virtual tours of their exhibitions. Kids enjoy navigating on the screen through the museum to explore all the different displays, and they might even learn something new. I would recommend using a pc or tablet to make sure the screen is large enough to view. Click here to go on a tour in the Natural History Museum to see impressive stuffed animals. Other virtual museum tours that are interesting for kids: Met museum very interactive & fun for kids,  Roald Dahl Museum, British Museum to see historical artefacts from all over the world.
  • Make a Paper Boat and Float it in the Bathtub: We all remember at some point in our lives making paper boats, and we have a duty to pass on this tradition. Making the boats is fun, you can decorate them afterwards to make them a pirate ship and then throw it into the open sea of your bathtub. Kids love to play with water and are definitely going to get inspired by this activity. Follow the tutorial on how to make a paper boat by Easy Peasy and Fun.
  • Create a comic book: My kids are super into comics right now so, they came up with the idea to create their own comic book themselves. Your kids can write stories about their favourite superheroes, video game characters or teddy bears. Making a comic is fun because it combines writing and drawing. If your kids are still young, it might make sense to print a comic strip for them to fill in. 
Hulk and Robin superhero toy figures.
  • Build a fort: Everybody loves being in a giant pillow fort. Get all your pillows and blankets and make the comfiest fort for yourself to relax in. Add some accessories like twinkly lights or flashlights, bring in your teddies and enjoy! If you want to bring your pillow fort to the next level, try to cut out the entrance on a cardboard box and colour it as a castle or cave depending what you want your fortress to be.
  • Open a Playdough restaurant: Create a menu for your playdough restaurant, you could even set a price for the meals and make your own paper money. Get your family to place an order at your exquisite restaurant and have fun making spaghetti from playdough. 
Play Dough in shape of cakes.
  • Design a book cover: Get crafty and design a book cover. You could choose to make a cover to a story you wrote, a new edition of your favourite book or make a funny sentence and try to create a matching book cover to it. Take newspapers, photos, stickers and markers to make a unique book cover. 
  • Write a letter to a friend: This is an excellent activity to do during the holidays. Your child’s friend might not be available to meet as much as usual so writing a letter is a different way of staying connected. It can help your child to process their emotions about how they feel about their friendship and gives a sense of gratitude to your child when reflecting on all the good times they have had with their friend. 
  • Lego Challenge: Challenge your kids to make a dinosaur, a spacecraft or a town from Lego. Share your creation with the Lego magazine; maybe you will be featured in its next edition. And while you are at it, get a free one-year subscription of the lego magazine!
Lego city house
  • Play freeze dance: Put on your favourite songs and dance around like crazy until the music stops. There are some great songs to play this with on Spotify by the Kiboomers that have stops in the music included, so you don’t need a DJ. Also, if you have Amazon Alexa, she has an excellent freeze dance app that is interactive for kids. This game is great to get everyone moving and laughing. 
  • Freeze dinos and free them from the ice: Get a bunch of small dinos and put them in a box with water. Stick them in the freezer overnight, and you have got yourself dinos in the ice age. Use any tools you like to free the dinos like spoons, water spray or kids play tools. This is a great summer activity and is going to keep your kids busy while having fun. Don’t worry, if you run out of patience, run some warm water over the dinos, and they are free. 
  • Learn how to braid: Braiding is not only an important skill to have; it is also very creative, calming and enjoyable for people of all ages. The most fun way to learn to braid is by getting different coloured threads and making a friendship bracelet. Follow the instructions by Projects with kids.
  • Play Solitaire: Get your stack of cards out and have some relaxed time playing Solitaire. Playing cards can be inspiring to do lots of other things like building card houses or practising magic tricks, but Solitaire is one of the most popular card games of all times for a reason. If you need to refresh your memory, here is a video and written instructions.

Have you tried some of these activities and days later it is still raining? Why don’t you check out our recommendations on indoor places to go in Dublin? Have a great day out with the kids and come back after a fun-filled day to fall happily into bed.