12 Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

by Nicholas Russo

It's pouring outside, the park is out, and your toddler has energy to burn. Rainy days can feel very long with a 2- to 5-year-old at home, but you don't need a craft closet or a screen marathon to get through them. Here are 12 easy indoor activities that use things you already have.

Get the wiggles out

  1. Sock basketball. Roll up a pile of socks and shoot them into a laundry basket. Move the basket farther away as they get better, and count the baskets together.
  2. Living room soccer. Use two shoes as a goal and a soft ball or balloon. Take turns being goalie.
  3. Dance party freeze. Play music and freeze when it stops. Great for listening skills, too.
  4. Pillow obstacle course. Crawl over couch cushions, under a table, and around a chair. Let your child design the next course.

Quiet and creative

  1. Coloring time. Our free Munchie Giraffe online coloring book works right in your browser, with no printer needed.
  2. Build a blanket fort. Then bring in books and a flashlight for fort story time.
  3. Sticker and tape roads. Painter's tape on the floor makes instant roads for toy cars. Add "stop signs" and practice stopping and looking both ways.
  4. Sorting games. Sort socks, blocks or snacks by color or size. It's early math without trying.

Learn while you play

  1. Bake together. Let your toddler pour pre-measured ingredients, stir and add sprinkles. Count the sprinkles on each cookie. (This one is straight out of Munchie Holds Hands, where Munchie bakes cookies with Mom.)
  2. Battery hunt. Count every toy in the house that uses batteries, then play a one-minute "waiting game" with a kitchen timer, inspired by Munchie Needs Batteries.
  3. Sing-along break. Watch Munchie and his buddy Panther sing the ABCs and learn the months of the year on YouTube. Then turn it off and sing the songs together.
  4. Story time with a twist. Read a favorite book, then act it out. Your child plays the main character, and you play everyone else.

Tips for a calmer rainy day

  • Switch activities every 15–20 minutes. Toddlers have short attention spans, and moving on before they're bored prevents meltdowns.
  • Alternate busy and quiet. Follow sock basketball with coloring, and a dance party with story time.
  • Let them help with "real" jobs. Matching socks, wiping the table and stirring batter all feel important to a toddler.

Want more ideas? See our free activities for toddlers and preschoolers, all inspired by Munchie Giraffe's picture books.

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