Things to do on a rainy day. Fun activities for kids of all ages from crafts to art to outings that can turn their gloomy day to awesome. #activities #crafts #rainyday

9 Rainy Day Activities to Maintain Your Sanity

We have had rainy day after rainy day this year in San Diego. It feels great at first, we know that we’ve been suffering a drought for years, but it’s starting to feel like Seattle. It has been the wettest winter I’ve ever had in my nearly 12 years living in Southern California.

San Diego is made for an outdoor lifestyle. We have gorgeous zoos and incredible beaches. Our endless summers soil us. When the clouds roll in the sky’s open up – we don’t know what to do with ourselves on a rainy day – much less consectutive rainy days.

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My girls have been loving the change in weather. We aren’t used to this. Rain boots are novelty items that get pulled out a few days a year. Umbrellas are used more to keep the sun away than raindrops. The rainy day novelty has worn off though and we’ve found ourselves desperate for ways to keep occupied in a city that isn’t built for rainy weather.

Things to do on a rainy day. Fun activities for kids of all ages from crafts to art to outings that can turn their gloomy day to awesome.

Here are 9 great rainy day activities

  1. Activity Books – these books are great for all ages. They have a variety of activities that occupy the kids from coloring to stickers to alphabet worksheets. Big Nugget loves all things unicorn so she loves this one and while Little Nugget is happy with a blank notebook, she also loves these coloring books.
  2. Cloud Dough – my girls love a good sensory bin and this cloud dough recipe is simple and will keep the girls occupied for a while. It’s a great way to use up any leftover food coloring and not nearly as messy as slime.
  3. Invitation to Play – I’ve really never heard of these until I started to follow other bloggers. The concept is amazing, you set out an assortment of things to play with or craft with around a theme or interest that your child has and let them have at it. This is a great example of it and uses the cloud dough from above.
  4. Movies – Yes, this is a rather obvious rainy day activity but you can switch it up and go see something in 3D or even better, something in 4D. You can read (and watch) our review of a 4DX movie here.
  5. Process Art – much like invitations to play, process art was also a new term to me. My friend Ashley just launched an Instagram page, Little Makers and Bakers, with so many adorable and fun ideas for kiddos. And as a busy mom of three girls, this former teacher has you covered with ideas. Give her a follow for some great rainy day activities.
  6. Nail Salon – my girls love when we do our nails together and it will chew up a little part of the day. I love Piggy Paint for the girls, it’s non-toxic and doesn’t smell. If I want to get real fancy, I’ll do my own nails with Color Street and then use the scraps for Big Nugget’s nails. They don’t need time to dry so I don’t have to worry about it smearing. They don’t seem to last as long on her as they do on me but then again, no paint stays on their nails.
  7. Make Jewelry – These bead and button pipe cleaner bracelets are so cute and so easy, you probably already have the supplies on hand. Glitter on a Dime has so many great ideas for crafty activities, her site is a treasure trove of creative fun.
  8. Rainy Day Roundupthis is a great list of ideas that you can do with kids of all ages. Even some ideas if your rain is of the frozen snow variety…
  9. Post-It Note Matching – Our wonderful nanny put this activity together for the girls one day – all you need is some paper, a marker, and post-it notes. She put their names and either some shapes or some numbers on the paper, matched each with a Post-It, and then let them match it all up. So creative and so easy.
Things to do on a rainy day. Fun activities for kids of all ages from crafts to art to outings that can turn their gloomy day to awesome. #activities #crafts #rainyday

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