We all know it seems much easier to entertain a busy toddler on a warm sunny day than it is during the long stormy days of winter .But for a toddler those cold rainy days can be just as fun!
I’ve surfed the internet for countless hours looking for new ideas on how to entertain my toddler during the winter. I have tried many that I thought he would love and others that I didn’t think he would have much interest in. These 16 activities for a stormy day have proved to be the most successful and engaging.
Outdoor Activities For Rainy Days
Puddle Jumping
A classic favorite among littles and for good reason
Puddle jumping after a rain storm can keep even the busiest toddler occupied for hours. This is probably my favorite rainy day activity. We all get some fresh air and the kid can get out all of his extra energy.
It’s also a great activity to let them work on their gross motor skills and overall balance.
worm Hunting
This activity goes hand in hand with puddle jumping on a wet stormy day.
The best part about this one is we both benefit from it, I get worms for my garden and he gets to have fun and advance his fine motor skills, like his pincer grasp and
Your toddler can spot the worms, collect and carry them back for you. Just make sure you bring a bucket with you! I’ve had to walk home with worms in my pockets before…you always lose track of at least one.
This is also a great opportunity to teach them about nature. Everything from the worms’ roll in the ecosystem to how they turn decomposing material into nutrient dense soil.
chasing rainbows
We know we should be put chasing waterfalls but no one has told us not to go chase rainbows.
When you’re right at the sweet spot of a stormy day where the sun is starting to peek through the clouds, you can have so much fun going out hunting rainbows.
This always has been and still is a magical experience. As an adult I still get excited to see one!
When you’re out looking, make sure your little one knows that the sun needs to be behind you to spot one.
watch a thunderstorm
Next time you catch yourself in the middle of a thunder and lighting storm take your toddler outside to experience it first-hand.
I know a lot of children are afraid of them, but exposing and teaching them about the storms can help that fear subside. If they know there’s nothing to be afraid of they just might start looking forward to them.
Anytime a thunderstorm rolls in, we go sit out on the front porch wrapped up in a blanket waiting for the next strike. My little man gets soo excited when he sees one
Of course make sure you’re being safe about it. Don’t stand in the middle of an open field and make sure you’re not the tallest thing around.
Indoor Activities For Stormy
build a fort
I have many great childhood memories building blanket forts on gray stormy days. We would watch movies, play games and tell stories once they were up.
I feel honored to have the opportunity to share these experiences with my own child now. My little guy was absolutely awestruck the first time I put a fort up for us. He played in it for hours, I think almost every toy he owns ended up in that fort.
I was actually able to go do some dishes while he was in there. I came back to find him asleep inside. Unfolding every blanket in the house is well worth the enjoyment he had.
chase Me
Having on of us chase him is by far my toddler’s favorite game to date. Lucky for us, our house is set up so we can literally run around in circles through all the rooms.
Any time he’s having a fit I start to stomp away and hide behind a door, when I jump out to scare him, he knows it’s time.
This game keeps him occupied for as long as I have the energy to run around. I stop and hide behind doors, in closets, behind the shower curtain, anywhere I can fit before he comes around the corner.
If he can’t find me, I jump out behind him and scare him. He absolutely loves it! Once I’m too worn out from running, I throw myself on the bed for him to find. Which brings me to our next activity…
jumping on the bed
I’m sure I have the unpopular opinion here but I’m all for jumping on the bed… at the appropriate time of course.
I used to have so much fun doing this as a kid and want mine to have the same fond memories. The best part about this is that because he is soo young still I can lay on the bed while he climbs on me and jumps off onto the pillows.
Of course I don’t let him do this when we’re all climbing into bed for the night. He knows the proper time by this point.
But during the day it’s game on. This is a fabulous way to expend some pent-up energy on the days we can’t do a whole lot outside.
pillow fights
I don’t think this classic sleepover game needs much explanation. It’s the perfect remedy for a dark, stormy day.
My guy adores getting smacked and knocked down with a soft, squishy pillow. He’s even starting to hit us back with them!
You do need to be gentle with this one, especially with littles. I’m sure we’ve all experienced a pillow fight turn into a real one in a hurry. But with the right care this can become a toddler favorite.
play dough
This can be a tricky one if you’ve got a child that likes to put everything in their mouth. Recently my toddler has been trying to eat his play dough so I have to keep a very close eye on him. I’m sure he’ll outgrow this stage soon.
Other than that, play dough is a huge hit in my house. His favorite thing to do is make balls and throw them off the table (I make sure to sweep well before we pull out the dough to avoid hair and dirt sticking to it)
This activity isn’t just engaging but also beneficial for the child’s fine motor skills and creativity. It’s also a great opportunity to teach colors to your little one.
building with blocks
As far as toddlers are concerned building towers and knocking them down never gets old. It seems like they can do this time and time again with the same amount of joy the moment it comes crashing down.
These types of games teach children about balance, coordination and cause and effect.
You can get creative and turn building blocks into bowling blocks. Not only do toddlers get the benefits of stacking blocks but they can practice their aim and throwing.
Mine loves building up a tower and then driving his truck into it, knocking it to the ground.
color, draw and paint
It feels as though my toddler is constantly asking me if he can color. It doesn’t matter if it’s sunny and 100°F or -5°F on a stormy day. He wants to color!
Honestly, this isn’t my favorite activity because he always wants to use markers. Lately he’s been trying to draw on everything except for the paper. So this isn’t really something I can set up for him to do while I get stuff done.
is well worth it though. He gets to practice his dexterity and I can use it as an opportunity to teach about colors and shapes. I get down on the ground with him and draw shapes in all different colors for him to identify. He’s getting really good at it.
If you’re brave you can also set up some paints, but expect a mess to clean up. Many kids seem to like the painting in a zip lock bag activity but mine was never thrilled with it. I think it’s great because there’s virtually zero mess to clean up afterwards.
I did get a few small wooden things from the dollar store for him to paint. His most recent was a little birdhouse. He only got the front done before losing interest, so I finished off the sides and top.
Make sure you buy or make your own kid friendly, washable paints. You’ll be happy you didn’t use your own paints that don’t clean so easily.
read. read. read.
Read to your child every chance you get, I know repeating the same book 10x in a day gets old fast but it is soo beneficial for them.
The repetition will help them start recognizing words and they’ll start reading those pages on their own in good time.
A great set of books for them to start reading on their own is the My First Learning Library. They’re small board books perfect for new readers.
If you’re in the middle of something and your little one comes up with a book asking you to read, put down what you’re doing for 5 minutes and read it to them. They’ll be ecstatic and run off happy to leave you to your chore for another 5 minutes before returning with another.
Frequent reading helps your child’s mental develop in a number of ways, such as; advancing their vocabulary, increasing their attention span, helping improve their communication, opening up their imagination and much more.
There’s just nothing like curling up in a blanket on a cold stormy day with a good book.
vinegar and Baking soda trays
This is a fantastic way to introduce science to a young child. It can actually be their very 1st science experiment!
My favorite way to present this activity is in muffin tins. Put some baking soda into each space and give the child some vinegar to pour into the tin. I like to add some food coloring into the vinegar to teach about mixing colors.
Depending on their age, you can ask them a variety of questions before they start pouring such as…
What color do you think we will make by mixing yellow and red, blue and yellow, etc.?
How do you think the baking soda will react when the vinegar hits it?
Do you think it will react differently with different colors?
Do you think it would have a different outcome if the vinegar was cold, room temperature or hot?
get Busy in the Kitchen
Recruiting your toddlers help in the kitchen can sound like a mess (it usually is) but they get such a kick out of helping measure, pour and mix.
Baking is a great way to introduce your child to the kitchen. It keeps them away from hot surfaces and sharp tools. Is there a better time for baking than a wet stormy day? I don’t think so!
The first thing I had my little guy help me make was cookie dough. I gathered everything and let him scoop and dump all the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl (I handled the eggs and vanilla) and let him turn on the stand mixer. He was fascinated.
Of course the best part is always the finished product. I don’t usually let him eat sugar but I felt he earned this one.
He also helps me make bread doughs, pizza doughs and banana bread. I plan on introducing him to more complicated dishes now that he’s getting comfortable in the kitchen
Household choRES
Recruiting your little one’s help with basic chores is a great way to engage with them while you get things done. They absolutely love helping out, even if it is just adding the dirty socks to the washer or putting their toys back into the basket before they run off to play.
It is important to choose age appropriate chores based on your child’s ability. Some easy ones to start with are; putting dirty laundry into the hamper, the washer and then transferring to the dryer, wiping up spills, cleaning up toys, dusting, making the bed and sweeping (we all know how much extra attention floors need on stormy days).
Do expect to have to redo these tasks afafterwards. It’s not about how well they complete them but how much they learn from them. Try to redo these chorse when your child isn’t looking. That way they still feel like they did a good God helping you.
Be patient and expect the chores to take 3x longer than they normally would. This helps teach them independence and responsibility (they might even start doing their own laundry before they start school) How great would that be?
tub time
When all else fails, toss that kid into a nice warm bath. There’s almost nothing a relaxing bath on a cold stormy day cannot solve.
Whether your toddler is mad for no apparent reason, sick or just bored a bath can help you both out tremendously.
Bonus points for making it fun! Add bubbles, new toys, a baby safe bath bomb or crack a few glow sticks and turn off the lights. I know my guy can stay happy in a bath for almost an hour.