The rain started at 6 AM. By 8 AM, my kids had already asked four times when it would stop.
Rainy days used to feel like something to survive. Now I see them differently. When we can't go outside, when the usual distractions aren't available — that's when the interesting stuff happens. Children have to figure out how to be together in a smaller space. They have to navigate sharing materials, taking turns, and working through the frustration of being stuck inside.
These aren't problems to avoid. They're practice opportunities.
The activities below are designed with that in mind. The crafts are simple. The real design is the social-emotional moments built into each one.
8 Rainy Day Activities for Kids
1. The Blanket Fort Collaboration
Building a fort requires negotiation at every step. Where does it go? How big? Who decides? We don't pre-plan it for them. The messiness of figuring it out together is the activity.
Materials: Blankets, pillows, chairs, clothespins or clips
Social-emotional challenges:
- Two children want different locations. "You both have ideas. How could we decide?"
- Someone wants to be in charge. "Everyone gets to help build. What part could she do?"
- The fort falls down. Someone blames someone else. "It fell. That's frustrating. What could we try differently?"
- Not everyone fits inside comfortably. "The space is small. How can everyone feel included?"
- Someone wants to add something that might collapse the structure. "What do you think might happen if we add that?"
2. The Rainy Window Art
We tape paper to the window where the rain is hitting. Children draw what they see, what they imagine, how the rain makes them feel. The window becomes shared space — their drawings will be next to each other. That proximity is intentional.
Materials: Paper, tape, markers or crayons
Social-emotional challenges:
- Someone draws "into" another's space on the window. "Your pictures are neighbors now. What do you think about that?"
- Someone says another's drawing is wrong. "That's not what rain looks like!" Ask: "Have you seen rain look the same every time?"
- A child draws something sad or angry. Don't redirect. Wonder: "Tell me about your picture. What's happening in it?"
- Someone wants the "best" spot on the window. "Everyone wants to see. How could we share the window?"
3. The One-Pot Cooking Project
Simple no-bake recipes work best — trail mix, sandwiches, decorated crackers. We use one bowl in the middle on purpose. Everyone adds their ingredient to the same container. The final product belongs to everyone, which means every decision is shared.
Materials: Simple ingredients (cereal, dried fruit, crackers, spreads), one bowl, spoons
Social-emotional challenges:
- Someone adds too much of one ingredient. "Now there's a lot of raisins. How do the others feel about that?"
- Someone doesn't want their ingredient touching another's. In a shared bowl, things touch. "What could we do?"
- Someone wants to stir but it's not their turn. "Waiting is hard. Your turn is coming."
- The final result doesn't look how someone imagined. "It's different than you planned. What do you like about it?"
- Someone doesn't want to share the final product equally. "Everyone contributed. How should we divide it?"
4. The Indoor Obstacle Course
Children design and build a course together, then take turns going through it. The building requires agreement. The turns require patience. Someone always wants to go first — that's the design.
Materials: Pillows, chairs, tape on the floor, whatever's available
Social-emotional challenges:
- Everyone wants to go first. "How should we decide the order?" Let them figure it out.
- Someone changes the course while another is using it. "She was in the middle. How do you think she feels?"
- Someone says another person did it "wrong." "There are different ways to go through. His way counted too."
- Someone gets frustrated and wants to quit. Let the feeling be there. "It's harder than you expected. What part can you try?"
- Someone finishes much faster and gets impatient waiting. "Waiting is part of the game. What could you do while you wait?"
5. The Cardboard Box World
One large box, or several small ones. Children transform them into whatever they imagine — a car, a house, a rocket. When multiple children share one box, every decision becomes a negotiation. That's the point.
Materials: Cardboard boxes, markers, tape, scissors (with help)
Social-emotional challenges:
- Two children want the box to be different things. "It can't be a car and a house at the same time. What could you do?"
- Someone draws on a part another child wanted. "That was where she was going to put her window. What now?"
- Someone wants to cut the box but others aren't sure. "This is a big decision. Once we cut, it stays cut. What does everyone think?"
- The finished creation doesn't match what someone imagined. "It became something different. What do you like about what it is?"
- Someone doesn't want to share the box at all. "This box is for everyone. How can we all be part of it?"
6. The Story Round Robin
One person starts a story, then passes it to the next. Each person adds a piece. The story goes places no one expected — which is exactly the practice. Letting go of control, accepting what others contribute.
Materials: Just imagination (or paper to draw scenes)
Social-emotional challenges:
- Someone takes the story in a direction another doesn't like. "The story changed. How does that feel?"
- Someone tries to "undo" what the previous person added. "That part is already in the story. What happens next?"
- Someone makes the story scary or violent. Let it play out, then wonder: "What do the characters need now?"
- Someone speaks too long and others get impatient. "Everyone gets a turn to add. Keep your part short so others can play."
- Someone doesn't want to participate. "You can listen and join when you're ready."
7. Friendship Coloring Page
Find the activity here: Cat & Crocodile Friendship Coloring Page →
Sometimes rainy days call for something quiet. Coloring together is a calm way to be near each other without the pressure of building or deciding. Print a friendship coloring page and let children color side by side — or work on the same page together, each choosing different parts.
Materials: Printed coloring page, crayons or markers
Social-emotional challenges:
- Two children want to color the same character. "You both want to color the cat. What could you do?"
- Someone colors "outside the lines" or in an unexpected way. "She colored the crocodile purple!" Let it be. "There are lots of ways to color."
- Someone finishes faster and gets restless. "You're done. What could you do while she finishes?"
- The finished coloring page looks different than expected. "Who should we give this to? You made it together."
8. The Puppet Show Planning
Making puppets is just the beginning. The real activity is planning a show together — who plays which character, what the story is, when each person speaks. Every decision requires agreement. This is extended practice in working together.
Materials: Paper bags or socks, markers, yarn, a "stage" (table, box, blanket over chairs)
Social-emotional challenges:
- Everyone wants the same character. "Only one person can be the princess. What could we do?"
- Someone wants their puppet to "win" or be the hero. "Every puppet has a part. How can they all be important?"
- The show goes differently than planned. Someone forgets their line. "What happens now? Can we keep going?"
- Someone doesn't like how another performed their part. "She did it her way. Your way can be different when it's your turn."
- The audience (parents, siblings) doesn't pay enough attention. "How did it feel when they weren't watching? What could you say?"
This puppet project is at the heart of what we do. The first lesson of our course is free if you'd like step-by-step guidance for building a full puppet show together.
Why Rainy Days Are Actually Useful
The constraint of being inside creates something valuable: children can't escape into separate activities. They have to figure out how to be together.
The sharing of limited materials, the negotiation over space, the frustration of plans changing — these are the exact skills they need for school, for friendships, for life. Rainy days give us concentrated practice.
Last week, after a long afternoon inside, my son said to his sister: "I didn't like your idea at first, but it worked better than mine."
That's not something he would have learned if we'd just turned on a screen. The rainy day gave us the gift of having to work it out together.