Five Fun, Messy Activities for Rainy Days (or Any Day)

You’ve got to feel bad for kids these days (or at least their caregivers, LOL). What to do when it’s been raining for five days straight and all the usual indoor activities are played out? Here’s a list of some fun (but messy) rainy day activities that our family has enjoyed over the years (some indoors, some out).

Mud Pies or Mud Pigs

The time-honored tradition of mud pies is so much fun to share with your kids any nice day. But on a rainy day, something even more fun and messy is the game of mud pigs!!

All you really need for this game is more than one kid, a couple of mud puddles, and a strategy for clean-up. Then just let the kids go for it. We have even played this game in the summer by creating our own mud puddles.

Here is the most important part – a clean-up strategy. We found this game to be the most fun for children under age 8 who are not particularly shy. When they are all done, we would have them strip outside the back door, then bundle them in a towel and deposit them straight into the shower or bath. In this way there are no muddy footprints, handprints, or the like randomly dispersed throughout the house. I leave it to the reader to determine their own best clean-up strategy.

Bubbles

Indoors or outdoors, bubbles are always a winner!! (Even our puppy loves chasing bubbles). One of the best formulas for bubbles that I have found is on the Exploratorium’s website here. For smaller bubbles, sieves and colanders are fun. Even those loopy egg holders you get with the dye kits at Easter will make good bubbles. For larger bubbles, you can use a pool net or fishing net (just make sure it’s clean). Experiment, then come back here and leave a comment. Let us know what you used to make the best bubbles!!

Play Dough

 

Another perennial favorite. We used store bought dough at our house, but Erika at Musings from a Stay at Home Mom has a great homemade recipe here.

Be sure to put down plastic drop cloths or old sheets or towels to protect your floor and/or furniture. I also recommend keeping the dough in a “secret” location and bringing it out only on special occasions. This way the kids don’t get tired of it and you don’t end up with an unexpected mess when you least expect it.

 

What are your go-to ideas for keeping kids happy on long rainy days? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Teressa Morris won an award in the sixth grade for her short story, “The Perils of the Periwinkle People”. She continued writing all through high school and into college where she majored in journalism and English. In 1987 she dropped out of school to live her dream of becoming a full-time wife and stay-at-home mom.

Teressa homeschooled her children for a total of 11 years, then went on to help her husband, a retired Air Force electronics technician, start a successful retail golf business.

With so much responsibility on her plate, Teressa started looking for a creative outlet. Her oldest child suggested she return to her passion for writing. She started blogging one day a week, first about things she had gleaned from Bible studies, then about her family’s struggles with bullying, depression and insomnia.

Teressa now blogs 3-5 days a week, about topics as varied as recipes, book and product reviews, and giveaways, as well as continuing to discuss subjects that are dear to her heart. She recently published a Kindle short story and is working on a comprehensive resource book on bullying prevention.

In 2011, her oldest child came out as transgendered. This is a new subject that Teressa is trying to learn about so she can support her child and help to educate others.

If you read her blog, Window on the World, she would love it if you left a comment. Let her know if you like her eclectic style. You can send Teressa an email at tmorris@teressamorris.com