Category: Holiday Activities

101 Rainy Day Activities To Keep The Kids Occupied

Booking a self-catering cottage is a popular accommodation choice for many family holidays. Not only is it cost effective, but staying in a ‘home from home’ holiday cottage rather than a hotel or B&B means you don’t have to forfeit all the creature comforts that you are used to in your own house. If you have teenagers who like their own space, toddlers that like to let off some steam, or grandparents who would like an occasional ten minutes of peace and quiet, the extra space and privacy can be a godsend.

As the choice of self-catering properties across the UK is as diverse as the landscape, it is easy to treat your family to a ‘different’ way of life for a few days. Live like a fisherman in a seaside cottage or stay on a farm and feed the hens and watch the shepherd tend to his flock. Or enjoy a few extra luxuries such as an indoor swimming pool or hot tub. With a vast range of holiday cottages and locations to suit all tastes and desires, the choices are endless.

If you are anything like me, you will spend the week before your holiday keenly studying the weather forecast. Whilst we all hope for wall to wall sunshine, it is possible that anyone holidaying in the UK will be faced with a day or two of rain. However, don’t let a little bit of drizzle spoil your holiday. Whether you like to keep yourselves busy visiting all the local tourist attractions, or are happy snuggling up spending some quality family time together, there are plenty of fun things to keep everyone entertained on holiday, whatever the weather.

101 things to keep the kids entertained on a rainy day

This may sound a little bit crazy, but why not face the wet weather head on with some outdoor water based activities. You are wet anyway so the water will feel warmer and wet suits will soon warm you up. In no time at all, you will have forgotten it is even raining!

    1. Go for a swim in the sea.
    2. Treat everyone to a surf lesson.
    3. If the weather is really too bad to go surfing you can admire the vintage collection of surfboards at the Museum of British Surfing at Braunton in Devon.
    4. Go kayaking or canoeing.
    5. Watch the stormy waves crash against the rocks on the beach.
    6. Draw a picture, or write your name, in the wet sand.
    7. Enjoy the thrill of gorge walking.
    8. Try your hand at coasteering.
    9. Brave white water rafting!

Even if you don’t want to get in the water, there are plenty of activities that can still be enjoyed in the rain. Grab your waterproofs and wellies and head outside.

    1. Venture out for a puddle stomping contest. Watch the surprise on your kid’s faces when you encourage them to jump in every puddle!
    2. Find a waterfall. The more it rains the more impressive the waterfall will be!
    3. Go fishing.
    4. Visit a dry ski slope. The more it rains the faster you will go!
    5. Go on a wildlife hunt. See if you can spot any ducks, frogs, worms or snails.
    6. Go rock pooling. Mini beasts aren’t afraid of a little bit of rain.
    7. Play a game of Pooh sticks.
    8. Go for a walk in a forest. You will be amazed at how well the trees shelter you.
    9. Go to a farm park. Most large farm parks have indoor areas too.
    10. Go on a boat trip. Most of the lake cruises in the Lake District are under cover and the scenery can still be stunning in the clouds.
    11. Make mud pies.
    12. Follow a rainbow. Can you find the pot of gold at the end?
    13. Follow the blue patch in the sky. In some places the weather can be very localised and you might even find it’s not raining a few miles down the road!
    14. Head to a local café for a well deserved hot chocolate.

If you are determined to not get wet, indoor attractions provide a perfect day out when it rains. One of the many great things about the UK is the vast array of tourist attractions, so before you set off on your holiday make yourself a list of indoor activities your children would enjoy and keep it up your sleeve for a rainy day. For example, you could:

    1. Go to a museum.
    2. Visit an art gallery.
    3. Explore a tropical rainforest like the Eden Project in Cornwall.
    4. Have an adventure at a reptile centre.
    5. Go to a butterfly farm.
    6. If you are in the Cairngorms you can even visit a Reindeer centre!
    7. Enjoy an afternoon of go-carting.
    8. Learn a new skill at an indoor climbing wall.
    9. Burn off some energy in an indoor play area.
    10. Treat the kids to a BMX or skate lesson in an indoor skate park.
    11. Go to an indoor swimming pool.
    12. Visit a water park.
    13. Hit the surf indoors on a simulated wave machine.
    14. Enjoy a leisurely pub lunch. Take a pack of card or some colouring to keep the kids amused whilst you are waiting for your food.
    15. Have a photography day. With a disposable waterproof camera you can have great fun taking some wet shots.

    1. Visit an aquarium or sea zoo.
    2. See the stars at a planetarium.
    3. Go trampolining.
    4. Make or paint some pottery.
    5. Head to the local bowling alley.
    6. Play a round of indoor mini golf.
    7. Go roller skating.
    8. Go ice skating.
    9. Go shopping.
    10. Buy some local delights at an indoor market.
    11. Break out of an escape room.
    12. For the ultimate treat go indoor sky diving. You can have a go at flying like a bird at the iFly Indoor Skydiving in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
    13. Watch a matinee performance at the local theatre. It’s not just the West End that is famous for fantastic theatrical performances. Buxton in the Peak District also has an impressive Opera House or take older kids to enjoy one of Shakespeare’s plays in Stratford-upon-Avon.
    14. Watch a movie at the cinema.
    15. Or buying some DVDs and popcorn and have a movie day in your holiday house.

Alternatively, pack your brolly and head out and learn a bit about the history of where you are staying. You can do most of these whilst staying pretty dry!

    1. Explore a castle.
    2. Take a trip on a steam train. Thomas the Tank engine is often spotted at Llangollen station in Denbighshire.
    3. Slightly older kids can be spooked at a local jail or dungeon.
    4. Visit a National Trust property.
    5. Entertain the kids at an historic house such as Chatsworth near Bakewell.
    6. Go back in time and visit a Viking Centre in Yorkshire.
    7. Walk through the UK’s largest network of civilian wartime tunnels in Ramsgate, Kent.
    8. Pretend you are Willy Wonka for the day at a chocolate factory or museum. Cadbury World in Birmingham is perfect for anyone staying near the Cotswolds.

If you really want to stay dry you can find some underground activities.

    1. Visit a mine.
    2. Explore some caves. The Cheddar Gorge and Caves in Somerset is a fantastic family day out.
    3. Caving enthusiasts will love an adventure at Porth yr Ogof in the Brecon Beacons. The Yorkshire Dales and Peak District are also well known caving locations.
    4. You can even go trampolining in a cave at Bounce Below in Snowdonia.

Or do something a bit different.

    1. Take a boat trip under Standedge Tunnel in Yorkshire – the longest canal tunnel in Britain.
    2. Be an astronaut for the day at the National Space Centre in Leicestershire.
    3. Be spellbound by the mystical world at Grimm and Co in Rotherham, Yorkshire.
    4. Get your children hands on in the kitchen on a Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall half day cookery course in Devon.
    5. Take part in one of the indoor kids activities or put your wellies on for an outdoor adventure whilst you learn how to become an eco-warrior at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Powys, Wales.

If you would prefer not to go out at all you could make the most of staying in a lovely holiday home and plan a family day ‘at home’.

    1. Have a cooking day. Most children like to cook (or at least lick the bowl afterwards!)
    2. Have a theme night, such as Mexican or Italian. Allow the children to be involved in preparing the meal and let them dress the table (and themselves) in a theme of their choice for the occasion.
    3. Have a tea party.
    4. Let the kids organise an indoor teddy bears picnic.
    5. Use the opportunity to embrace some creative time. Ask your kids to put on a show or play for you.
    6. If they are feeling really creative they could even make their own puppet theatre.
    7. Take a rainy day crate away with you filled with new and novel things your child will enjoy. These could include some new makeup and dressing up clothes, activity books, old magazines or cards for making a collage, colouring books, a craft box and a balloon modelling kit to name just a few.

    1. Take away a holiday ‘story book’ so your children can keep a diary of their favourite holiday activities. A rainy day is a great opportunity for the kids to update the story book with drawings and stories of their holiday adventures. They can take it into school when they return to show their friends what they got up to. Make sure they leave space to add photos when they get home.
    2. Make a holiday collage from leaves, flowers, shells and pebbles that you have collected on your holiday so far.
    3. Paint some rocks. Make a quick dash outside to grab some rocks or shells and decorate them. They will make lovely souvenirs of your holiday.
    4. Paint a picture of your favourite holiday day so far.
    5. Make a boat. And you can test it out when the rain stops!
    6. Plan a treasure hunt. Everyone loves a treasure hunt and it will provide a few hours of entertainment before you even set foot outside the front door. Alternatively, if it’s really wet you can hide the treats indoors.
    7. Or play alphabet hunt and challenge the kids to find an object around the house starting with each letter of the alphabet. They could write, draw or take a photo of the items.
    8. Play charades.
    9. Play consequences.
    10. Write some postcards. Everyone loves to receive a post card!
    11. Organise a family quiz.
    12. Build an indoor obstacle course.
    13. Pack your disco ball and play a few tunes.
    14. If your holiday home has a hot tub you can still enjoy sitting back in the bubbles in the rain!

Or simply enjoy some traditional family fun.

  1. Play a board game.
  2. Have a game of cards.
  3. Play hide and seek.
  4. Build a den.
  5. Read a book.
  6. Do a puzzle.
  7. Play the chocolate game.
  8. Enjoy some crosswords or word search puzzles.
  9. Have a home spa session with nail painting and shoulder massages.
  10. Make paper airplanes. See who can design the plane that flies the furthest!

With a little bit of preparation before you set off it is easy to plan for the odd wet weather day. We have a huge range of family friendly holiday houses that often have games rooms, playhouses and film libraries that will keep the children entertained for hours. Or why not treat yourself to a little bit of luxury and book a cottage with a swimming pool or hot tub. For those who are keen to get wet whatever the weather, book a property near the beach. Where ever you decide to stay we hope you have lovely weather whilst on holiday, but if the grey clouds come rolling in there is no excuse to let the weather ruin your time away.

3 thoughts on “101 Rainy Day Activities To Keep The Kids Occupied

  1. Cefn Coch Farm Holiday Cottages

    What a great list of things to do in the wet. We are always amazed at how head on our guests tackle a wet day and our favourite is when they have a baking day, as the children often bring us some delicious goodies. The other is when they are all togged up in their wet weather gear, and come to see if we need any help with feeding the sheep, the dog or the hens. Its great…

    Reply
  2. Tricia Evans

    Well having two daughters (9 & 11 years old) I know only too well that “inclement” weather can sometimes pose a bit of a challenge especially whilst on holiday. We certainly have done most of the 12 things above and found no. 6 both fun and educational; something the girls can show their teachers it’s not all going in one ear and out the other…

    We have purposely equipped our Cotswolds holiday cottage http://www.cotswolds.plus.com to make it very kids friendly and as such have held the Visit Britain Families Welcome award since we first started renting out the cottage over 5 years ago. Not only do we have an equipped Nursery bedroom for your baby, plenty of games, DVDs, Wi Fi etc. we also have a wide range of books, maps and leaflets all about the Cotswolds. Therefore when those inevitable downpours occur the kids have plenty to amuse themselves with whilst you can relax and maybe plan where next to visit.

    Our holiday cottage is located in the heart of the lovely village of Sherston so you do get the opportunity to experience village life from the village pubs and farm shop, to lovely countryside walks starting from your doorstep, plus one of the world’s must spectacular tree collections (Westonbirt Arboretum) is only a couple of miles down the country lanes.

    The Cotswolds as a holiday destination is certainly blessed with more than its fair share of many great attractions, beautiful scenery and things to do both undercover and outside. Just take a look here http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/Cotswolds – there really are plenty of things the whole family can enjoy doing.

    I hope you enjoy your next family holiday wherever you go come rain and fingers crossed more shine 🙂

    Reply

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