To wonder what to do with my children on these endless rainy afternoons?

take them for a swim?

Mens sana in corpore sano

My kids never really played alone for long despite every possible opportunity..some kids just don't do this well..

All children are capable of playing alone well from the day they are born but you can't just introduce it after a life of spoonfed entertainment as what do you expect? Literally generations of children entertained themselves and played alone together when the zoo-trip type entertainment was a once every couple of years special treat.

If culturally children are raised on a diet of tv, tablets, spoon fed 'doing something' entertainment, of course they will never really play alone for long. We used to spend hours mucking around in the garden or the house as did my parent/grandparents/those before them. Not least because soft play and the internet and on demand streaming tv did not exist. It was standard and how you had adventures - climbing a tree, dressing up in parents clothes, learning to do a magic trick with a set of cards, make up stories with you siblings or with your dolls.

Actually self entertaining play is an essential part of child development and resilience to be happy alone and amuse yourself. Not to mention avoiding making a rod for your own back - once you have children that need and expect 'doing something' entertainment (by which I mean an outing or trip or activity they are not devising or doing themselves), it's too late. They are conditioned to only expect that and will be bored otherwise.

Absolutely don't do this. Its terrible for languafe development and concentration. Either sit and watch the TV or turn it off.

My daughter loves public transport, afternoons are often a bus trip (literally going nowhere 😂) short enough to do a long walk back or walk a bit and catch the bus on the way home too, trains are yhe same, we literally go 2 stops, go to a cafe, come home again, we’ve got stuck a couple of times but it’s only ever a £5 taxi journey away from home

Charity shops also a great afternoon out especially the kids specific ones!

And the absolute favourite is a bed shop!!! Testing out the bunk beds can take a considerable amount of time and baby can pull themselves up on the beds / crawl around the usually carpeted floor… just pretend you are actually interested in buying one, I think our local one cottoned on in the end …

I found that food colouring was a pain to get out of everything when we tried this in the bath. A small amount of washable poster paint is easier to clean.

But yes - a few clear plastic containers filled with water with a few drops of paint, and a ladle and large spoon, and children can be kept busy for a while mixing colours and making "potions". Do it in the garden and they can add grass and flowers.

@catsandkittensandcats library? Cafe with some colouring books , double check swimming as I've took both mine since youngest was new born ( they are 15 months apart we go weekly x

Supermarket
Whizzy car wash
Greasy spoon lunch
There was this food colouring in big puddles activity I used to do but I suspect I will get told off by Mumsnetters for it

I agree. I’m baffled by this idea that you have to constantly entertain children. Free range ones fair far better in life.

Gosh, I remember those long afternoons so well! Luckily my three preschoolers all had afternoon sleeps until they were about four and went to school - even managed to get all three in bed at the same time so I could have a nap as well!

But still left long afternoons after their naps and we did not have activities every morning as I could not afford them as a SAHM. I used to search out every free indoor activity that I could within a reasonable distance, even better if it was on a bus route as that took longer! I found many museums and art galleries had children areas/ activities so went to those in the Manchester area. There were free Police, Fire and canal boat ones in the area as well as ice cream shops on Cheshire farms with petting zoos, free theatre shows in large libraries or even a garden centre when desperate!

I think it was me who needed to get out of the house, I was happy to organise craft sessions, baking or sensory play at home but not every day! I found that many places advertised ahead of the school holidays so I made a note of their location and opening hours to visit during quieter term times.

A good standby for me was to drive a short distance to a park and ride car park then catch the tram into Manchester City centre, walk through the precinct to a Macdonalds for a Happy Meal with a play area and then home again - killed about four hours!

I'm a nanny who looked after little ones in lockdown.

Afternoons after nap (from about 2.30ish) looked like slowly waking in their room, playing there for while, then coming down for a snack. Each of those things can take a half hour. We did an online music class (free on YouTube) that took another half hour. If you can fill it with one more activity like setting up a tray for messy play (sand, dried food, water), you can stretch it out.

Pull cushions off the sofa and create fort or obstacle course. It doesn't have to be fancy, just the novelty is exciting enough. Same for keeping large boxes and turning them into a house.

Something as simple as a box of different toys in different rooms helped a long day indoors pass. Never underestimate the magic in a change of scenery, even within the house.

Yes, I'm ancient, but when I was raising children we didn't worry about entertaining them--that's what they have imaginations for. It's amazing what children can do with a mud pile and a cardboard box if you stop "directing" their play.

Yes pets at home ! Or the doggie hairdresser as we call it.

Things that worked for us were:

Long daytime bath, perhaps with toys that aren't usually in the bathroom (e.g. plastic figures, baby doll, tea set).
Home made playdoh, it's easy to make, and you can add different colours and smells.
Drawing/colouring but on a huge roll of paper (we got ours from ikea). Maybe make a banner for dad coming home.
Tuff spots are great for activities, we did a lot of building mini farms or arctic scenes or taping roads on.
Cooking together - pop baby in a high chair besides you with bits of food to play with or chew on and then you do the measuring and toddler does the mixing.
Decorating your mirrors or windows with chalk pens (they wash off).
If you do toy rotation, then getting a different toy box out can be interesting.

I know you aren't keen on going out in the rain, but I do honestly think that exercise and time out is essential, and makes everything calmer when you are at home. Could you drive to a shopping centre and walk around there? Or a supermarket, but just to get a couple of things as entertainment. Catch a bus somewhere? Draw a picture to grandma and walk to the postbox to post it? You'll all go stir crazy stuck in the house.

having to "DO SOMETHING" with children is a modern sickness- this idea of constant spoonfeeding of entertainment being necessary. There will be generations with no imagination because they were always at the zoo/aquarium/farm/softplay.

Here's a shocking idea from past generations - give them toys (or things they can play with like cardboard boxes, cushions, towels as others have said) and allow them to entertain themselves. Imaginary friends, casts of thousands, dolls, toy soldiers, plastic farmyard animals chatting to each other, colouring, drawing, scribbling, building a den, piling up toy bricks to make a palace.

Some ideas:

Museums
Castles/National Trust properties
Home made 'assault' course
Build a fort
Baking / Decorating
Dance party
Puzzles
Painting/drawing
Chalk drawing on pavements
Go to the park/a playground
Cinema trip
Garden Centre
Cafe (babyccinos and hot chocolate!)
Facetime family
Park near an airport and watch planes take off/land
Car picnic
Farm shop/Farms
Petting zoo
Actual zoo
Potato painting / rock painting
Crazy bubble bath
Helping with chores e.g. Laundry
Transport museum
Animal sanctuary
Botanical gardens
Local library
Playgroup - ask mums from playgroup for afternoon catch up at your house
Play in the garden with sticks and mud
Go to Pets At Home and look at the fish/rabbits/hamsters
Do an at-home treasure hunt

I have a 2.5 year old and I do feel your pain!

Things we’ve been doing:

We bake cakes or make his dinner together, he thinks it’s amazing because he gets to wear a little chef hat

he will “wash the dishes” I put a load of plastic cups/plates in the sink with bubbles and a sponge and he’ll play with this for about 40 mins

His favourite… living room races. He would play this for hours, we pull all the couch cushions off and hop from on to the next and he makes the games up as we go.

reading/song time/dancing

hide and seek

when it is nice outside, we’ve taken a bucket with us and collected up little bits of nature, sticks, stones, leaves, petals and brought them home to do some “art” 😂 if it looks like the morning is ok but the afternoon is bleak

I know you want to be out of the house but that just isn't particularly practical for every single day!
Have you tried a mud kitchen in the garden? You'd need waterproofs but that kept my nephew entertained for pretty much the whole morning and he's not quite 2 yet!
I'd say it would be pretty straightforward to keep your eldest entertained, the younger one, not so much.
With my children, I'd just walk to the shops and we'd stop and talk about leaves, wildlife, door numbers, colours of doors and gates etc. Yes it's pretty tedious but also a great opportunity for discussion and just getting some fresh air! I don't drive, so we walked in all weathers too!

Don’t move to Devon 🤣 there’s probably far far less to do if where you live currently you have multiple soft plays and role plays within 30 mins.

If we’ve been out or done something in the mornings then for us afternoons are for telly, free play, hands on play like kinetic sand, play doh. My youngest is 2 and oldest is a very very energetic 9 and they will all sit and play kinetic sand QUIETLY for about an hour. Revelation!

Check out five minute mum on Instagram. She has loads of games that are quick to set up with minimal equipment. If your elder one is having fun then you can just leave them to it.

I keep a stack of large cardboard boxes in our garage precisely for these sorts of afternoons.

My older one likes poking holes in their box with a pair of (blunt) plastic scissors.

Younger one likes to have a "cat flap" cut in theirs to post balls and other toys out of.

I lie on the sofa and nap with one ear alert.

Agree with @WineGumm

I don't do well if we don't have a plan. Like you say, mornings are easy as there's always a toddler group or some such in. Afternoons I have to rigidly schedule if we're stuck at home or I go crazy.

So for a no napping nearly 3 year old on a dreaded day stuck inside we do ...

Lunch 12-1. Drawn out affair with him helping to set up a picnic blanket and choosing his teddies. I have even bulk bought simple paper party hats for his teddies and we get the stickers out to decorate the hats. Little sandwiches, nibbles and cake to make it an occasion and play some music.

1-2 telly time. I do not feel guilty about this in the slightest

2-3 play time. This is the maximum amount of time I can bear imaginative play. So we get down on the play mat together and I give full attention to playing at farms or cars or whatever it is. Toys everywhere. I follow his lead and he decides everything we play. He bloody loves it.

3-4 housework. I find that as long as he's had a solid hour of playing with me then he's content to potter alone. I go mad doing housework because the busier I am the more content he is for some reason. 🙄 the bugger doesn't want me sitting down in peace and quiet.

4-5:30 dinner, general pottering, and bath time (he goes to bed at 6 so dinner is early)

6pm bed 🙌🏻

Mine are young too and they love the cinema, if you go to children's films doesn't matter if they are a bit louder, especially in the week the screens are often empty. Technically TV again but I think it's more about the experience 😊

Could you break up your afternoon? So you get home from playgroup at 11/11.30.

12pm - lunchtime

1-3pm - Quiet time. Put on a movie, read books, bring down lots of blankets and pillows and cwtch up. Do they both nap? Maybe put on some relaxing music and just relax together.

3-3.30 - snack time while you have a well deserved cup of tea 🫖

4-4.30 - activity (sensory play on a tuff tray, play dough, colouring, painting/magic painting as it’s not messy/teddy zip wire (tie a piece of string from the top of the stairs to the bottom, get little child hangers and give their teddies a ride from the top of the stairs to the bottom)

5/5.30 - tea

Then bedtime routine.

Don’t feel like you have to be constantly entertaining them - break up the day with solo activities and activities where you join in with them.

A little bit of screen time won’t harm them.

A great book is The Five Minute Mum - it has loads of ideas (indoor) for things to do with little ones.

I get it OP. I prefer getting out with my toddler and I've only one. He's 2 and a half and is quite content at home but not enough to fill the whole afternoon. He's happiest outdoors.

If it's really dire out or he's not well we get by at home with some telly, a long bath with new toys in it (anything waterproof really like Duplo), junk modelling with whatever's in the recycling bin (usually make a house or a garage for his cars), or we'll have an indoor teddy bears picnic to eke out lunchtime as a longer activity.

I still prefer getting out and I'm happy to drive up to a half hour or an hour to go somewhere, but he's very content in the car. I time things so he sleeps on the way and then he's happy listening to Yoto stories on the way back. Is there a parents facebook group for your area? There will be good ideas for places to visit on there.

I hate soft plays so we don't go to those. On rainy days we go to a local play cafe, library, swimming, or visit family or friends for a play date. Sometimes we take a train trip somewhere. If we're driving there are good indoor options like museums, garden centre with big indoor sand pit, play cafes, aquarium etc. I've seen the suggestion on here before to go to Pets at Home and see the animals.