Ideas for Rainy day activities in holiday cottage - both indoors and days out

[Summergarden]

We are due to stay in a holiday cottage for a fortnight soon in the north east of England and while I live in hope that another heatwave will bring us gloriously sunny days, a dose of realism is probably in order.

Prior to this holiday, we’ve usually stayed in Haven type parks with lots to do organised by the entertainment team so I’d love to hear any suggestions for how to keep DCs happy and occupied on days where the beach and open air activities aren’t feasible. Ideas for both inside the cottage as well as places to go out would be great. We will be in Northumberland.

Thanks in advance.

Last summer we had a few days of rain in a caravan (not on an entertainment type park), and we did the following...

• Stone painting (we used washable Crayola paints just in case and then sprayed the stones with varnish to seal them)
• Fimo (a pain cooking in a dodgy caravan oven but the kids really loved this and hadn't done it before).
• DVD (we bought the Greatest Showman as DD knew some of the songs from school and we watched it with/without the commentary and then in sing-a-long mode!)
• Decorated cakes, didn't bake as the oven was a bit rubbish. But consider getting a boxed mix with everything you need in it.
• Got out on their scooters in waterproofs as soon as the weather eased, even slightly and warmed them up with a change of clothes and a hot chocolate.

If you're feeling creative and have appropriately aged children, consider a treasure hunt in the house.

Party style games can also be fun. Like moving Maltesers between bowls using only a straw or playing a memory game with objects on a tray.

Dobble. Always dobble!

And Uno!

How old are the DCs?

Great ideas so far, many thanks!

There are 3DCs aged between 2 and 8.

Most holiday cottages are well stocked with bored games and dvds, there’s always old ones we wouldn’t normally sit down to and they’re often the best!

Research a local swimming baths/arcade.

Take wet rain gear and splash in puddles.

Get a microscope (the kind you can plug into a tablet or laptop) and explore the wildlife, things often come out after a downpour. A Bug kit might be fun too.

Borrow a friendly dog to walk in the rain.

Play cards.

Go rock pooling - take the microscope.

Write your names on a wet beach.

Treasure hunt around the cottage.

Make a puppet show and film it on your phone - use eggs (hard boiled) and draw faces with felt tip or sharpie.

Soft play

Clip n' climb for the older ones

Aquarium or even a garden centre

If you go to The Works you can usually pick up some arty crafty kits for a few £, I usually take a few. I got a build & paint your own bird box kit for £2 the other day, it had bashed packaging but my 5yo doesn't care

Go to the cinema / swimming pool / soft play.

Have a cinema at home - new dvd, special snacks, get the dc to make and sell tickets.

Baking, I usually get a kit because equipment can be hit & miss in a holiday cottage (plus you don't want to have to take loads of ingredients with you). Or one of the biscuit decorating kits you get in the bakery section of the supermarket.

Uno.

Look for a local pottery workshop.

Wow, you lot are actual geniuses! Thanks so much.

So many excellent ideas, I’ll def be taking notes.

Anyone else have any ideas to add?

Have a look at the North East Family Fun blog for ideas on what to do in the area. Dippy the diplodocus is on tour and currently at the Hancock Museum (tickets are free but need to be booked). The Centre to Life is a great, hands on museum and seven stories is a popular place to visit with young children. They are all Newcastle based so might not be a close option, but worth looking into

Brilliant suggestion mamabluestar, just found that blog and it’s so useful, thank you!

Whereabouts in northumberland?

Bamburgh castle
Grace darling museum, also at Bamburgh

Cragside near Rothbury (NT)

Pranking people with phone calls
Impersonating the kids teachers
Get them to offer to wash cars for a few quid
Grow your own herbs in pots

Make tissue paper flowers and butterflies. Lots of ideas can be found on the web.

www.verywellfamily.com/tissue-paper-flowers-craft-620428
www.kiwico.com/diy/Science-Projects-for-Kids/3/project/Tissue-Paper-Butterflies/1938

I'll second party games.

If you don't mind playing in the drizzle, the game "keeper of the keys" can be fun in the rain (where one person is blindfolded, and has to point at someone sneaking up): it's much harder to sneak quietly when it's wet. Squelch, splash, pitter patter of drops on the thief's raincoat.

Just give the kids housework to do to tire them out....

Great, thanks for the new suggestions 😊.

Sunset- staying in Amble.