What do you do on rainy days with preschoolers?

[Spicycurry]

Storms here forecast and it’s all wet and muddy underfoot.

We have got a group to go to at midday. Went to the library yesterday. I was wondering about soft play but it’s difficult with DS as he just wants to sit in those cars at the front you put money in. Welcome ideas …

Baking. Or make smoothies or fruit salad together.

Pop him in the bath for water play

Lots of reading

Make a fort under the dining table with lots of blankets

Put on music and dance

Playdough

Keep an eye on the weather and get out any opportunity you can even if it’s only for 20 minutes

You could make salt dough and turn them into Xmas decorations (if you can bear it 😂)

A walk through the woods in wellies to collect conkers?

Garden centres. Pets at home. Shops like the range. Just for a bit of a walk out and change of scenery. Mine always loved those kind of trips out and you don’t have to spend much.

How old are they OP? 3?

Wetsuit and puddle jumping. Let them get absolutely filthy. Long bath loads of bubbles and food colouring

Agree - suitable wet weather gear and get out there! Mine loved jumping in puddles, getting muddy etc.
Then coming home to nice baths, cosy cuddles and a story.

We used to go to IKEA and have a look round there before it became really popular.

Another good tip is to go to B&Q or whatever home decorating place firstly let them ring all the doorbells they love that, they get the paint coloured samples get a selection then go home and make collages out of them

You dont have to fill the day with entertainment every day. Watch a bit of telly, do a bit of colouring, play with toys, put some music on and dance about, read a story, rinse and repeat. Just general pottering about.

Mine are older than preschool age but still young. Weather is rubbish today, we will just spend the day pottering about.

I wouldn't want to go traipsing about outside in the pouring rain. So I'd just potter about at home. I'd stick the TV on and play with toys.

We'd usually go to the shops or local museum. But I think it's good to have the occasional day entirely at home. Painting and sticking, reading, playing/Jigsaws, playdoh. Potter in the garden. Help with Chores. Video call family. Help make lunch. And a couple of hours of television!

Some ideas dd and I do:
make playdough
role play <shudders>
rainy walk
bath paints
crafts
baking (or fake baking in the toy kitchen)
tea parties with the bears
lots of reading
oddly, dd loves being mummy and tidying up and pootling about folding laundry it’s very helpful
food shopping with her own special trolley at waitrose (again she loves being mummy!)

love the idea of ikea and B&Q, might do that today, I need to get another Kallax anyway and another thing of paint so I could get those jobs done as well!

Not quite two. It’s rained pretty relentlessly - everywhere is so muddy and damp. We went to a garden centre yesterday.

The problem with staying at home is that he gets restless and starts grabbing at things he shouldn’t really (of course he doesn’t know) but then gets annoyed when stopped. So I’ve had to rescue my sunglasses and iPad from him already then he gets cross and frustrated!

I wish we could have a day at home but the house would be wrecked.

In an actual thunderstorm, though?

crafting, disney tv, games, singing, dancing, colouring, helping me sort out a drawer or something safe for them to handle. Mine loved organising, sorting out laundry and attempting to fold :) Miss those days!
We had a cupboard full of rainy day activities, I'd place a big order from one of those crafts, arts and games websites and only get bits at a time. I would order season or celebration themed crafts and get them out around that time. If you have a pet play indoors with them.
We had a snail race once gave them a snack and let them go afterwards. Even things like decorating rocks or indoors planting some seeds...

I meant only get bits out at a time so there is something new they hadn't seen before to play with or do.

Mine has been at nursery all week (plenty of jumping in puddles at Forest School yesterday!) and specifically requested Playdoh today. So we're doing that and going to the library and supermarket when the rain stops. I definitely understand wanting to get out of the house, a day indoors is depressing.

I might see if he'll watch a film later (he's closer to 4 than 3 so might have more luck than with a 2 year old).

Garden centre (some offer membership with a couple of coffees a month), wet walks, museum (some do toddler sessions), local playgroup (you have to try a few), library story time, IKEA, shopping centre early (they can have a run around before it’s too busy), put them in the garden…

I had 2 under 2 and it’s really hard in the house for too long. I used to aim
spend the morning out of the house, and it seemed more manageable.

Toddlers are much harder to entertain at home than preschoolers I think.

Things we did have success with was painting, playdough and animal rescue which is bowl of chocolate angel delight for all the animals to get muddy then a bowl of soapy water for them to have a wash after and a towel to dry.

I don't put too much pressure on myself! I used to and it was the road to ruin 🤣
We do things like colouring in or practising stuff for school, like counting all the cars etc to get them to count to 20 or 30 and so on.
Swimming is a good one!
Doing a movie afternoon where you get them snuggled under a blanket with some snacks like apple slices or biscuits etc is always nice (we do movie afternoon after nursery in the morning as my two year old is exhausted!)

Museum, shopping centre, supermarket.

I’d just go to soft play. It doesn’t matter if he sits in the cars, just don’t put money in them and he’ll soon get bored of that

Not a lot! Help them do a puzzle, watch some telly, build a train track etc.

Blimey I’ve no chance of watching a movie with mine, I am lucky to get through ten minutes of Teletubbies.

I will make a note of the museum for next time. It won’t work today due to distance but is a good suggestion.

Are the car things indoors or out? Maybe just let him sit in them.

Puddle jumping when it's not actually thunder and lightning

Have you tried the thing with a colander and dried spaghetti?

Honestly if it's pissing down all day we watch a lot of TV 🤷‍♀️

I know but the problem is he gets all irate if another kid goes near them and it just ends up stressful and the opposite of a fun experience! It’s a shame as he’s really good at climbing and fearless with slides and so on.

I think we’ll end up just going to the group and then counting down until bedtime! Afternoons are always tricky.