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

[catsandkittensandcats]

I know we should be in puddle suits and wellies embracing life at the park but we really, REALLY don’t want to do that.

I have a three and a half year old and an eleven month old. Eleven month old can’t walk but obsessed with pulling herself up to stand and wanting to crawl everywhere.

We have endlessly done soft play to the point where I drove to one 30 minutes away last week because I think we were all fed up of the other ones.

We have also done the role play places a LOT - they are lovely but worried they’re becoming tedious. And the baby can’t really join in although she doesn’t seem to mind crawling around eating any toys she finds.

Swimming is a no because you need two adults for two under fives. We’ve been to the library but neither find it hugely interesting and so it only fills about three quarters of an hour.

Groups are on in the morning but then I’m left with a loooong afternoon - is there anything I’ve missed?

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

@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

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.

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 …

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

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.

take them for a swim?

Mens sana in corpore sano

When I had a 4 and a 1 they used to dance. And they carried on when they were 5 and 2 and 6 and 3 (and then I think it stopped). I used to clear the living room floor and put on music I liked. Sometimes we did 'statues/shapes' when the music stopped suddenly and I used to take photos but mostly they just bounced and jumped.
I admit I got a bit bored (not as bad a role play though, that was so deadly) but they didn't seem to.

There's a lot of comments already but I would be going to local stay & play groups, they usually cost like a couple of quid and you get grown up chit chat and cake, the kids get different toys and other kids to play with for your older one.

The other thing which I would do is go to my local libraries, there's 3 within 20 minutes drive of my house and I'd be going there too

Also do you have any role play type places nearby? So the kids go do role play in the pretend cottage/police station/hairdresser's and you have a cup of coffee

I used to get the fear with too many long rainy afternoons. My kids loved transport so I'd take them on bus trips/ trains. Museums are often free and have interactive stuff. I used to go to groups in the afternoon too. I joined a local zoo/ farm thing that had indoor and outdoor options.

I love the posts that suggest the OP would not have thought to turn on the TV or let her kids play by themselves!

OP I hear you, the weather is so miserable and its really hard.

Playing in the bath with lots of bubbles

We used to have annual passes to zoo / aquarium / science museum and go A LOT

Also a wee pottery cafe that had a mini soft play was somewhere we went most weeks

We walk our dog in the rain on an afternoon, it's rarely actually raining the whole time

Other things are the usual suspects

Kinetic sand
Playdoh
Maganetiles
Duplo
Barbies
Dollys
Crafting
Puzzles
Doctors
Trains

My daughter is 3 and will play independently

Definitely check out some local museums- we have an art gallery that has shite all for children in their main exhibits but an amazing play/sensory room, you’d be surprised what some places have!

• Shopping retail park with a few shops like pets at home etc
• Sometimes libraries might do a rhyme time session in the afternoons
• Annual pass to an aquarium/petting zoo/farm type place
• Costa for a cake/biscuit whilst you have a coffee
• Any play hubs near you. Can be pricey though.
• Look up local gymnastics places as they often do a toddler stay and play session. We have a couple near us and they are great.
• Garden centres! For the fish and pets and some have tiny softplays where again you can grab a coffee 😂
• Any indoor skate parks near you where they can take their scooters?
• Some museums have kids interactive bits of kid zones

That’s it I’m out of ideas. I would say though if I had to be outside on a rainy day I quite like a forest as the trees give some relief to the wind and rain and can be quite relaxing to be underneath with your little ones!

Local farm. Pets shop (look at the bunnies and the fish). Get your food shop done. Museums often have a children’s play thing.
get on a train or a bus.
play dates.
Classical concerts for children.
ryme time at the library. Just go to the library and hang out in the children’s section.
but mainly… play dates. You get to speak with grown ups and they get to play.

I really empathize, I remember friends asking me if I went out every day with a baby and being incredulous because I went out at least 3 times a day to kill time!

Great suggestions above- library can be a trip just to swap books if no rhyme time, combine with a cafe and babycino. Also worth exploring other libraries in the same council as some will have better toys. Children centres sometimes have afternoon sessions. iKEA or even just any indoor mall/big shop combining any conceivable small errand with a browse. Lots of libraries/Cafe/ local hub places do after school crafts/lego club which you can crash with a preschooler.

It does get much easier once you have two walkers.

I remember those days! Rain and toddlers/ preschoolers felt like a prison sentence.
I have little to offer, but here goes:
megablocks
den building
playdoh
baking
ball pool in the lounge (paddling pool and balls)
make shakers (bottles, rice, glitter)
put music on and dance/ shake instruments.
walk despite the rain
safari park
make a box fort
hoopla in the lounge
get a mini trampoline
balloons!
(let the 11 month old practice pulling up while you do the rest if needed)
pull all the sofa cushions on the floor and snuggle with books.
Glow stick bath