Rain, rain, go away; come again another day! When the weather isn’t cooperating, toddlers can become bored or anxious being stuck inside. Because finding fun activities for children to do inside can sometimes be a challenge, here are ten indoor rainy day games for toddlers.
10 Indoor Rainy Day Games for Toddlers
1. Musical Chairs
All that is needed for this exciting game are some tunes and some chairs. Arrange chairs back to back in the center of the room. With the number of chairs being one chair less than the number of children playing, turn on the music. When the music stops, players must sit in a chair. The one who doesn’t make it in a chair, is out for that round. The winner will be the last player in the last chair.
2. Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of objects for toddlers to find. Keep it simple, like a blue marker or a building block. Help them go down the list and check off the items as they find them. Once everyone has their list complete, celebrate with a healthy snack.
3. Simon Says
Pick someone to be “Simon.” What Simon says, everyone must do! The catch is that Simon must say, “Simon says…” before every command. If Simon doesn’t say “Simon says…,” and a player continues to do the action, that player is out.
4. Hide and Seek
One player seeks, while the others hide. The seeker will count to 10 (or any specified number) with their eyes closed – no peeking! After time is up, the seeker tries to locate the other players who are all hiding. The first one to be found is the next seeker, while the last one to be found is the winner of that round.
5. Red Light, Green Light
Mark a start line and finish line. With all children at the start line, when “green light” is said, all players must move toward the finish line. When “red light” is said, all players must stop. The game is over when everyone reaches the finish line.
6. Freeze Frame
Turn up the CD and let the music take control. Dance away until the music stops, and then players must freeze. Whoever moves during the silent period is out. Last one remaining is the winner.
7. Whisper Down the Lane
Everybody sits (or stands) in a line. Whoever is at the beginning of the line starts by whispering a message to the person behind them. The message is then continuously passed on until the last person is reached and they say it out loud. Typically the message or phrase is completely distorted from its original version and it leads to lots of laughter.
8. Hot Potato
Position everyone playing in a circle. When the music starts, quickly toss the ball (or bean bag) around to the right. Once the music stops, whoever is holding the ball has the “hot potato” and is out.
9. Indoor Obstacle Course
Design an obstacle course for toddlers to go through. Crawl through a tunnel, hop on one foot five times, stack 3 blocks on top of each other, and then complete the puzzle. Look around and use your imagination when creating obstacles. A blanket over a table could be a tunnel or use a trashcan for a paper ball basket.
10. Paper Plane Race
Help toddlers make their own paper planes. Fold them, color them, and paint them. Once everyone has a plane, take turn flying them to see whose can fly the farthest.
Tell Us: What are some of your favorite rainy day activities for early childhood learners?