How to make the most of a rainy summer day with kids
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chuck E. Cheese’s . The opinions and text are all mine.
So far, summer in New England this year has been full of chilly breezes and torrential downpours. Both can easily put a damper in our plans to spend every waking minute outside soaking up the sun because… where is the sun?
So often when the weather gets stuck in a rut, so do our children.
But instead of calling a rainy summer day a wash, there are so many other ways to form amazing memories for our children! In fact, go ahead and see the rainy days as a blessing to connect more closely with your children!
in fact, hang up a sign that says “On the next rainy day we’re going to…” just so that even if you have big, exciting plans to go to the beach the kids can know there’s still excitement just around the corner.
What to do with kids on rainy days
Go play some arcade game at Chuck E Cheese
Right now in the month of June, there’s a buy one, get one free large pizza offer. We took advantage of this offer to go on a day when we knew it was going to rain. We showed up right before lunch, ordered our pizzas, and did a 45 minute unlimited play card [just one for all of us].
It was perfect to do something out of the ordinary but also not feel confined to the house. And the fact that the play card had a time limit was nice to be able to more easily plan the day and help the kids understand when we would be finished.
We even had enough pizza to bring home for leftovers, so everyone was more than happy with this special treat.
Splash in puddles + Warm bath + Popcorn and a Movie.
Sometimes it’s totally ok to splash in puddles.
So make a day of it. Splash until they start to get cold or bored [of course don’t do this if there’s any lightning] and then come in for a warm bath and snuggles paired with popcorn and a movie.
Enjoy building & creating something new.
Whether you draw up plans for a bird house, bug house, kite, or even some wooden toys to play with, there are lots of easy projects that can be done together on rainy days that then can be used when the weather is nicer.
Another great idea is to take your prize tickets from Chuck E Cheese to get something that encourages creating something together or even just getting outside again once it’s not raining.
Institute a day of board games!
While we’re a self-proclaimed board gaming family, we also admit that sometimes it feels like a lot. Especially when the kids start choosing games we don’t love as much as others.
Have a family cooking/baking challenge [or other homemade reality show activity].
Even young kids can participate whether it’s being a helper or a judge. If you do a cooking show, it can include a trip to the grocery store for ingredients which helps extend the day if you know the forecast is wet for more than a brief time.
More Summer Fun Ideas for Families
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 6 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
