Summer Survival Series: Rainy Day Activities – Fun Indoor Games When Summer Plans Get Washed Out
Rainy day ruining your plans? These indoor games and creative activities keep kids engaged and off screens—using what you already have at home.
Welcome To The Final Post Of The Summer Survival Series
We’ve made it to post ten in this parent-to-parent series designed to help your family navigate summer with more joy and a lot less chaos. This blog post is all about backup plans. Because when the skies open up and you’re stuck inside with hyper kids and dwindling tablet battery, you need more than just “go play in the other room.”
Here’s how to turn a rainy day into an indoor adventure—with minimal prep and zero screen guilt.
1. Create A DIY Escape Room Kit At Home
This one’s a favorite because it sparks imagination and teamwork. You can set it up in less than 15 minutes with basic materials.
How to Set It Up:
Pick a theme: Spy mission, treasure hunt, or lost-in-the-dinosaur-lab
Write 4 to 5 clues that guide kids from one “station” to the next
Use riddles, puzzles, object hunts, or secret codes
Hide items around the house—under pillows, in books, taped behind doors
End with a treasure box (snacks, stickers, small toys)
Tools You Might Already Have:
Paper, markers, envelopes, string, flashlight, timer
Pro Tip: Have older kids build one for the younger crew—it keeps everyone busy and builds sibling connection.
2. Set Up “Minute To Win It” Game Challenges
These are fast, funny, and burn off energy—without destroying your living room.
Game Ideas:
Cookie Face: Move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth—no hands
Stack Attack: Stack and unstack 10 plastic cups in record time
Penny Tower: Balance pennies on a popsicle stick held in your mouth
Cotton Ball Crawl: Transfer cotton balls between bowls using a spoon
Balloon Keep-Up: Keep a balloon in the air for 60 seconds—no touching the floor
What You Need:
Random kitchen supplies, plastic cups, pennies, spoons, balloons, and a good sense of humor
Optional: Track points or just let it be joyful chaos.
3. Build An Indoor Obstacle Course And Laser Maze
When kids need to move, bring the playground inside.
Obstacle Course Setup:
Use pillows as stepping stones
Make tunnels with chairs and blankets
Create “tightropes” with painter’s tape
Add a stopwatch and challenge kids to beat their time
DIY Laser Maze:
Use red yarn or painter’s tape in a hallway
Kids crawl through the “lasers” without touching them
Add spy music or walkie talkies for dramatic flair
Pro Tip: Adjust difficulty for different age groups and let kids help design the next round.
Bonus: Creative Downtime Activities That Still Feel Fun
Sometimes, the energy crashes—these activities keep creativity high without adding mess.
Ideas to Try:
Story Dice – Roll dice with drawn-on icons and make up a group story
“Design a Toy” Challenge – Use recyclables to invent and pitch a brand-new toy
Indoor Scavenger Hunt – Search for items that are fuzzy, shiny, or start with a letter of your choice
Recommended Resources:
Final Thoughts
Rainy days don’t have to mean restless kids and frayed nerves. With just a few low-prep ideas in your back pocket, you can turn cabin fever into creativity and chaos into connection.
Thanks for sticking with me through this Summer Survival Series. Whether it was bedtime battles, road trip stress, or sibling drama, you showed up—for them and for you.
Here’s to the kind of summer your kids remember for all the right reasons.
You’ve got this.