Summer is finally here…hot sun, pool weather, playground, beach trips but also…rain. Lots of rain. I guess it depends where you live but if you are in the Northeast or Florida (the two areas I am familiar with), you have been getting lots of rain recently.
Rainy day activities in the summer are different than those in winter for me. In the winter, I typically don’t want to go anywhere, so my ideas involve stuff to do in the home. I am fine going out if it is rainy in the summer, which is a good thing because in Florida you would just never leave the house otherwise. Rain amounts varies in the Philly area but this summer we have been getting a lot of it. This means I have had some time to think about what to do besides let my kids watch tablets and movies for endless hours.
Here are some ideas of things to do that won’t break the bank:
- Food shopping. This activity can be fun depending on your child’s age. I like doing it with my 7 year old, although I did spend an hour and a half in Costco with my now 5 year old once and he was a champ. I ended up having to buy a jar of gummy eyeballs but it was worth it. Food shopping is a perfect rainy day idea because you have to do it anyway and it doesn’t involve spending money you weren’t already going to spend. I allow my children to pick one prize (read: candy or small can of Pringles) and that usually keeps them cool for the duration of the trip. My daughter can read, so I allow her to click off the items of our shopping list, which is very exciting for her. She is too big to ride in the shopping carts now but my son enjoys sitting in the police or fire truck carts available in our store.
- Coffee shop with board games. I recently found a restaurant/coffee shop near us that has hundreds of board games for all ages. More importantly, it also has a bar. I liked that it had food and drink options for everyone, much like the games available. They did charge $7 per person who was playing, which I thought was a bit much but some places don’t charge anything. My daughter ended up making a friend her age, so I was able to only pay for her while I sipped on a delicious latte. This particular place is not a chain, so you would need to check what is available in your area. The place I went to is called 21 pips.
- Public libraries. This is always a great option and you may get lucky and even get to attend an event. We have several public libraries within a 5-7 minute drive. One of them has a large play area for kids with some toys. Last time we went, we spent just over 2 hours hanging out! Make sure to check when they are open. We recently found out our local libraries don’t open on Sundays during the summer.
- Dollar Store activities. I go to the Dollar store about 4 times per year and pick up a bunch of arts and crafts that I keep hidden in my home. There are little easels you can paint, kinetic sand sets (be careful of the glitter!), knock-off Play Dough sets, coloring activities, and ornaments to build or decorate. You can do this in your home or if you want to go out for lunch or dinner, I like to bring the non-messy ones for the restaurant.
- Baking. This activity is good year round but I had to include it! I am not very good at baking, so I keep $1.99 Betty Crocker cookie mix packets around for these types of days. If you feel up to making your own dough, make sure to have fun cookie cutters and stuff to decorate the cookies with. I keep a small bag of cookie icing items in the fridge, which keeps for a long time. I will say kids are not picky at all, so whatever you have (including chocolate syrup for example…) will probably do as long as it is sweet!
Winter can be long where I live, so I really look forward to spring and summer but there are those days that are super rainy or even just too hot and being outside is not a great option.
Hopefully, these ideas give you some entertainment for those days! Comment below with any rainy day ideas you have to entertain your young children!