I have to be honest, January and February are not my favourite months of the year. I find it hard to cope with all the rain and mud, together with everything the children need when it’s raining. And I crave sunshine and warmth so much!

Whether it’s an umbrella adding to the chaos of the school run or trying to find somewhere to dry out wet and muddy waterproofs it just seems to make everything so much harder.

We do have to leave the house for purposes of getting to nursery or school but outside of this time we are happy to spend time snuggled up in the warmth and comfort of home. Here are our top 4 fun activities to play at home on a rainy day.

Crafts all the way!

I’m going to sound like a bit of a misery but I find clearing up after crafting a serious pain. Almost to the point that I don’t want to do it, however, both of my girls absolutely love some craft time. Given that we don’t have a lot of space at home I don’t collect things for ‘junk modelling’ but I do see the value in buying them a craft box each.

I spread a wipeable cloth over the table and have the hoover and some wet cloths ready for clearing up. Paint sticks are also a great way of feeling like you have been crafty but without too much excess mess. Give them a try…

Online educational fun

There are some great games available for our children which are fun and educational. My youngest child has been enjoying the Loony Tunes Veggie Patch game where she’s been learning about how to grow and care for fruit and veggies. My eldest has been playing Bunnicula’s Kaotic Kitchen Game which is a recipe making game.

3. Fun time bath time

Sometimes I just need the children contained and they enjoy a ‘play bath’ so much that this is a great way to start the bedtime routine earlier. Sometimes I add glowsticks to their bubble bath and turn out the lights for some extra fun. Other times they’ve taken toys that aren’t strictly bath toys in with them such as My Little Ponies or Barbies so they can wash their hair and enjoy some imaginary play.

4. Nature wands

When the weather isn’t so bad why not gather some interesting leaves or flowers and a ‘wand’ stick. Then when the weather outside is gloomy and rainy you can transform them into nature wands. My children love this activity. Use some embroidery thread or wool to wrap around the stick incorporating the stems of flowers or leaves so that you end up with a colourful wrapped stick which you can use as a wand. Sometimes we exclude the nature aspect of this and just wrap sticks, which is a great calming activity.

I hope you liked this post? There are so many ways to keep the children entertained at home and sometimes the choice is overwhelming so focusing on just a few fun activities can be a great way of making it enjoyable and stress free.