Rainy day activities for under-fives

The trade-off is adult involvement. An activity with almost no setup, such as a song or book, still needs you to participate. A prepared play area is not a promise of independent play.

Try these six activities

1. Copy one action at a time

Face each other and choose a movement: clap, stretch your arms or wiggle your fingers. Take turns being the person to copy. Sing a familiar action song if you would rather follow something you already know.

For a toddler: demonstrate one action and repeat it if they want.

For a preschooler: invite them to invent a short sequence for you to copy, including a deliberately silly ending.

Keep it seated if floor space is tight. Clear room before standing movements, and choose the quieter version if someone is sleeping nearby.

2. Become picture-book detectives

Let your child choose a book. Read it, then look together for something in a picture: an animal, a hat or a particular colour. There is no need to finish every page or turn each picture into a question.

For a toddler: point to something and name it, leaving room for them to point too.

For a preschooler: ask them to choose an object for you to find, or invent what happens after the final page.

Raising Children Network includes shared reading among its toddler play ideas and notes that children may want the same book repeatedly. Reusing a favourite is a reasonable choice.

3. Set up a pretend picnic

Place a couple of soft toys on the floor with empty, unbreakable cups. Invite your child to decide where everyone sits and what the imaginary meal will be. Keep real food out of this version so it stays a pretend game.

For a toddler: offer one toy a pretend drink together.

For a preschooler: suggest that one guest has arrived late or that everyone is going on a train afterwards. Let your child decide whether to use the idea.

If an elaborate story feels like work, simply be a guest. You can ask for an imaginary cup of tea without organising a whole restaurant.

4. Draw a shared scribble map

Put a large sheet of paper on the table and make a line across it. Your child can add marks, circles or paths. You might draw a house at one end and ask where the line should go next.

For a toddler: treat scribbling as the activity; there is no finished picture to achieve.

For a preschooler: offer to draw roads between places they choose, such as home, the library and an imaginary dinosaur park.

Use age-appropriate, non-toxic drawing materials and supervise. Choose crayons rather than paint when you want less cleanup, and put the materials away afterwards.

5. Build a home for a toy

Use age-appropriate blocks already in the house. Pick one toy and lay out a space for it, starting with a simple open rectangle rather than a roof or tall structure.

For a toddler: place blocks beside each other together.

For a preschooler: ask whether the toy needs a door, garage or garden. Change one feature rather than starting a new build each time.

Keep construction at floor level. If siblings are joining in, give each child their own building space, using materials suitable for the youngest participant.

6. Deliver the clean washing

Choose a few clean washcloths or tea towels. Make a little pile beside you and ask your child to deliver one to a nearby basket. Stay in the same room and make the destination obvious.

For a toddler: hand over one item at a time.

For a preschooler: offer two destinations, such as tea towels in one basket and washcloths in another. They can also invent a delivery announcement.

This is an invitation to join an everyday task. If the washing becomes a pretend picnic cloth instead, you can follow that idea or put the job aside.

Make the next choice smaller

If an activity does not appeal, change one thing: swap the book, let your child lead the actions or bring a different toy to the picnic. You can also stop. No activity here comes with a guaranteed duration.

For a small flat, choose seated actions, one book or a tabletop drawing. If noise is unwelcome, leave singing for another time. Put materials within reach and demonstrate the first step if spoken instructions are not useful for your child.

For several wet days, keep a small selection of existing materials together and reuse them. NSW Department of Education’s home-play guidance supports using everyday household items; there is no requirement to purchase a rainy-day kit.

Start now: choose the row in the table that matches what you have available. If an older sibling needs a separate option, see indoor activities for primary school kids.

How we checked this

Checked on 22 September 2026 against Australian play guidance from Raising Children Network and NSW Department of Education. The activity variations and effort comparisons are editorial suggestions, not results from hands-on testing.

Related reading: Rainy day activity checklist for keeping kids busy indoors.

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