11 Healthy Family Activity Ideas for When It’s Raining

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.” No matter how many times we chant this childhood nursery rhyme, we really just can’t seem to control the weather. Just because it’s a wet day outside doesn’t mean your family can’t have fun, though! These healthy family activity ideas for when it’s raining will make it a splashing good time.

11 Healthy Family Activity Ideas for When It’s Raining

When it’s pouring rain, it’s tempting to cuddle in with a book or movie and spend hours in the same spot. Sure, that’s fun once and a while, but it doesn’t always rain just once in a while. If your family is trying to maintain an active, healthy, and fit lifestyle then you’re probably going to want to get everyone moving even on cold, rainy days. 

Splash in the puddles

You don’t have to wait until the sun comes out to get outside and jump in the puddles. You’re going to get soaking wet regardless, so bring the kids outside even while it’s raining and start splashing around in your rain boots. Of course, this isn’t a good idea in a lightning storm, but regular rainstorms are just water and you aren’t made of sugar!

Take a walk in the rain

Although you’ll probably still end up splashing in a few puddles on your way too, take the whole family out for a nature walk on a rainy day. Explore how the rain falls off the leaves and drips down, or spills from rooftop gutters and flows down. Keep a lookout for mini rivers running to the sewer and send leaves sailing down. There’s so much to explore outside and adventuring out in the rain is a great way to show kids your neighborhood in a different way. 

Put on some “sunny” music and dance

Make a playlist of upbeat music, or even better, music that has lyrics that involve sunny skies. Think titles like “Mr. Bluesky” and “Walking on Sunshine”. Dance together in the living room, play freeze dance, or make up your own dance moves and record a family music video. Dancing is a fantastic way to exercise, and so much fun for the whole family! You can even use this as an opportunity to teach the kids some “classic” dance moves from when you were young. 

Clean the house

This is a different kind of “healthy”, but still really important. Plus cleaning actually is great exercise and a good way to move around even on rainy days. Either have the kids work with you to do some actual cleaning, especially the germ-fighting kind. (Things like disinfecting doorknobs and light switches, dusting neglected areas, and washing kitchen cupboards are all great rainy day cleaning activities.) You can also use this time to clean and declutter the kids’ rooms, organize the kitchen, or clean out the fridge. 

Create a healthy scavenger hunt

Instead of just a regular scavenger hunt where kids have to look for items around the house, make it a healthy alternative. On each clue, also include some kind of fitness challenge. Some ideas would be like “do 20 jumping jacks” or “hop on one foot for 15 seconds”. At the end, instead of a treat, make the prize something healthy like fruit and dip or family activity.

Plan a family outing

Sometimes when you feel like you’re cooped up in the house, and you just don’t want to be out in the rain, the best thing to do is go somewhere else. Pack up the family and head off to an activity you can all do together. Some fun ideas include indoor rock climbing, trampoline parks, indoor playgrounds, and rec centers. 

Do some healthy baking or meal prep

If you find yourself with an unexpected day in you can take advantage of the time and use it to have some family fun in the kitchen. You can pick out a healthy recipe to try together or prep some healthy meals that can be thrown in the freezer for busy nights. Either way, having kids in the kitchen is a great way to introduce them to healthy eating habits.

Set up an obstacle course

Use furniture, pillows, or even painter’s tape to create a fun indoor obstacle course. Then have the family take turns trying to beat each other’s best score running it. You can even add in some extra challenges, like having points where they have to stop and do an exercise. If you have some physical play items in your house already like tunnels and balance beams this is a great way to include them in your play, too. 

Hallway bowling

This is a super easy healthy rainy day family activity that is great for kids of all ages. If you have one of those kids bowling sets, set it up in the hallway and take turns trying to knock the pins down. If you don’t, set up a game with whatever you have lying around: water bottles, empty cans, and paper towel tubes all make great bowling pin substitutes. Then just toss whatever softball you have handy to play!

Tackle a project

Have you been putting off something around the house that needs to be done (and the whole family can work on together)? Rainy days are great for getting some painting done (always use low VOC paint in your family’s home) or rearranging furniture. You’d be surprised how much your family will all be moving around while completing even small projects, and you’ll get a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. It’s a perfect way to brighten an otherwise dreary rainy day.

Play together

When all else fails, the best thing you can do to be healthy as a family is to play some games together! Whether it’s challenging the kids to an “active” board game like Throw Throw Burrito, playing something classic like charades, or chasing toddlers around to tickle them anything you do with the kids to get them moving is a healthy activity idea.

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you have to stop keeping your family active. With these healthy family activity ideas for when it’s raining you’ll have plenty of options to make the most a wet day!

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These Healthy Family Activity Ideas for When It's Raining will get your moving and grooving. Don't sit around all day! Get out and enjoy the rain. #rain #activities #family #healthy #rainyday #easy #creative #breagettingfit

Erika

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