16 fun things to do with your kid(s) when it rains

In the Netherlands there is always a chance of rain. You don’t want your kids sitting on the iPad or in front of the television all day on a rainy day like that. The back of our Mytimingcards has lots of fun play tips; we have listed the best ones plus a few extra tips:

• Go painting! Who knows, there may be a Picasso hiding in you or your little one. Painting doesn’t have to be on a canvas or a large sheet of paper; you can also paint on dad’s old T-shirt or a placemat. Be creative! Just make sure the type of paint and the material you paint on go well together.

• Want to create a real summer feeling? Whatever the time of year, you can easily bring summer indoors. Push the furniture aside, put a blanket on the floor, get some snacks and drinks and have a picnic together.
• Get crafting! How about these DIYs? Make a drum, a cardboard television or your own memory game together. Fun to make and fun to play with. Double the fun! Swimming isn’t only fun on warm days and outdoors; a trip to an indoor swimming pool can be lovely too.

• Dens, tents and forts can simply be built in the living room; see our play tips on the Mytimingcards! Blankets make a great ceiling, and chairs as pillars aren’t a bad idea either.
• Hide and seek is always fun and suitable for all ages, depending of course on how tricky the hiding places are. 10, 9, 8, 7…
• Visit an indoor playground.
• Close the curtains, turn on the stereo and your living room turns into a disco in no time. Dance to the music together!
• Read books aloud. Have you already read the bookcase at home 20 times? Then pay a visit to your local library.
• Museums really don’t have to be boring. There are even lots of museums that are fun and educational for children, where they don’t have to be quiet and are even allowed to touch things.
• Make a train with chairs, cushions and anything else your little one comes up with (and that is doable). Is Lion the cuddly toy on board?
• Head into the kitchen together and bake biscuits, cupcakes or a cake. Also fun if you bake it for someone, like your mum.
• Have a photo shoot together. Put on silly clothes and pretend you are in a photo booth. Set your camera to self-timer so it takes several photos in a row. A super fun activity, and just as much fun to look back on later.
• Make jewellery together. Maybe you would like to make a necklace or bracelet for each other, or matching jewellery.
• Play board games or do a puzzle. How much fun is an old-fashioned board game like Snakes and Ladders?
• Rain doesn’t have to mean you can’t go outside at all. Wellies on, raincoat on, umbrella in hand: stomping in puddles can be wonderful too…
• … and then warming up in a nice bath…
• … and afterwards turning the living room into a cinema and watching a film on the sofa.