So, it’s raining cats and dogs outside, and your original plans are ruined. Not to worry! Here are some ideas about how to spend your next rainy day, whether you stay indoors or venture out.
IN THE RAIN, OUTSIDE
From taking a nature walk, umbrella in hand, and splashing through mud puddles, to creating a colorful water world with food coloring, to recording one of nature’s nicest sounds of raindrops falling with distant thunder in the background, there’s lots you can do outside.
- Sing and dance in the rain. You can even choreograph your own song and dance and create a shareable video to keep entertained.
- Be a kid again and have fun with kids, quacking like a duck, hopping like a frog, and making fish faces as you splash through the puddles of rain.
- Make mud angels. Ever make snow angels? Mud can get a little messier than snow, but if you’re in mess-able clothes, you can still have fun making them.
- Go on a safari and search for nature’s tiniest creatures, including worms, frogs, and birds.
- Make small boats out of leaves and twigs and have a race with them, seeing who can float along the fastest.
- Keep your camera dry under that umbrella and put your photography skills to good use by getting some beautiful nature shots.
- Have a raindrop-catching contest. Who can fill their jar or bucket the fastest and end up with the most water? Let the winner(s) get a prize.
OUT OF THE RAIN, INDOORS
Or, if you’re a stay-warm-and-dry-inside type, play board (bored) games, read a book, magazine or newspaper, camp out in your living room, catch up on social media and lots more. Never get bored on a rainy day again!
Start by adding some ambiance to your atmosphere. Make a fire, light some candles or incense and spray some room spray. You may even want to do some redecorating and organizing to refresh your space.
- Binge-watch a TV show, have a movie marathon, or, with some planning, host your own film festival.
- Watch Singing in the Rain.
- Learn something new. Take an online tutorial or start a course.
- Pamper yourself with a DIY home spa and give yourself or others a massage with essential oils. Slather on a facial mask, deep-condition your strands with hot oil, steep some tea, put some cucumber slices on those peepers, turn on some relaxing music, and prop your feet up. Then, take a soak in the bathtub with some Epsom salts and baking soda.
- Kids around? Set clues and have a treasure hunt. Reward the winner with a small prize.
- Camp out in the living room. Get cozy with lots of pillows and blankets that you prop up over chairs. Bring a flashlight in and catch up on some reading.
- Do some arts and crafts, and get gift-giving with your creative creations. Whether you make homemade greeting cards, jewelry, or bath products, enjoy the creative process and the finished product that people will love getting.
- Make the most of your kitchen. Have a cooking or baking contest or start your own food channel on YouTube. And create your own family recipe book.
- Get out the fine china, dress up to attend your own tea party/tea ceremony (whether dresses and hats or kimonos), and make some finger food goodies to enjoy with your cuppa. Pinkies out, everyone!
- Have a dance party (be your own DJ) and serve up some drinks (be your own bartender). Experiment with mixing your own drinks, whether cocktails for the adults and mocktails for the kids. Cheers, everyone!
- Roll out your mat, put on an instructional video and do some yoga, Pilates, or stretch and strengthen. You can also relax with some tai chi and meditation.
- Write up a storm. Be it poetry, articles, reflective journaling, short stories, song lyrics, a novella or novel, get your words on paper.
- You won’t have to wish the rain would go away. Spend your next rainy days having fun as you play like a kid with the kids.