5 Rainy Day Activities Your Babysitter Can Do With Your Kids

Keeping track of kids is a handful — as we’re sure you’re well aware. Those little rascals are bundles of near-infinite energy, and making sure they have something to keep them busy is a real challenge. That challenge gets even harder when the weather turns nasty and they’re forced to be cooped up inside: what’re you to do? And what is your babysitter supposed to do if they’re set to watch the kids and can’t go out? To help you — and your sitter — with keeping the kids occupied, here are our top five rainy day activities that you can share with your babysitter.

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1. Bake Some Goodies

A little mess, a lot of fun, and something delicious to eat afterward? What’s not to love! Baking can be a really fun thing to do while you’re stuck inside. If your kids have a sweet treat they really love (brownies, cookies, cupcakes, whatever) make sure to let your sitter know so they can find a great recipe — or just give them your favorite recipe yourself. The kids can help with mixing, adding, decorating, and, of course, eating, which means it’s a great activity for everyone to do together. Even feuding siblings have to put their differences aside when there’s cake on the line, so make sure you pass the idea along.

2. Scavenger Hunt

With Easter just occurring, let’s take a cue from one of that holiday’s most famous traditions and do some searching around for hidden treasure. Scavenger hunts are a really fun activity for kids of most any age, especially with the right prizes. You can hide small toys and candies, or even take the scavenger hunt up a notch and hide pieces of a puzzle that leads to the grand prize. The real power of scavenger hunts is that they get kids looking at their home in a new way, examining it for all the hiding places and crevices they might normally look past. When you’re stuck inside hiding from the rain, that’s a powerful tool, so take advantage of it.

3. Fort Building

If you ever built a fort as a child you know exactly why we suggest this fantastic rainy-day activity. If you never did then you’re really missing out! Fort building is a ton of fun and will keep the kids occupied for ages. Take whatever furniture, blankets, and pillows you’ve got, shove them together, and create a dark, cozy cave inside your home. You can even go really fancy and create different rooms and tunnels within the structure, or just stretch a blanket across the living room and make one big play space. Being stuck inside is boring, but being stuck inside with a fort is all kinds of fun. Trust us, no one will be bored when you bust out the fort.

4. Watch A Movie 

There’s nothing quite like movie night, and if your sitter has to keep the kids inside, a movie night is a great way to keep them busy. If you also happen to build a fort as we suggested in the last tip, then you can also do one better than just watching a movie and build a home theater! Move whatever screen you’ll be watching the film on into the fort, make some cozy spots with blankets and pillows, and settle in. Watching a movie isn’t anything special, but with a bit of effort, you can make it special. That’s the kind of thing that will make your kids happy and have them begging to see the sitter again soon.

5. Games

There are a lot of fun games that you can play with kids that don’t involve going outside. Here are three different types of games you can play that we think your babysitter and your kids will enjoy.

• Board and Card Games: Whether it’s Candyland, Settlers of Catan, Go Fish, or checkers, board games are the ultimate rainy day activity. Make sure to suggest any favorites your kids have, or welcome your sitter to teach them something new!

• Puzzles: We’re separating puzzles into their own category because they tend to appeal to different children than more traditional board games. Puzzles are quiet and calm and take time and focus. Not every child will enjoy puzzles, and many children may not want to do them for long, but with the right kids, they can be a lot of fun.

• Active Games: No kid likes to sit around for too long, so it’s best to give them an active outlet for their energy. We recommend games like Hide and Seek, Freeze Dance, and maybe even Tag if there’s enough space inside. Make sure there are rules to prevent things from getting too rowdy though!

Keeping kids busy is a full-time job — unless you hire a sitter, then it’s only part-time. With spring weather in full swing and the rains coming on with annoying regularity, we’re sure you and your sitter will get good use out of these fun rainy-day activities.