Super Funday · Ideas for families
5 easy rainy-day activities to keep kids entertained at home
Rainy-day activities for kids can be simple: a drawing game, an indoor island challenge, a toy rescue, a pretend-hat parade, or a secret kindness mission. These five ideas use everyday household items and take around five or six minutes each.
They’re drawn from Super Funday, a family activity game built around real-world missions. This selection is aimed at children aged 5–11, with grown-ups joining in or helping as needed. You can try every activity below using these instructions.
Pick whichever suits the mood: something active, something creative, or something that gets everyone working together. Timings are estimates; repeat a favourite for as long as everyone enjoys it.
1. Safe Island Crossing
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- You’ll need
- Safe floor markers or stable cushions
- Players
- One or more
Turn the floor into an adventure. The challenge is to cross a short route without stepping outside the pretend islands.
How to play
- Choose a clear space and agree which spots count as islands.
- Make a tiny route with easy steps between each island.
- Take turns crossing while staying on the marked spots.
Let children name the islands or imagine a sea of custard around them. Keep the route on the floor, away from sharp edges. Use floor markers if cushions slide. No climbing on furniture.
2. The Terrible Drawing
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- You’ll need
- Paper and a pencil or crayon
- Players
- Two or more
Draw a deliberately terrible picture of something familiar. Everyone else tries to guess what it is. A cat that looks like a potato is exactly the sort of result you’re after.
How to play
- Choose a familiar object without telling the other players.
- Draw a wonderfully wonky version of it.
- Show your picture and let everyone guess.
- Reveal the answer, then give someone else a turn.
If a child gets stuck, suggest a shoe, a banana, a dog, or a car. This is an easy game for a quieter moment at the kitchen table.
3. The Escaping Toy
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- You’ll need
- A soft toy
- Players
- One or more
A soft toy needs to escape from one side of the room to the other. There’s one rule: nobody may carry it normally. Invent a safe way to complete the rescue.
How to play
- Choose a soft toy and decide where its journey starts and ends.
- Explain the rule: ordinary carrying is off limits.
- Think of a rescue method and try it.
- Change the plan if the first idea doesn’t work.
Try gently pulling the toy on a towel or making a little vehicle from a cardboard box. Keep the journey at floor level and clear the route first. Give children room to develop their own plan.
4. The Weirdest Hat
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- You’ll need
- Three safe, lightweight objects
- Players
- One or more
Invent a pretend hat using three lightweight objects, then hold it safely for a five-second catwalk. It doesn’t need to be wearable: holding the creation above your head is enough.
How to play
- Find three safe, lightweight objects.
- Arrange them into the strangest pretend hat you can imagine.
- Give your creation a name.
- Hold it safely and perform your five-second catwalk.
Try paper, a clean sock, or an empty cardboard container. Keep faces uncovered and leave heavy, sharp, or breakable objects out of the game. Finish with applause for every designer.
5. Secret Helper
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- You’ll need
- No special materials
- Players
- Two or more
Do one small helpful thing for another player without announcing it. Can you finish before they realise? This makes a gentle final activity after the noisier games.
How to play
- Choose someone to help.
- Think of a small, safe job that would make their day easier.
- Complete it quietly.
- Afterwards, let everyone share what happened.
Children could tidy shared crayons, put away a toy, or organise shoes within easy reach. Keep the job manageable and let each child choose how to help.
How to turn five missions into a rainy afternoon
You don’t need to organise a full afternoon in advance. Start with one activity and see what everyone enjoys.
For a little variety, try Safe Island Crossing first, sit down for The Terrible Drawing, then work together on The Escaping Toy. Add the hat parade if everyone wants another laugh, and finish with Secret Helper.
Let children repeat a favourite or change the story around it. A toy rescue can become a space mission; a floor crossing can become an expedition.
Try a free Super Funday mission →More ideas with everyday items
Try our five screen-free activities for kids using things you already have, from sock creatures to a paper bridge.
Playing with siblings?
Explore five activities siblings of different ages can play together, with roles for younger and older children.
Keep the adventure going
Need more indoor activity ideas? Explore our Rainy Day Fun collection.
A printable option for an indoor afternoon
Prefer paper? The free Halloween mission pack includes nine seasonal challenges and a four-player completion sheet.