Rainy Day Toddler Activities (That Saved Me This Week)

The sunshine recently has been so good that I got completely caught off guard when the rain suddenly arrived.

One minute we were happily heading out to playgrounds and walks, the next minute I was standing in the kitchen thinking: “Right… what on earth are we doing today?”

Toddlers don’t really understand “let’s just have a quiet day inside”, so I needed a few quick activities that were easy to set up with things already in the house.

These are a few simple rainy day lifesavers that work surprisingly well.

Homemade Slime

If you have glue and shaving foam in the cupboard, slime is a surprisingly easy one to throw together.

• Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup white glue

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 cup water

• 2–3 cups shaving cream

• 1.5 tbsp contact lens solution

Instructions:
Mix the glue, water and baking soda together.
Stir in the shaving cream.
Add the contact lens solution and mix until it forms slime.

It’s messy (obviously), but toddlers absolutely love squishing and stretching it.

Moon Sand

This one is ridiculously simple and gives you a sensory activity in seconds.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oil

• 4 cups flour
  

Just mix them together and you’ll get a soft, mouldable sand texture.

It’s perfect for toy diggers, spoons, cups and little animals.

Homemade Play-Doh

Play-Doh is a classic for a reason. If you’ve run out of the shop-bought stuff, this homemade version works really well.

• Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour

• 1/2 cup salt

• 2 tbsp cream of tartar

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1½ cups boiling water

• Mix everything together and knead until smooth. You can also add food colouring if you want different colours.
  
  

Simple Sand Art

This is a great one if your toddler enjoys crafts.

What you need:

• Salt

• Food colouring
  

Mix the food colouring into the salt to create coloured “sand”, then use it to make pictures or layer it in small jars or cups.

It’s simple but surprisingly entertaining.

The Real Truth About Rainy Days with Toddlers

Some days you’ll have a beautifully planned activity. Other days you’ll be throwing flour and oil into a bowl hoping for the best.

And honestly… that’s completely fine. Toddlers don’t need perfect activities — they just want something fun to poke, squish, pour or stir.

These little setups can buy you a solid 20–30 minutes of entertainment, which in toddler time is basically a miracle.

If you’ve found any brilliant rainy day activities, I’d love to hear them — I’m always looking for new ideas to add to Walden Weekly.