Rainy-day plans with kids at home
Which at-home plan would you start when nobody can go outside?
Rain cancels the park and does not cancel the energy. These are plans that use the house you already have. None of them requires a reservation or a special kit beyond what the note says.
Rank the plan you can start in the next half hour. A perfect craft that needs a shop run is not a rainy-day plan. It is an errand.
Rank two options at a time. Leave out anything you cannot judge. You can share the result or, on a public list, add your order to the visitor tally.
4–8 options keeps it quick. Leave at least two checked. You can adjust the order at the end.
What is on this list
The order here is a starting shortlist, not a ranking. Notes are context so a group can tell similar options apart.
- A board game you already own
- A board game you already own beats a new one you cannot teach while everyone is damp. Use the family game-night list if you need a title. This row is the plan, not the box.
- A short film you can pause
- A short film you can pause. Agree on a runtime before you start. The weeknight-film list has commonly listed lengths under two hours if you want titles.
- Bake something simple
- Bake something simple: cookies, muffins, or bread you have made before. The plan fails if it depends on an ingredient you do not have.
- A puzzle on the table
- A puzzle on the table works because people can join and leave. Pick a piece count the youngest person can stand. A 2,000-piece puzzle is a different hobby.
- Indoor bowling with cups
- Indoor bowling with cups: a ball of socks and a hallway. No score needed unless the children invent one. Stop before it becomes a reason to patch the wall.
- A read-aloud chapter
- A read-aloud chapter is one chapter, then a choice to continue. It is a plan for the adult who still has a voice and the child who will sit.
- A living-room dance
- A living-room dance is a song or three, not a recital. It works in small spaces. It does not work if you need quiet for a call.
- Build with blocks or bricks
- Build with blocks or bricks you already own. Set a time to take a photo and put them away. The cleanup is part of the plan, or the plan is just a mess.
Visitor rankings
Finish the pairs, then add your order from the results screen. Pickaside stores a random id in this browser and the order you submit. It does not ask for your name on a public list.
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Questions about this list
What ages is this for?
Mixed household ages. A read-aloud and a puzzle land differently at age four and age twelve. Rank what your actual children will do, and leave off anything that would turn into a fight.
Do we need to buy anything?
The list assumes a deck of cards, a book, or a baking staple you may already have. If you do not, pick another line. The ranking is not a shopping list.