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20 Fun Games for Rainy Days for all Ages & Activity Levels

There are so many things to love about Christmas weather; snowman building, sledging, cosy bobble hats.

But when a rainy day strikes, sometimes the best idea is to stay warm and dry inside. Here’s 20 fun games and activities you can enjoy indoors over the festive period!

1. Build a blanket fort

There’s no better way to forget a gloomy day than with a cosy blanket fort. Grab all the blankets, pillows and cushions you can find and let your kids’ imaginations run wild.

Drying racks or chairs are great ways to prop up the fort, or you can use any large boxes you have lying around.

fort

2. Putting pen to paper

Spread some festive cheer by getting your children to write letters to their loved ones, it could be their grandparents, best friend or their favourite toy!

Get creative by decorating the letters with pictures, glitter or stickers. It’s also great practice for writing their letter to Santa…

3. Freeze dance

This is an easy one… pick your little ones’ favourite songs and get them dancing around, except when the music stops, they have to freeze!

4. Indoor treasure hunt

Design a treasure hunt with a trail of clues to solve along the way to finding a grand prize!

You could even make treasure maps for everyone, just make sure the Scout Elves don’t give any secrets away!

5. Shadow games

The perfect game to shut out a rainy day! Draw the curtains, switch off the lights and cast a torch onto a plain wall to cast shadow shapes with your hands.

Take turns guessing what shapes everyone is trying to make… who can make a Scout Elf shadow?

6. Window painting

With washable paint, any surface is a canvas. Let your little ones loose on your windows to paint a cheery Christmas scene over the gloomy day outside!

window-painting

7. Hide & seek

Test your kids’ sleuthing skills with a game of hide & seek! Take turns to count, and see how many hiding places you can find in your home, the answer usually surprises you. And who knows, maybe your Scout Elf will join in…

8. Mini golf

If you have some putters to hand, make temporary holes using plastic cups to create your own mini golf course! You can put a festive twist on it by making Christmas themed course flags.

9. Cupcake decorating

For an easy alternative to baking, buy some ready-made cupcakes and set up a decorating station in your kitchen. All you need is a selection of coloured icing and some exciting toppings, and you’ll have everything you need to make some fancy looking cupcakes!

10. Host a tea party

At the North Pole the Scout Elves love getting together for a warming drink, so why not host your own festive tea party? Swap tea for hot chocolate with marshmallows, and serve gingerbread cookies and mince pies as sweet treats.

11. Play dress-up

The Scout Elves love getting dressed up in their Claus Couture outfits, and they’re always excited to watch a fashion show.

Whether it’s from a fancy dress box or your own wardrobe, encourage your little ones to create their own outfits and strike a pose!

dress-up

12. Jigsaw puzzling

For a surprisingly addictive rainy day game, open up a jigsaw and have the kids puzzling all day! If you leave it out overnight, don’t be surprised to find that the Scout Elves have found a few more pieces come morning.

13. Tray game

Put everyone’s memory to work with the tray game! The challenge is simple, put a collection of random items on a tray, give the players 30 seconds to look at it, then cover the tray with a tea towel and have everyone list as many items as they can remember.

14. Simon Says

Christmas is all about traditions, and this classic game has been a favourite for generations.

The leader calls out actions starting with the phrase ‘Simon says’ and the players have to do the action, except for when the leader doesn’t say ‘Simon says’. If you follow the action anyway, you’re out!

simon-says

15. What’s in the box?

Everyone loves guessing what’s in the presents under the tree, but we have a different surprise in mind for a rainy day game.

Cut holes in the sides of a sealed cardboard box, and hide objects inside. Without looking, each player has to put their hand in the box and feel the object to work out what it is.

16. Indoor keepy uppy

For a game of keepy uppy that won’t end in broken vases or spilt milk, replace balls with balloons and challenge your little ones to keep it off the floor for as long as possible, while sharing of course!

17. Scrapbooking

Let your children’s imaginations run wild by giving them a collection of old photos to design their own scrapbook!

It’s a great way to safeguard all your most treasured memories, and they make lovely personalised gifts for family members.

scrapbooking

18. I Spy

The Scout Elves are always looking out for things nobody else sees, and we hear they test out their observation skills at the North Pole with games of I Spy!

Play your own game with your little ones, and for an unexpected twist try planting surprise Christmas objects around the room.

19. Playing house

If you have a dollhouse, spark a story idea by giving your little ones a theme, or use your dolls to act out a well-known Christmas story.

You can even make your own dollhouse, using cardboard boxes and paint to decorate the rooms!

20. Pass the parcel

Welcome Christmas early, with a little game of pass the parcel! Sit all the players in a circle and play some Christmas tunes, with a child getting to unwrap a gift every time the music stops.

There’s no need to break the bank on gifts; just fill the parcel with snack treats or toys your little ones may have forgotten about. This way they get to be reunited with an old friend!

With your new set of rainy day games, you’re now ready to entertain the kids during any gloomy day!