When we think summer, we often think of balmy days punctuated by water balloon fights, trips to the beach, and tall glasses of ice-cold lemonade. So, when the weather sends a little rain our way, it can throw your Military Family’s plans for a loop. But there’s no need to sulk. Rainy days are an opportunity to try out fun activities that might otherwise be outshined by the sun. We’ve pulled together seven of our favorite suggestions for rainy day fun below.
1. Make Rain Art
Drawing with sidewalk chalk is a popular summertime activity, but rain will wash away your art just as fast as you can create it. Instead, enlist the rain as a co-artist in creating your masterpiece.
Draw abstract patters washable markers on watercolor paper or cardstock and then leave the paper out in the rain for a little while. The raindrops will blend the colors, create interesting speckles, and add other unpredictable elements to your art.
2. Camp Indoors
Did your camping weekend get rained out? No worries, you can bring the adventures indoors. Clear a space in your house to set up a small pop-up tent or, better yet, build your own tent by draping sheets over furniture.
Make the area cozy with pillows and sleeping bags before getting the camping activities started— you can enjoy an indoor picnic, tells stories around a flashlight “campfire,” and even cook s’mores over the stove.
3. Get a Little Retro
When was the last time you shared something from your childhood with your MilFam? Arcades and roller rinks seem to have fallen out of vogue, but they’re just as fun as ever.
Plus, they provide cover from oncoming storms. A quick search online should help identify retro spots like that near you.
4. Make a Family Recipe Book
If you have aspiring chefs on your hands, they may enjoy spending the afternoon assembling a book of all their favorite family recipes.
There are plenty of ways to put the book together, but we recommend making color copies of the original handwritten recipe cards and gluing them horizontally into a blank, unlined notebook (this preserves the original while giving the copies a secure home). Then hand over art supplies to kids and let them decorate to their heart’s content.
5. Host a Tea Party
Dust off your fancy China, dress up in your snazziest outfit, and turn your rainy day into an elegant tea party.
Introduce your kids to your favorite teas or use hot cocoa or juice. You can even put together some easy chicken salad sandwiches or a tasty pastry.
6. Make a Scrapbook
We keep so many of our photos in digital locations these days, it can be nice to print out a special few and keep them in a physical book.
Sit down with your kids to pick out a number of photos to print and then help them arrange them in a scrapbook with stickers, pattern paper, and captions.
7. Create an Indoor Obstacle Course
Help the kids burn off some energy by setting up an indoor obstacle course for them to jump, crawl, and tiptoe through.
Simply arrange cushions, furniture, and other items around the house for endless course options. Or, if you don’t want to create too much of a mess, simply work with the current set up and establish rules for moving like “you can’t touch the floor” or “you have to hop 3 times every time you reach the couch.”
