A rainy day with your two year old can be effortless and fun. Read below to turn your next rainy day into a day you both look forward to!

The street outside your house is a raging river while rain patters endlessly against your window. It’s another rainy day. Your two year old explodes with energy. She screams, “Mama, MAMA! Watch this!” as she bounces across the couch, launches herself onto the armchair, and then shrieks with excitement as she yanks on the curtains. You moan to yourself and fill your extra large coffee mug for the second time. What on earth are you going to do with your two year old on such a rainy day? And how will you make it fun for both of you?

Friend, rainy days can be cause for celebration. You may feel trapped inside with a bored, overstimulating ball of youthful excitement. Or, you may be resigned to watching too many episodes of Bluey on repeat just to survive. But rain is actually be the breath of fresh air you’re looking for to liven up a typical boring day. Possibilities abound!

1. Have Fun with your Two Year Old Outside

This one is my personal favorite, which is why I’m putting it first. Nothing transforms the outdoors into something new and exciting more than precipitation. Dress your toddler and yourself up in a raincoats, rainboots, and waterproof pants and hit the outdoors to see how rain transforms your neighborhood. Are there puddles to jump in? Sticky mud to squish in? How do animals act in the rain? How do people act in the rain? Is there somewhere to watch rain running down a gutter, or can you see how a nearby creek runs differently during a rainy day? Can you float leaves in that running water? My two year old LOVES walking in the rain, and she’s often very tuned-in and observant during our rainy day walks.

If you are particularly motivated or nature-savvy, consider a rainy day hike or nature walk on a local trail. Paved or gravel trails are ideal, since walking on a muddy trail can erode the path, and be extra mindful for safety hazards like severe weather, flash floods and overfilled banks, and mud slides. Still, for the right parent-child duo on the right day, this can be a fabulous way to pass the time.

Pro-tip: Good rainy-day gear makes all the difference here. You can often get very good quality used gear at a great price at local consignment shops or online. It may be worth it to you to invest in new gear with the intention of enjoying it for a very long time.

2. Build a Fun Rainy Day Castle with your Two Year Old

Use blankets, pillows, and couch cushions, or even that stack of Amazon boxes you’ve been meaning to recycle, and design and build a cozy castle. Drape with blankets and bring in the flashlights, blankets, and Christmas lights for an afternoon of reading, cuddling, and napping. Time things right and you might even be able to have a snack or naptime inside to really ramp up the core-memory-making.

Pro-tip: Clothespins and a nylon clothesline can be a great starting place for you blanket fort. A sheet can offer a breathable cover so it doesn’t get too stuffy inside.3.

3. Get Out the Art Supplies

Few things excite my kid or me as much as a kitchen table full of art supplies on a gloomy day. We clear the table, set out the paper, markers, paint, glue, glitter, cardstock, and crayons, and then we get to work making things beautiful. When I have a goal in mind, I have more success in digging in. For instance, during our next crafting session with my daughter, I plan craft a fat stack of holiday cards.

Since we’re talking about two-year-olds here, some limits are going to make everyone’s life a little bit easier. Maybe you have your kiddo wear an art smock that covers her skin and clothes so you don’t have to stress about the clean up. Maybe you give her a specific job in your task – she’s the honorary glitter sprinkler, or heart-gluer. Or maybe you’re a brave soul who is ready to go all in and embrace the mess and will really have some fun!

Pro-tip: If you’re fussy about keeping the table or floor tidy, a drop cloth or used tablecloth can go a long ways to lowering the stress-level of the day. The goal here is to let the creativity flow, not to stress you and your little one out by having to keep everything perfect.

4. Build an Obstacle Course

Two year olds LOVE to move, and their need for movement doesn’t change just because they’re indoors for the day. Set up a tiny obstacle course for them complete with opportunities to jump, crawl, climb, spin, and roll.

Place couch cushions a few feet apart from each other on the floor for your toddler to leap from cushion to cushion. Drape a blanket low to the ground so that your child may crawl on hands and knees or even her belly to get through. Line up dining room table chairs for your kiddo to crawl over one at a time. Lay pillows in a ring to create a spinning station so that your child can spin before collapsing happily into a cushioned crash zone. And finally, lay out a thick quilt at the end to roll your child in for some sneaky deep somatic activation.

Be open to your child’s contributions here, and understand we’re working with a young age group. So she may wish to do the same task over and over again, or she may completely shun one of your suggestions. That’s ok! Trust that your toddler knows what her body needs, and remember that our goal is just to get moving and to have fun.

Pro-tip: This idea can be adapted for older kids as well. Competition, timing, and more elaborate obstacles can easily be improvised for multiple children, and as your children age up.

5. Bake Some Bread

The smell of freshly baked bread is undeniably cozy. The smell of freshly baked bread on a rainy day? Bliss. Mixing, kneading, shaping, and baking bread engages all of your senses and is a great way to focus energy. Your little one will love to help you to measure and dump ingredients. Give her a little ball of dough to manipulate on her own when it’s time to knead. If she’s anything like my daughter, she’ll carry it around for hours before feeding it to the dog. (Whoops!)

Of course, if bread’s not your jam, don’t fret! Cookies and brownies will both scratch that itch. Even frozen dough will fill up your house with good vibes and will organize even the rowdiest crowd.

Pro-tip: Serve with milk and butter or nut butter for a stabilizing protein/fat combo to balance the carbs. Or, serve with an herbal tea and a tiny cup to give your two year old a sweet chance to practice being “big”.

Do you feel yourself looking forward to your next rainy day? What do you like to do on damp days?