Just because it’s raining outside doesn’t mean you can’t have plenty of fun indoors. If you’re wondering how you’re going to stay entertained with the incessant rain beating on the windows, we’ve got you! In this article, we’ll go over 30 super fun rainy day games for everyone to enjoy, including rainy day games for families, games for kids, as well as games and activities for the classroom.
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RAINY DAY GAMES FOR FAMILIES
Are you stuck at home with your children on a weekend with plans canceled due to the rain? Just because you’re not heading outside doesn’t mean you can’t have some family fun. Here are some rainy day games for the entire family to enjoy.
1. HIDE AND SEEK
Starting off with an absolute classic. Hide and Seek is a super simple game that involves one player closing their eyes and counting to a predetermined number, such as 100. While this player is counting, every other player must find a place to hide in the home. When “it” finishes counting, they must search for the players. The last player to be found is the winner and plays “it” for the next round!
2. SCAVENGER HUNT
To play a Scavenger Hunt, you’ll need to prepare a bit beforehand. But with just a few minutes of preparation can lead to quite a bit of fun for the whole family! You can play a Scavenger Hunt in one of two ways:
- Players look for specific items around the house using given clues which lead to other clues and items.
- Players find each item on a list.
The player who manages to find every item first is the winner!
3. PICTIONARY
- Celebrate 40 years of the original classic family drawing game Pictionary!
- Sketch and guess your way to the finish line with this board game for family...
- Features 3 levels of clues, including Learn to Draw clues for younger players...
To play Pictionary, divide everyone into two teams. The two teams will then work hard to draw and guess the drawing in order to move their game piece across the board. Only if the team manages to guess the drawing within an allotted timeframe may they roll the dice to move their game piece. The first team to get to the end of the game board and guess the last drawing wins the game!
4. UNO
- The classic card game of matching colors and numbers.
- Special Action Cards and Wild Cards for unexpected excitement and game-changing...
- Use the Swap Hands cards to change hands with any other opponent.
Uno is one of the most famous card games out there for a reason. It’s simple and elegant, and anyone can play it, even if they’re new to card games. To play this game, every player starts with a hand of 7 cards, with all the other cards making up the draw pile. Turn over the first card to start the discard pile. Then, players take turns discarding a card from their hand by matching the color or number of the previously discarded card. But beware, there are other cards out there that may cause you to draw cards instead of discard! When you only have one card left, yell out, “Uno,” before anyone else does. The first player to get rid of all of their cards wins.
5. CLUE
- Ditch the TV, and re-ignite family night with the get-together amusement of a...
- Party it up, and surprise guests at your next event with laugh-out-loud game...
- Nostalgic tabletop gameplay meets interactive digital content for an immersive...
One of the best family board games is Clue. In this classic murder mystery game, players must figure out the murderer, the place of murder, and the object used to murder in order to win the game. This game is played using a process of elimination as players guess as best as they can and earn clues as they do it. Move your character across the game board, visiting different rooms in the house until you feel confident enough to properly accuse. If this player guesses correctly, they win the game!
6. CHARADES
Charades is a perfect rainy day game, especially if you don’t have any board games ready to play at home. In this game, players simply take turns miming a phrase or word. Remember: no words or sounds are allowed! Every other player must try to guess this phrase or word. The first player to guess it is the next person to mime.
7. APPLES TO APPLES
- Filled with surprises and outrageous answers!
- From your seven cards, pick the closest “Apples to Apples” comparison.
- If the judge likes your comparison the best, you keep the Description card.
In Apples to Apples, every player must have a hand of red apple cards. Then, players take turns acting as the judge. The judge of each round picks a green apple card, which will say an adjective of some sort. All other players must pick a red apple card from their hand that best matches the green apple adjective and place it face down on the table. The judge then shuffles all of the red apple cards on the table and picks their favorite one. The player that played the favorite red apple card gets to keep the green apple card and a point. By the end of the game, the player with the most green apple cards wins!
If you have older kids in the home, who are 18+, a great alternative to Apples to Apples is the naughty Cards Against Humanity. Check out this list of games like Cards Against Humanity for other games like this.
8. JENGA
- Pull out a block without crashing the stack to win at Jenga
- Includes 54 Jenga hardwood blocks, stacking sleeve with instructions
- Simple, solid, and timeless. Each block is three times as long as its width, and...
You likely have some Jenga blocks in your home. After all, it’s an absolute classic! To play this game, you’ll need to set up the tower first by placing three blocks on top of three blocks perpendicularly. Keep building the tower until you run out of blocks! And now, for the fun bit. Take turns removing one block from the tower and placing it at the top. The player that causes the tower to fall over is the loser and must build the tower again for the next round as punishment.
9. MONOPOLY
- FAST-DEALING PROPERTY TRADING GAME: It’s a Family Game Night staple! Players...
- BUY, SELL, AND TRADE TO WIN: Players compete to buy out neighborhoods, sell...
- BUILD HOUSES AND HOTELS: Love that feeling when an opponent lands on an owned...
Want to play a game that’ll get everyone super passionate about money and mortgages? You’ve got to play Monopoly with the whole family. This is a great rainy day game if you’ve got older kids, as the game can drag on for a while. This classic board game involves rolling the dice, buying properties, and paying rent. You have one goal in Monopoly: don’t go bankrupt and monopolize the whole board!
10. PUZZLES
Puzzles are an awesome way to pass the time as the rain falls outside. While not necessarily a game, it is a great activity to do as a family, especially if you want to tackle more difficult 500+-piece puzzles. The bigger, the better if you want to do puzzles as a family activity.
RAINY DAY GAMES FOR KIDS
Looking for a way to keep the kids entertained as the rain falls? Perhaps at a kid’s birthday party? These are the best rainy day games and activities for kids that’ll keep them occupied for hours on end.
11. SIMON SAYS
Simon Says is a great game to play indoors if you’ve got more than 3 or 4 kids that have some energy to expel. One player must play “Simon,” who stands in front of everyone else and gives commands, such as:
- Stand on one foot
- Turn around
- Oink like a pig
However, all other players should only follow the commands if the command starts with, “Simon says.” If Simon only gives a command but does NOT say, “Simon says” beforehand, continue the previous command. If you mess up, you’re out!
12. I SPY
A favorite road trip game, I Spy is also perfect to play on those dreary rainy days with not much else to do. The great thing about this game is that you don’t need any materials to play – just your eyes. Players take turns saying, “I spy…” and giving a random quality regarding the chosen object, such as:
- I spy something starting with L.
- I spy something red.
- I spy something tall.
The other players must try to guess this object. The first person to guess earns a point and gets to go next!
13. BUILD A FORT
Probably one of the most classic rainy day activities is to build a fort at home. You can build a fort with whatever materials you have in the house, the most common being blankets and chairs. Build a fort as large or as cozy as you want, and don’t forget to furnish the inside of the fort with more blankets and perhaps even snacks!
14. TWISTER
- WHO’S GOT THE MOVES: Classic Twister gameplay challenges players to place...
- GIVE THE SPINNER A WHIRL: See where it lands and make a move. Right foot red,...
- INDOOR ACTIVITY FOR KIDS: Stuck inside. The Classic Twister game is an...
Twister is a fun game for kids who want to play something physical despite the rain outside. To play, lay down the Twister mat and assign one player the role of spinning the game board. Spin the spinner to determine which hand or foot goes on which colored circle. Keep spinning the board, and you’ll find your bodies twisted in all sorts of directions. But try not to lose your balance. The moment you step outside of the circles or fall, you’re out of the game!
15. OLD MAID
One of the most fun card games for kids is Old Maid. To play this card game, remove the Jokers and three Queens from a standard 52-card deck. The remaining Queen is the Old Maid card. Deal out all the cards to the players. Then, players must sort the cards into pairs and place them face up in front of them. Once that’s all sorted, the dealer fans out their cards and the player to their left must pick a card. Then, that player fans out their cards, and the player to their left picks a card. Keep playing in this manner and making pairs until one player remains holding the Old Maid card – the loser!
16. GO FISH
Another super fun card game all kids love to play is Go Fish. To play this game, all you’ll need is a deck of cards.
Deal each player 5 or 7 cards, depending on the number of players, and put the rest of the deck face-down in the middle of the table. One player starts the game by asking another random player for a card of a specific rank. If that player happens to have any cards of that rank, they must hand them over. But if they don’t, instead, they’ll say, “Go fish,” indicating that the player must draw a card from the pile in the middle. Take turns asking other players for specific cards with the goal of collecting all four cards of a rank, which they must place in front of them. The player who collects the most four cards of a rank wins!
17. HOPSCOTCH
Hopscotch is a fun rainy day game for kids to play indoors or even outdoors amongst the puddles. To play, you’ll need to either use chalk to draw the hopscotch, perhaps in the garage if it’s pouring outside, or use tape or tiles of some sort to play it inside the house. Each of the 10 boxes drawn for the game should be numbered from 1 to 10.
Once you draw the design, players take turns throwing an object onto the first box, after which they must hop and jump to the end of the layout and back, with only one foot in each square. On the way back, players must pick up their object before jumping back to the starting point. Keep taking turns throwing and hopping until someone messes up.
18. HANGMAN
Want to test your children’s writing and spelling skills? Why not play a few rounds of Hangman? To play, one player thinks of a word and must draw a line for each letter of the word. All other players must now work to guess what this word is by guessing one letter at a time. But each time you get a letter wrong, a part of the Hangman is drawn. Guess the word before the Hangman is complete!
19. BATTLESHIP
- A twist on the classic battleship game: This battleship game features airplanes...
- Sink Ships and crash Planes: with this edition, fans of the battleship game can...
- Portable Game: the battleship game includes 2 portable battle cases so players...
Battleship is one of the best two-player games to play on a rainy day. In this game, two players play against each other, trying to sink each other’s battleships placed on their boards. To do so, call out coordinates to see if you hit any of your opponent’s ships. If you miss, your turn is over. But if you hit, put a red peg on your targeting grid to keep track of the ships so that you can coordinate your next hit in order to fully sink the ships. If you have more than two players, don’t worry. You can play this game tournament-style to get everyone involved!
20. TRUTH OR DARE
A classic game to play for kids if you don’t have any materials around is Truth or Dare. This is a very simple game that requires players to choose between telling a truth or doing a dare. Make sure to supervise this game so that no one crosses any boundaries or gets uncomfortable!
Here are some Truth or Dare ideas to get the ball rolling.
RAINY DAY GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM
If it’s a rainy school day and you want to keep the kids entertained even though they can’t go outside, we’ve got you. This list of the best rainy day games and activities should keep spirits up despite the weather outside.
21. HOT POTATO
To play Hot Potato, all you need is a beanbag or ball. Have all the students sit down in a circle on the floor. Then, play the music! Have the students pass down the “hot potato” from student to student until you randomly stop the music. When you stop the music, whoever is holding the “hot potato” is out of the game. Keep playing until only one player remains.
Hot Potato is one of our favorite back to school games. Click on the link for more like this.
22. MUSICAL CHAIRS
This is another fun indoor classroom game that involves music. But instead of sitting on the floor like in Hot Potato, you’ll need chairs – one less than the number of students playing. Set up the chairs in a circle facing out and have all the students dance around the circle as the music starts. But when the music stops, everyone must grab a seat. Whoever doesn’t have a seat is out. Then, remove one more seat from the circle. Keep playing until you have a winner.
23. TELEPHONE
Telephone is a great way to teach students how rumors can warp. In this fun but simple game, have all the students line up. Then, give the first student in the line a word or phrase that they must pass down the line, only whispering to the person next to them. This word or phrase will keep getting passed down the line until the last person in line says the word or phrase out loud.
24. FREEZE DANCE
Freeze Dance is another super fun game to play in a classroom on a rainy day that involves dancing and music. To start the game, start playing the music and have everybody dance around. But when the music stops, everyone must freeze in place. If anyone moves, they’re out of the game. Keep playing until you have a winner.
25. PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY
Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a classic game that’ll have everyone laughing out loud. Place the donkey on one wall and blindfold each player one by one. The blindfolded player must try their best to pin the tail on the donkey in the right spot. To make this game even more difficult, spin the blindfolded player three times before letting them loose!
26. DUCK DUCK GOOSE
Duck Duck Goose is one of those classroom games you can play either indoors or outdoors. To play this game, one player stands up while everyone else sits down in a circle. The standing player is “it” and must go around the circle while tapping everyone’s heads. As they tap, they must say, “Duck.” But if they decide to say “Goose” instead, the player whose head they tap must stand up and try to tag them before they steal their seat. If they do steal their seat before they are tagged, the “Goose” is the new “it.”
27. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT
Who knew Rock Paper Scissors could get so exciting? You can get the entire classroom involved with this Rock Paper Scissors Tournament. To play this game, everyone must go around playing Rock Paper Scissors against other players. If they lose, they must go behind the winner and tag along like a snake. Continue playing until only one player remains who has the entire classroom tagging along behind them!
28. I’M GOING ON A TRIP
I’m Going on a Trip is a good memory game to play that’ll get everyone’s brains working hard. One player starts by saying, “I’m going on a trip, and I’m bringing…” and states something they would bring. For example: “I’m going on a trip, and I’m bringing a sleeping bag.” Then, the second player must add another item and remember the previous item. So, they would say, “I’m going on a trip, and I’m bringing a sleeping bag and a tent.” Continue playing until someone forgets an item and messes up!
29. CATEGORIES
Categories is another fun word game to play with no supplies needed. In this fast-paced game, as the teacher, you must think of a random category that can range from colors, countries, U.S. cities, or something else entirely. Then, the first player in the circle must say something in that category. For example, if the category is colors, the first player might say, “Blue.” Then, the second player must say something in the category as well but cannot repeat anything that was previously said. Continue down the circle as the game gets harder and harder! If a player can’t think of anything or repeats a previously said answer, they are out. Keep playing until one player remains. The winner can choose the next category.
30. HEADS DOWN THUMBS UP
Another classic classroom game perfect for those dreary days is Heads Down Thumbs Up. IN this game, choose 7 players to go to the front of the classroom while everybody else closes their eyes, puts their head down, and puts a thumb up. The 7 chosen students must then go around the classroom and pick a thumb to put down. When the 7 have chosen a thumb to put down, they go back to the front of the classroom. Now, the 7 children whose thumbs have been put down must guess who pushed down their thumb!
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