It’s a rainy day today here in Perth, which prompted me to ponder “What to do with kids on a rainy day?”
So I’ve come up with “5 rainy day activities for kids”
1. The Science Museum
This is an absolute favourite of my son’s at the moment. Whether it’s a stinking hot day or raining cats and dogs, this place fills in most of the day. The kids leave exhausted and happy.
A great way not to feel the pinch with the cost is to purchase a year pass. This way you get to bypass the queues and walk straight in the door – quite a god send during the school holidays. Plus when you travel and visit another city’s science museum you will get free entry with your pass. Another cost saver at Perth’s Scitech is being able to take your own packed picnic lunch.
Does your city’s science museum allow this?
2. The Zoo
I know you think I’m mad for suggesting this one, but stay with me. If it’s a day that is drizzling with some dry patches, the zoo is great. The crowds have stayed home – you practically get the whole place to yourselves.
Walk about during the dry patches and when it starts to rain stop at one of the many shelters for viewing animals. Now you maybe thinking but the lion just lays there it gets boring pretty quick. Well, when it rains the animals are up and about, it is so much more entertaining – the kids really love it.
Look the zoo can be a costly day out, so again think about purchasing a year pass (they last for 12 months from the date you purchase them). Along with your day trip bag pack a picnic to save some pennies.
3. The Cultural Centre
In Perth the Cultural Centre comprises of the State Library of Western Australia, The Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Museum of Western Australia. Usually at least one of these places has something interesting on for kids. UPDATE: The Perth Museum is currently closed until 2020 for renovations however check the website for scheduled popup museums about the city.
Local libraries and the State Library also offer Rhyme Time and Story Time for babies and toddlers, plus stories for older children during school holidays. Sign up for e-newsletters from your local cultural centres to learn about new exhibitions for kids.
4. Indoor Playgrounds
For less than $10 you can take your children to one of the local indoor play centres. Toddlers can enjoy the huge selection of role play toys while pre-schoolers and older children can run, climb, slide, jump and ride to their heart’s content while you sit back with a cup of coffee and watch from the sidelines.
Now look some of these play centres are poorly managed while others are really well maintained, get to know the good ones in your home town – why not tell us in the comments which is your favourite.
5. Go see a movie
Taking kids to see a movie can be daunting, but I have discovered it is not really that bad. Every school holidays comes with a new selection of family movies. Check your local cinemas website and just choose a time of the day where you are less likely to annoy others if your kids have trouble sitting still (morning or lunch) and pack some food (to avoid the junk).
I hope these activities have given you some great options for entertaining the kids on those rainy days.
What are your suggestions?
Great activities. I love escaping to a play centre when the weather is horrid. It’s nice to let Dora run off some steam whilst usually having a cuppa 🙂
Yes it is a great way for the littlies to run off their pent up energy and if you go with a friend a great time for a chat and coffee.
You have some great ideas there, Sally. The kids love going to the museum and I’ve been meaning to check out the GOMA we have in Brisbane. It’s meant to have great activities for kids.
I just quickly checked out the GOMA website Renee, they have some awesome looking stuff for kids.
Nice ideas! The indoor play centre is something relatively new to us, and we’ve been loving going there on wet days!
When my son was a toddler/pre-schooler we regularly hit the indoor playgrounds on rainy days.
The only one of these available to me is the movies, and that gets expensive with four kids! Not sure what we will do on rainy days here. Maybe just build forts inside 🙂
I have to agree the movies can get expensive on a continual basis.
What a shame there are no libraries or museums in your town, perhaps the local community centre has some great weekend activities to keep the kids happy.
Have fun building forts 🙂
Love Scitech – it is such a great place to spend a few hours. We have moved to the North West, so miss going to ABC school at the Zoo every week. We are coming down for a few weeks in June, so The Dinosaurs, the Zoo, AQWA and Whiteman Park are top of the list!
Hello from #teamIBOT
Oh we enjoy going to Whiteman Park on a sunny day as well Chantel, and if it starts to drizzle there are a few exhibitions to go and look at.
These are all such great idea. We are on the East Coast Aus so we also have the 3 park Annual Pass for Seaworld, Movieworld and Wet & Wild. On a hot day we just drop in on the way through for a few hours at wet and wild… with a picnic of course.
Oh I’m so envious Julie that you live so close to all those great theme parks. Isn’t it great when you get the annual pass and you don’t feel as though you have to stay the entire day to get your moneys worth?