Rain doesn’t have to be drab and dreary and it doesn’t have to mean a day cooped up inside with bored and cranky kids. Kansas City gets more than its fair share of rain, so planning for a little indoor fun is necessary for the savvy KC parent. These ideas will turn a soggy day into a day of great memories and fun!
5 Fun Rainy Day Ideas to Enjoy at Home
Paint a Rain Masterpiece
Use powdered tempera paint in plastic shakers (empty salt shakers or empty sprinkle containers work well). Let the children sprinkle the powder on poster board. Lay empty garbage bags on the driveway, then carefully place the poster board (that has been sprinkled with powdered paint) on the bags. Let the rain “mix the colors” and watch as a masterpiece is created right before your eyes!
Create in the Kitchen
Have fun and play with your food, borrowing ideas from The Secret Life of Food by Clare Crespo or Favorite Brandname Silly Snacks. Follow the lead of your child’s favorite chef characters! We love the Beignet recipe in Tiana’s Cookbook: Recipes for Kids and the kid-friendly French delights in Ratatouille’s What’s Cooking? A Cookbook for Kids. Not inspired by the cookbooks on hand or at the library? Go to the store and select a few new and exotic ingredients to experiment with your own ideas.
Play in the Rain
Grab the rain boots and a few bath toys and play in the rain. Make mud pies. Hunt for rainbows. Blow bubbles. Splash in puddles. Don’t forget the camera (protected with an umbrella of course) to capture those terrific memories.
Curl Up With a Classic
Many of our favorite family films and stories have terrific rainy day themes. Watch Singin’ in the Rain with Gene Kelly, get carried away with Mary Poppins and her umbrella, get washed away with Veggie Tales in their Jonah Movie, hum along with the “drip, drip, drop of April showers” in Bambi or sing with Pooh’s little black raincloud in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Read the books or watch the films with a bowl of popcorn and chocolate milk.
Play With Forgotten Toys
We all have toys that haven’t been enjoyed for a while. When did you last play Clue? Sculpt with play-dough? Race Hot Wheels? Host a Teddy Bear Tea Party? Shoot marbles? Sing Karaoke? Color with your kids? Look in the closets and on shelves for the “forgotten toy” and dust it off for the day.
5 Fabulous Rainy Day Outings in Kansas City
Visit Local Art Galleries
It may be gray and gloomy outside, but you can find vibrant colors inside at one of our local Art Galleries. The Nerman Museum at the Johnson County Community College (12345 College Blvd., OPKS, 913.469.3000), the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak, KCMO, 816.751.1ART) and the Kemper Art Gallery (4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO, 816.753.5748) are all FREE and open to the public. Play “I Spy” with your kids, use the artwork as a backdrop for creating stories of your own or bring sketchpads to create your own works of art. Be sure to call for hours.
Exercise Inside
Visit one of Kansas City’s great indoor playplaces. Enjoy inflatables at Jumping Jax in Overland Park or Fun Run in Liberty. Play at the indoor playground at Matt Ross Community Center or Parkside Coffeehouse. Enjoy hands-on educational activities at Paradise Park or Wonderscope Children’s Museum. Or spend the day with the animals at a local nature center. See our complete guide Indoor Play in Kansas City.
Travel Through Time
Visit to one of our city’s great historic sites! Learn about Independence’s own President Truman at the Truman Presidential Library or Truman Home. Travel west on the trails at the National Frontier Trails Museum. Learn about Kansas City’s original families at the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Vaile Mansion, John Wornall House Museum, Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farmstead or Johnson County Museum. Experience vintage Kansas City at the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Learn about WWI at Liberty Memorial or Kansas City history at the National Archives
Miniature Golf Indoors
These indoor golf course are up to par. Visit Incred-a-Bowl’s Tiki Hut Mini Putt (8500 W. 151st St., OPKS. 913.851.1700) or Power Play Glow-in-the-Dark Indoor Miniature Golf (13110 W. 62nd Ter., Shawnee, KS. 913.268.7200).
Create Works of Art
Spend the day at Paint, Glaze, and Fire (12683 Metcalf, OPKS 913.661.2529) where artists paint their own ceramic masterpieces. Or visit Kaleidoscope (2500 Grand Blvd. KCMO 816.274.8301), a free and magical art center for kids.
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Rainy Days in Kansas City from A-Z
Kristina Light enjoys rainy days with her husband and three daughters in Kansas City.