If Bangkok’s rainy season has cancelled your plans, these things to do at home with kids are here to save the day
Bangkok’s rainy season officially arrived on 15 May, according to the Thai Meteorological Department and it is expected to last until mid-October.
That means months of sudden downpours and gloomy days ahead. While indoor playgrounds are always an option, but when it rains in Bangkok, it RAINS! And that sometimes makes even leaving the house difficult.
And while staying at home might not seem like a big problem at first, it becomes a different story once bored kids are involved.
If you are running out of ideas for things to do with kids, don’t worry. We’ve rounded up plenty of rainy-day activities at home to keep little ones entertained until the sun finally comes back out and everyone can head back to outdoor playgrounds again.
Top things to do at home with kids during Bangkok’s rainy season
1. Blow magical bubbles
Blowing bubbles might sound like an everyday activity, but on a rainy day in Bangkok, this simple thing to do at home with kids can actually keep little ones busy for longer than you’d expect. With just sugar, water and dish soap, you can create bubbles that are stronger and more durable than usual. Kids can chase them around the living room, try catching them in their hands and even gently bounce them before they finally pop. Read the full guide on how to make them here.
2. Fold and race paper boats
When it’s pouring outside, you can bring the water fun indoors with this thing to do at home with kids. Just grab some old newspapers or scrap paper and fold them into boats. There’re tons of easy origami tutorials to follow together on YouTube and social media. Once your fleet is ready, fill up the bathtub or a big basin with water and let the races begin. Kids can name their boats, decorate them with crayons before launching and even blow on them to create wind.
3. Build indoor blanket forts
If the rainy season has washed out your outdoor camping plans, you can still bring the adventure indoors without the mud. This thing to do at home with kids requires nothing more than what’s already hiding in your linen closet. Grab sheets, blankets, cushions and chairs to build the living room fortress. Once the fort is complete, fill it with pillows, snacks, books and torchlights for the full camping vibe. It becomes the cosiest hideaway for kids to read stories, watch a movie or simply listen to the rain pouring outside from the comfort of their secret base.
4. Spin a storytelling circle
If the gloomy weather has everyone stuck inside, turn the sound of the rain into the backdrop for a creative family storytelling session. This thing to do at home with kids keeps everyone entertained without a screen in sight. Gather in a circle and take turns building a story one sentence at a time. Start with “Once upon a time…” and let the kids take the adventure wherever they want. You can easily make the game even more fun by acting out scenes, drawing favourite moments from the story or recording the whole thing to listen back to later.
5. Create arts and crafts together
If your kids can never resist picking up new art supplies, a rainy afternoon is a great excuse to finally crack them open. This thing to do at home with kids is messy and creative. Lay out the paper, crayons, stickers, paint, and glue then let them create with absolutely no rules. Whether they’re designing comic strips, making handprint art or cutting up old magazines for a collage, the fun comes from letting their imagination run wild. To lean into the weather, challenge them to create rainy-day masterpieces or sketch what they wish they were doing outside.
6. Splash and play in the rain
Who says rainy days have to be spent entirely indoors? Sometimes the best thing to do at home with kids is put on your boots and step out into the rain around the house. Pull on raincoats and rubber boots, head out to the garden or a covered outdoor area and let the kids splash in puddles to their hearts’ content. You can make paper boats and float them along the streams of water running beside the street during the rain. A warm shower afterwards and everyone’s happy.
7. Host a movie marathon at home
There’s something about heavy Bangkok rain that makes movie marathons under blankets feel more special. The sound of the downpour outside almost becomes part of the movie atmosphere and gloomy weather somehow makes staying in feel extra cosy instead of boring. So for this thing to do at home with kids, you can turn the living room into a cosy little cinema with blankets, floor cushions, dim lights and everyone’s favourite snacks. It’s also one of the easiest ways to slow things down after a busy week. Kids get the excitement of a special event at home, while you get a rare excuse to relax without having to deal with the traffic and rain.
8. Play rounds of hide and seek
If the kids are bouncing off the walls after being stuck inside because of the rain, sometimes the old-school classics are still the best and hide and seek never gets old. This thing to do at home with kids turns a rainy afternoon into the perfect excuse to discover just how many hiding spots your home actually has. Take turns being the seeker while everyone else disappears into wardrobes, under beds, behind curtains and inside laundry baskets. The more creative the hiding place, the more chaotic and funny the game becomes.
9. Call and catch up with the grandparents
A gloomy afternoon can make everyone miss family a little more and grandparents are probably missing their little humans too. While surprising them with a thoughtful gift is always lovely, hopping on a video call is a meaningful thing to do at home with kids that costs absolutely nothing. With the screen turned on, children can show off their latest rainy-day artwork or chat about what they’ve been up to. It’s a beautiful way to bridge the distance and bring a massive dose of sunshine to a rainy day.
10. Dive into bathtub snorkelling
When the kids are desperate to play in the rain but the weather outside feels too stormy, you can still bring the water fun indoors. This thing to do at home with kids turns an ordinary bathroom into a mini underwater adventure with nothing more than a bathtub. Fill it up, bring out the snorkels and goggles and let them pretend they’re deep-sea explorers searching for hidden treasure. You can make it even more fun by adding waterproof toys, plastic sea animals or bubble bath to create ocean foam. It gives kids all the fun of water play while staying warm, safe, and away from the storm outside.
11. Bake something delicious together
On a cool, rainy day, there’s nothing better than the smell of something warm coming out of the oven. Making sweet treats together is a comforting thing to do at home with kids when the weather outside feels gloomy. You can pick an easy recipe together, whether it’s chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, or fluffy pancakes, then let the kids help with the measuring, mixing and decorating. Sure, the counter will probably end up covered in flour, but that is part of the fun. And the real payoff comes when everyone gets to devour the homemade treats together while listening to the rain beat against the windows.
12. Transform cardboard boxes into toys
Your house is probably full of delivery boxes from all those rainy-day online orders, so before you break them down for recycling, turn them into a fun thing to do at home with kids instead. A cardboard box can quickly become a racing car, spaceship, mini shop or tiny house with just some scissors, tape, markers and coloured paper. Ask the kids what they want to build and let their imagination take over. Once the work is finished, spend the rest of the rainy afternoon playing inside their creation.
13. Try role play games
Role-play kits are the classic gifts kids seem to get from aunts and uncles for every birthday. If those toy sets have just been gathering dust in the closet, a rainy afternoon is the time to finally bring them out. Diving into a game of make-believe is a thing to do at home with kids and it can keep little ones entertained for hours, whether they’re pretending to be a doctor, a vet or a chef. But even if you don’t have a kit at home, all you really need is a little imagination and a few things from around the house. A bedsheet can easily transform into a superhero cape, a sofa cushion becomes a royal throne and suddenly the living room turns into a whole new world.
14. Break out the board games
When the rain in Bangkok just won’t let up, your dusty board game shelf might end up saving the day. Setting up a family tournament is a timeless thing to do at home with kids. From classic rounds of Snakes and Ladders to suspenseful games of Jenga, it’s the kind of rainy-day fun that works for every generation. It also offers a welcome break from screens with simple old-fashioned entertainment around the table.
15. Build something with Lego
We all know those Lego blocks the kids always beg for usually end up scattered across the living room floor as tiny foot hazards. However, bringing out the building blocks is a thing to do at home with kids on a stormy afternoon. To make it exciting, set a specific creative challenge. Ask them to build the tallest tower possible, recreate a famous Bangkok landmark like Mahanakhon, or construct a vehicle entirely from their imagination. The best part is that the final creation can be demolished and rebuilt the moment boredom strikes again.
16. Learn a new Language with DuoLingo
When kids start getting bored because of the rain, this thing to do at home with kids can turn screen time into something surprisingly useful. And Duolingo makes learning a new language feel more like a game than a lesson, which means kids are much more likely to actually enjoy it. Pick a language together, whether it’s Japanese, Spanish or even Thai, then challenge each other to complete a lesson. A little friendly competition goes a long way, especially when everyone is trying to keep their streak alive during a rainy afternoon indoors
17. Bring PE class into the living room
Just because it’s raining outside does not mean the kids suddenly run out of energy. If anything, rainy days usually make them even more hyper indoors. Thankfully, there are now plenty of workout videos online designed especially for kids, turning exercise into a fun thing to do at home with kids instead of feeling like a chore. Clear some space in the living room, press play and let the kids jump, dance, stretch and burn off all that rainy-day energy.
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18. Scrap a photobook
These days, most family photos never make it past the camera roll. So when a rainy day keeps everyone stuck at home, this thing to do at home with kids turns a gloomy afternoon into a fun walk down memory lane. Let the kids help pick their favourite photos, arrange the pages and decorate the photobook however they like. Once it is finished, you can keep it at home as a family keepsake or even give it to grandparents as a thoughtful gift.
19. Learn about the stars
Even if you cannot make it to Bangkok planetarium, which is currently closed for renovation, rainy nights can still bring the stars indoors. Planetarium projectors can display a glowing night sky across the walls and ceiling, turning an ordinary evening into a cosy thing to do at home with kids. As the room fills with stars, planets and constellations, little ones can learn about space without it ever feeling too educational.
20. Make homemade modelling dough
Making homemade playdough is one of those messy but fun things to do at home with kids on a rainy day. The recipe is simple enough for little ones to help with the measuring and mixing, which honestly becomes part of the fun. Once the playdough is ready, kids can squish, roll, and shape whatever they want for hours. It is also a nice way to keep little hands busy and creative.
21. Become filmmakers for the day
Did you know that Steven Spielberg started making films when he was just 12 years old? So if the rain has everyone stuck at home, this might be the perfect time for kids to try becoming little filmmakers too. You do not need fancy equipment for this thing to do at home with kids, just a smartphone and a lot of imagination. They can film a documentary about family life, create a fictional movie starring the whole household or even try simple stop-motion animation using toys. When filming is done, easy editing apps can help turn everything into a short movie they will be excited to show off to the family afterwards.
22. Have a karaoke session
If a portable microphone happens to be one of those gifts kids always seem to get from aunties and uncles, a rainy day is your chance to put it to good use. You do not need a fancy setup for this thing to do at home with kids either. Just pull up favourite songs or music videos on YouTube, hand out microphones and let everyone take turns performing. Even a hairbrush works if you run out of mics. Before long, the whole house will be singing, laughing and forgetting all about the rain outside.
23. Grow a mini indoor garden
Testing out your green thumbs indoors is a budget-friendly thing to do at home with kids during Bangkok’s rainy season. You can easily turn an old cardboard egg carton into a mini greenhouse for the windowsill and plant simple herbs or seeds together. It also quietly becomes a little science experiment as kids watch the plants slowly grow day by day and keep track of it in a notebook. And if you plant basil, you might even end up with fresh herbs for dinner.
24. Clean out a closet
Tackling a messy closet might not sound like the most exciting thing to do at home with kids on a rainy day, but hear us out. It can actually turn into a surprisingly satisfying project once everyone gets involved. Pick a toy chest or cupboard that has slowly filled with forgotten toys, then let the kids help sort everything into keep, toss, and donate piles. It is also a nice way to clear out the clutter while gently teaching little ones about sharing toys with other children who might need them more.
25. Read a new book
With so many book sale events happening in Bangkok these days, there is a good chance your house already has a pile of unread books waiting to be opened. And when the rain starts pouring outside, curling up with a good story becomes one of the simplest but cosiest things to do at home with kids. Head to the bookshelf, pick out a story and settle in together on the sofa. Read aloud, do funny character voices, and let the story transport everyone somewhere far away while the sound of the rain plays in the background.
