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7 Awesome Backyard Activities for Kids on Rainy Days

Messy-fun diversions to entertain kids through the wet season

Rory Graves
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Published on: January 24, 2023

7 Awesome Backyard Activities for Kids on Rainy Days

boy in a tree shelter with blankets
Photo:
Treehouse with a fabric shelter

Secret kid hideouts

When I was a child, my grandpa built a tree house at his cabin for my brother and me. It was just a small platform, but I still remember the peacefulness and wonder I felt sitting high above the ground in a place made just for us.

If you are handy with a hammer, you can build a pallet playhouse from reclaimed materials, such as this one from Built by Kids. An outdoor reading nook can be the perfect place for a young bookworm to listen to the pitter-patter of the rain while cozying up beneath a favorite blanket. With the added touch of a tarp stapled to the roof to make it watertight, it becomes a perfect outdoor refuge for the rainy season.

Another easy option is to break out your camping gear. Pull out the sleeping bags and flashlights and have a backyard campout. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Pacific Northwest native who isn’t accustomed to camping in the rain. Break in your whippersnappers while they’re young!

Gardeners can create an aesthetically pleasing addition to their garden that also serves as a fort by building a garden hideout; check out the site Dengarden for ideas on building a willow dome or other hideaway dens for kids, made from sticks and interwoven branches. Climbing plants grow over the structure, creating a lush space curtained by greenery and flowers. Organic structures like this are easy and affordable to create, requiring only twine, branches and a little patience. They may not keep the rain completely out, but creeping plants do well in rainy climates, so these shelters will be especially lush in our wettest months.

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