Ah, the Irish weather. One minute it’s grand, the next you’re knee-deep in puddles and wondering if summer was just a rumour. As a mammy to a very busy two-year-old, I’ve learned the hard way that cabin fever can set in fast. And while I’m not above a bit of Piggley Winks when I need to wash my hair in peace, I try to keep screen time limited… for both our sanity.
So here’s a list of tried-and-tested rainy day activities that have kept us entertained, sane, and (mostly) dry. These aren’t Pinterest-perfect, just real, doable ideas for Irish homes where space might be tight, attention spans are shorter than the weather forecast, and the biscuit tin is never far away.
1. Indoor Obstacle Course
Mammy moves the couch cushions, lines up chairs, and turns the hallway into a ninja training camp. Crawl under the table, hop over the cushion, wiggle through the laundry basket tunnel… it’s chaos, but it works.
Tip: Use masking tape to make arrows or lines on the floor for a “follow the path” element. Grand for spatial awareness, and it burns off energy better than a walk to the shop.
2. Mess-Free Painting (Yes, Really)
Get yourself a zip seal plastic bag, squeeze a few blobs of paint inside, and seal it up tight. Tape it to a table or window and let your toddler squish the colours around without ever getting messy. Magic!
Mammy gets the satisfaction of “doing art” without scrubbing paint off the radiator afterward.
3. Baking Together (Sort Of)
Let them pour, stir, and mash while you do the actual baking bits. Banana bread, fairy cakes, or just good old Rice Krispie buns. Even if it all ends up a bit sideways, they love it.
Bonus: You can sneak in a lesson about counting, colours, or taste testing (ahem quality control).
4. Laundry Basket Boat Adventure
Plop them in the laundry basket with a wooden spoon “paddle” and a tea towel cape, and let them sail the seven seas (or at least the sitting room). Mammy sits on the floor and narrates the whole thing like it’s an episode of Puffin Rock. Ten out of ten imagination points.
5. Sock Puppet Show
Mammy turns all the odd socks (and there are plenty) into wee characters with googly eyes or just a marker face. Give them names, silly voices, and a blanket for a curtain. Toddlers love it and they often start doing the voices themselves!
6. The “Helping Game”
This is when mammy gets a bit sneaky. Toddler “helps” with dusting (aka flapping a cloth around), matching socks, or putting the teddies to bed. You get a few chores half-done, and they feel like the CEO of the home.
Final Thoughts
Not every rainy day needs to be a battle against boredom or a marathon of Hey Duggee. A little imagination (and a strong cup of tea) goes a long way. At the end of the day, if the house is a bit messier and you’ve both had a giggle, you’ve done grand.
And if all else fails? Mammy throws a blanket over the table and calls it a fort. That usually buys ten minutes to reheat my tea for the third time.