10 Things To Do With A Toddler When It's Raining Outside

If you live in place half as freezing, damp, and continuously grey as I do, then you'll know that trying to keep a toddler entertained during those rainy days can be a nightmare. I saw a great list recently sharing some ideas of what to do on those days, and I thought I'd share my own. The below activities are all things I have actually done with Eli to try and keep him entertained. The most obvious thing to do with Eli is put on Peppa Pig...but honestly, I'm trying to limit it to half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, rainy outside or not. I don't like the idea of my son being attached to technology before he even starts going to school, even if it means being wrecked at the end of the day from trying to keep him entertained long enough to stop him from crying while trying to fit his entire head under the couch to get to the laptop (my most common hiding place for it).

10 Technology-Free Things to Do With a Toddler When It's Crappy Outside

1. Bake. I know this seems obvious, but I really didn't think of it until recently. I always choose something reasonably simple, like muffins, brownies, etc. Today we got a little more adventurous and did apple cinnamon squares for breakfast tomorrow morning. Eli is kept entertained, and I get a delicious ready made breakfast tomorrow. Yay! He's still a little young for baking, so I just keep him on my hip, ask him to help me pour the milk/flour/oil into the bowl etc., which he does willingly. Then I get him to stir it while I lightly hold his hand. He loves it. And I love cake.
2. Hang out on mama and papa's bed. Seems boring to us, but Eli looooves it for some reason. The novelty maybe? I dunno. He could literally just hang out and bounce around and mess on our bed for an hour. He has done. I just lie there, we might snuggle, I'll tickle him for a while, or go on my phone while he entertains himself by throwing himself around incessantly.
3. Fill up a handbag with random objects and take them back out again. I feel like this one is pretty self explanatory...
4. Scribble. I picked up a boys' colouring book and some crayons in our local pound shop and just sat down with Eli and helped him scribble. He's so weird, he insists on holding up whatever he's drawing on, while he's drawing. Kid thinks he's Picasso.
5. Do laundry. Yep. Sometimes I just have to get stuff done, and Eli just has to tag along. I give him a pile of 2-3 items that he can mess around with while I fold everything else, and then do his pile last. 
6. Read. Reading is this kid's favourite activity EVER and will attempt to go through every book he owns before finally going to sleep. I have literally memorized a couple off by heart. I wish I was joking.
7. Have a bath together. I usually reserve bath time for right after dinner (because Eli is a savage) and it's nice to have a warm bath before bed, but when you're stuck you're stuck. He loves water, like most kids, and when I'm in there with him he's just never happier. Play with rubber ducks, pour water into different sized containers, etc.
8. Bubbles. You can get 9 bottles of bubbles for 1.49 in Dealz (wuuuut!) , and just GO TO TOWN in your living room. I will never get tired of Eli trying to catch bubbles, no matter how many times he bursts them, he just never learns. 
9. Scrapbook. I'm trying to make family albums organized by year at the moment (yes, I am one of THOSE people), and today I decided to let Eli give me a hand. I gave him a pile of photos I wasn't using yet and just let him look through them, point out Mama or Dada, slide them around on the floor and what have you. He also sat on my lap and looked through the finished product with me, which he loved.
10. Just go outside and get wet anyway. Sometimes, you're just gonna go stir-crazy if you stay within 4 walls for just one. more. second. On those days, I say just go out and get wet and muddy anyway. Kids love that sorta thing. One of the nicest afternoons I've ever had at the park was a few weeks ago, when it was just drizzling miserably all day. Colm, Eli, myself and a friend bought some chips (soaked in salt and vinegar, obviously) and went to the local playground. I kept Eli well wrapped and hooded, and he just had such a blast having the whole playground to himself (no one goes when it's raining) and we just ate our chips and played frisbee in the rain. Lovely.