Get Active on a Rainy Day

Grey clouds and pouring rain outside. The kids are climbing the walls at home. They’re itching to expend some of their youthful energy. You could always invest in some gum boots and rain coats and send the kids outside to splash in puddles and do rain dances. Or, if you’re inclined to keep them inside, maybe it’s time to head to your nearest indoor play or sports centre.

For the littlies

Indoor play centres

There are indoor playgrounds in most cities and regional areas, providing jumping castles and pits of balls to keep the kids entertained while mum or dad sit in the adjoining café area. That’s a serious win-win for both parent and child. (Make sure you take your own socks for each child, as some play centres will charge you for sock hire otherwise).

Bumper bowling

Check with your local bowling alley – they may have “bumper bowling” facilities for little ones, so they never have to watch their ball go into the gutter.

For bigger kids

Indoor rockclimbing

How about climbing some walls, literally? Indoor rock climbing is a great rainy school holiday activity. You can burn off energy and give yourself an exciting challenge.

Greg Collins, Manager of Hangdog indoor rockclimbing centre in Woolongong says, “Kids come in for an hour or two and they go home ready for bed most of the time. So a lot of parents will bring them in the afternoon with the idea of trying to slow them down a little bit, and it definitely works.”

Some rockclimbing centres allow kids to attempt rock climbing from age 5, although you’ll need an adult to “belay” (man the ropes which support the harness) for kids under 12, as a general rule.

Indoor skating

Indoor skate centres are a great rainy day kids’ activity. Tammy Andersen, assistant manager of Albany Creek Skateaway, says that sessions run for two hours, and for that whole time kids are actively skating and playing games.

This is an activity for the whole family – parents tend to get out there on their skates too. “They love it – it takes them back to the old days when they used to skate,” Tammy says.

Bowling

AMF bowling alleys tend to offer school holiday specials so you can go bowling without breaking the bank. Of course, you’ll also need to budget for the obligatory hot dog after the game.

Scorching summer days

A lot of wet weather options provide great options for scorching summer days. Air conditioning tends to be a feature at many indoor play and sports centres.

For a list of indoor kids activities, click here List of Indoor Activities