Sensory Play Without the Mess: Calm Ideas for Rainy Days

Transitioning your children from a summer of outdoor freedom to autumn’s indoor routines can be a challenge. When it’s raining, dark or simply too cold to venture out, the living room suddenly becomes the playground and ideas can run out fast.

As parents ourselves we know that the pressure to keep your little ones entertained with a variety of fun and enriching activities can wear on your creativity so, to help, we’ve gathered a list of some of our favourite calm indoor activities that can bring your family together, connect your children to nature and make rainy days that little more special. 

All of these activities are made easier (and cleaner!) with our durable kids cork playmats. These mats provide a soft, natural surface that cushions play, support sensory development and can be easily cleaned with just soap and water; making them the perfect partner for family playtime all year round.

Activities For Little Explorers (Ages 2-3)

Younger children are constantly discovering the world through their senses. Including simple sensory play in a rainy-day routine helps nurture their curiosity and connect them with the changing seasons.

To entertain younger explorers, why not try a nature treasure hunt, fun art challenges with fallen leaves and story yoga? 

Nature Texture Hunt

Creating a treasure hunt with natural elements is a fun and inspiring way to get your little one moving and learning about autumnal nature, simply: 

• Gather a mini collection of autumn finds such as leaves, twigs and acorns. 

• Hide them at child-friendly heights around your home, then motivate your child to gather them.

• Once gathered, return to your easy to clean natural cork playmat and let your toddler feel, sort and describe each item they’ve found.

• The benefits? The cork’s cushioned surface enhances sensory play while the activity itself helps to support your child’s confidence in their language skills as well as their tactile curiosity and development.

Leaf Rubbing Art

If your child is more artistically inclined, they’ll love to do some art with leaves. To do this project: 

• You’ll need some paper, crayons and leaves from outside. 

• To begin, place your leaf or leaves beneath the sheet of paper and rub over it with crayons until the shape appears on the page (This may require a bit of pressure). 

• Your child can then add details or use their imagination to turn the outline into their own fantastical creature or seasonal card; encouraging their imagination.

Furthermore, doing this craft on top of one of our cork playmats means you won’t have to worry about crayon marks on the furniture; simply wipe the surface clean afterwards. 

Story Yoga for Toddlers

Turn simple yoga stretches into a playful story that awakens your child's creativity through movement with this activity. 

The limit is your imagination as you inspire your child to ‘Reach up like a tall tree’ or  'Curl into a tiny seed’ or ‘Wave their branches in the wind’. Our cushioned cork mat makes it comfy for crawling, stretching and giggling together.

For Growing Minds (Ages 4-5)

For older children who require slightly more advanced activities to stay interested and stimulated, try games that combine science and learning as well as natural exploration to entertain them when they’re stuck indoors.

Puddle Science in a Tray

If you child likes to experiment with science, you might want to consider this puddle science idea: 

• You’ll need a tray filled with water, nature finds such as pinecones, rocks, conkers or anything else you might have gathered and one of our waterproof cork playmats to set it up on.

• Fill the tray with water, then, ask your child to guess which will sink or float; nurturing their curiosity and scientific thinking.

This can provide hours of fun, especially if you work with your child to guess what they think the next item might do based on their previous results. 

Nature Story Basket

Encouraging your child’s imagination through storytelling is a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon, it builds creativity, language and critical thinking skills in one gentle, playful moment. For this activity: 

• You will need a basket, some seasonal items and some toys

• Then, sitting together on the cushioned surface of our cork playmat, invite your child to pick an item and weave a story around it.

• This develops their creativity, storytelling skills and language in a playful way you’ll both enjoy. 

Nature Pattern Art

To explore your child’s creativity with patterns inspired by nature, simply: 

• Gather small items such as leaves, pebbles and acorns

• Then, invite your child to arrange them into repeating shapes or patterns on the cork playmat such as spirals, lines or simple mandalas.

• You can then capture their work in a photo before returning the items to nature 

For Creative Thinkers (Ages 6-8)

For older children a rainy day can be an excellent opportunity to develop more advanced skills. By expanding their understanding, letting them engage in new hobbies and interests and letting them help you to manage the chores that a rainy day brings; they can stay entertained all day long. 

Cooking or Baking 

Cooking or baking are always wonderful activities to engage young minds and help them gain confidence in their abilities in the kitchen: establishing the foundations of skills that can be built upon throughout their life as they help you in the kitchen and learn to love a variety of food. 

The wonderful thing about this activity is it can be done with anything you already have in the cupboards and can follow any recipe depending on your preferences and the level of skill your child possesses. 

Household Chore Challenges

Being stuck in the house on a rainy day can be the perfect time to complete any cleaning you need to get done but children can often divide your attention and slow down the process. Instead of trying to clean and entertain your children separately, why not let them join in? 

Small activities such as folding laundry or doing the dishes can easily be done together, helping your child gain responsibility and understand how everything functions within the home: fostering their responsibility and confidence in household tasks.

Scavenger Hunts

Add a problem-solving twist to your rainy day by setting up a scavenger hunt with riddles and games that will keep your child entertained for hours; letting out their energy and engaging their mind. 

You can incorporate many of the previous activities within the scavenger hunt: telling your child to do a bit of yoga, dancing or nature storytelling on the supportive cork playmat before they can move on to the next riddle or game. 

Autumn’s Invitation In

Rainy days don’t have to mean restless children. With a few creative, calm activities and the help of our durable kids cork playmat, your home can become a hub of sensory play, learning and imagination. By embracing the shift from summer to autumn, you’ll give your children not just entertainment but meaningful memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime.