Rain against the window, two restless children, and a long afternoon ahead — every parent knows the feeling. A good craft activity is the classic rescue: it turns a wet, fidgety afternoon into focused, happy making, and ends with something to be proud of rather than another hour of telly.
From the recycling box
- Turn cardboard tubes into a marble run taped to the wall
- Build a robot or rocket from boxes, bottle tops and foil
- Make a posting box or puppet theatre from a large carton
With paper and pens
- Fold and decorate paper aeroplanes, then hold an indoor flight contest
- Make pop-up greetings cards for upcoming birthdays
- Create a comic strip or a tiny folded storybook
String, beads and yarn
- Knot friendship bracelets or a macramé keyring
- Thread beaded bookmarks or a wind chime
- Wrap a simple woven design on a cardboard loom
Hands-on and tactile
- Mould air-dry clay into little creatures or pencil toppers
- Paint pebbles collected from the garden
- Make salt-dough decorations to bake and paint
Keep it low-stress
Lay down a wipe-clean cloth, pop on an apron or old shirt, and keep a tray to corral small parts. Choosing activities with pre-measured materials means far less mess — and far less hunting through cupboards for that one thing you're missing.
Never be caught out by the weather
The frustration of a rainy day usually isn't the rain — it's not having anything ready. Keeping a craft kit on the shelf means you're always one box away from a saved afternoon, with every material already in hand.
Always have a rainy-day project ready. The Little Makers craft subscription sends a brand-new, fully-supplied project to your door each month — designed for ages 7+, with easy photo instructions and a follow-along video. From £11.95/month, free UK delivery, cancel anytime.
Want one to keep on standby? Browse the latest Little Makers kits.
