What to do on a rainy day? Our family activity ideasPlenty to keep the whole household busy, nice and warm
Is the rain keeping everyone stuck at home? No worries. Here is how to turn a grey afternoon into a memorable moment, starting with our favorite activity: a real investigation to solve as a family, with nothing to set up.
Choose an investigation
Right from the couch, start a case to solve. Everything plays out in the browser, with nothing to install.
Question the suspects
Your kids type out their questions, watch the reactions and note down every clue.
Unmask the culprit
Cross-check the clues together, debate, and name the culprit.
Why an investigation game is the perfect activity when it rains
When it rains, the challenge is to keep the whole family busy without the day turning into a cartoon marathon. An investigation game ticks every box: it starts in a minute, with no gear or prep, plays out in the warmth from a phone or a computer, and captivates kids and parents alike. Best of all, it brings everyone together around a single goal: finding the culprit. The rainy afternoon turns into a real adventure, and nobody notices the time go by.
Screen time you won't regret
Not all screen time is equal. In an investigation, a child reads clues, types out questions, reasons and deduces: it's an active screen, not passive consumption. You can play together, read the clues out loud and debate the suspects, or let the child run the case on their own. A way to offer an activity without the guilt, and even slip in a bit of reading and writing along the way.
7 activity ideas for a rainy day
Starting with our favorite, then a few classics to alternate over the afternoon.
Run an investigation (our top pick)
Start a Jack & Mani investigation from the couch: the kids question the suspects, follow the clues and unmask the culprit. From age 8 on their own, earlier with a partner. Count on 30 to 60 minutes per investigation, pausing whenever you like.
A board game tournament
Pull out three or four classics (ludo, memory, a card game) and improvise a championship: one point per game won, a little trophy at stake. From age 4-5 depending on the games, and it easily fills two hours.
Baking workshop
Cookies, shortbread or a snack-time cake: a simple recipe, a mixing bowl and something to measure with. The little ones pour and stir, the older ones handle the oven. Thirty minutes of prep, and you tuck in at four o'clock.
A fort in the living room
Cushions, sheets, clothes pegs and a string of lights: drape a blanket between two chairs and the fort is ready. Perfect for ages 3-7, who then play in it on their own for hours.
Creative afternoon
Drawing, painting, modelling clay or crafts with whatever is on hand (cardboard tubes, stickers, old magazines). Give a theme to spark the imagination. From age 3 to teens, each at their own level.
Home cinema session
A blanket, popcorn and a film everyone picks together: everyone suggests, then you vote. Dim the lights for that movie-theater feel. An hour and a half to two hours, ideal for gently wrapping up a grey day.
Reading aloud
A chapter each, taking turns, from a novel the whole bunch enjoys; the youngest follow along on the pictures. Fifteen minutes or an hour as the mood takes you, and a shared story well worth any screen.
Why the investigation wins everyone over
Nothing to set up: you start in a minute, on a phone or a computer.
For all ages: the little ones hunt for clues, the older ones lead the interrogation.
Active screen time: you read, write and think.
Enough to fill the afternoon: you savor one investigation, then move on to another.
What it looks like on a rainy day
The feedback that keeps coming up when the rain sets in.
A rainy Sunday with no cartoons on loop: two hours debating who the culprit was.
We started it all together, and even our six-year-old was hunting for clues with us.
Finally an indoor activity that keeps the teens busy without me having to get involved.
Also worth reading
Is the rain falling? Start the investigation.
Choose a case and settle in comfortably: the investigation begins. The first three are free, enough to save more than one grey afternoon.
Start an investigationEducation
Investigations
Outdoors