Things To Do In Sydney When It's Wet

Oh dear, the days can be very long in Sydney when it’s wet and you have kids to keep amused.

A week of rain can test the most patient parent. A week of rain in school holidays can send us all doollally.

But fear not, there is plenty to do. I’ve divided this post up into activities at home and places to go when you’ve all got cabin fever.

How my wee girl kept herself amused in a recent rain storm. Lovely!

This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Epson

Things To Do At Home

Learn a Simple Card Game

If your kids don’t already know some card games, now is the time to learn.

If you need to brush up yourself, have a look at this post on Netmums:

Easy Card Games For Kids

Cooking and baking

Who cares about the mess, anyway? Biscuits, cakes, muffins, bread and pizzas… hours can be spent in the kitchen.

In fact I have a post with recipes suggestions: Cakes To Bake On Rainy Days

At Home Movie Double Bill

Whip up a batch of caramel popcorn, grab a couple of your favourite family movies and settle in for a relaxed double bill.

If you’re looking for that true movie experience, then buy, beg, borrow or steal a proper screen projector and play movies on a white cloth, a wall or a portable screen.

Epson, Australia’s brand leader in home projection, has just launched some brand new home theatre projectors. The EH-TW6700 is for family market and the EH-TW8300 & EH-TW9300W for the more passionate projectors enthusiasts.

These have wifi enabled versions, meaning you don’t have to worry at all about cables.

You can just stream your movie to the projector from a DVD player, computer or even a phone.

I recently had a preview and demonstration of these home projectors and was seriously impressed. We need one!

The Epson EH-TW6700W – the latest home theatre model from Epson

Epson projectors are powered by 3LCD technology, much more powerful than their competitors. Always ask about Colour Brightness when researching projectors. The Epsons can play well in bright rooms during daylight hours .

Don’t forget the popcorn!

Draw On The Windows

Chalk pens are fab for colourful window art. Kids adore drawing on the glass and you can wipe it off and start all over again easily.

Hide and Seek

You cannot beat this old-fashioned family favourite. Mix it up by playing ‘Sardines’ as well. Come on, Mum and dad, join the the fun and squish up with the kids.

Play In The Bath

For babies and toddlers, having a good long play in a bubble bath can use up some energy and pass the time very nicely.

Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

Things To Do In Sydney When It’s Wet – Out Of The House

A Rain Walk

Pop on a raincoat and some wellies and get out there and splash. So long as it’s not too torrential, and not windy, this can be great fun for kids. Follow with a warm bath and baking at home.

Go To The Cinema

Yes, the old favourite. The problem is, cinemas can be very busy. I tend to aim for early movies when it’s wet. If you have a baby or toddler as well as older kids, a baby crying room might be a good plan. To find them, see this post on Child-Friendly Cinemas In Sydney.

Go For A Swim

When it’s wet, get wetter… the kids won’t mind at all. Generally swimming pools are not busy when it’s raining, and the are marvellous places for active kids to burn up lots of energy. We’ve done this many, many times with my four busier-than-busy children.

Indoor Play Centres

My advice is to avoid them like the plague when it’s raining! They get far too busy, it’s murder to get a park and terribly noisy once you get there. Thought: try at lunchtime when lots of little kids will have gone for a sleep. Call ahead to see how busy they are.

Trampoline Centres

Can be busy – see advice for Indoor Play Centres.

Ice Skating Rinks

Why not?! The kids can rug up and whizz around the rink. Check out Sydney’s ice rinks on this post. NB You usually need to go to a particular session, always check website or call ahead to see what the rink’s rules are.

Go Bowling Or Play Laser Tag

This is definitely not my favourite, but my children love bowling. My ears ring as they bowl and bowl and bowl again. Follow up with pizza and they are in heaven… hours later my ears are still ringing.

Info about Strike Bowling and my Top Five Tips For Surviving Bowling and Laser Tag is here.

When you have lots of active kids, you need to have some active fun even on days when it’s raining. These are the ones have have stood the test of time in our family. How about in yours?

Can you add a few more ideas?

Where do you take the kids when it’s a rainy day in Sydney?

Cheers