Rainy days suck. Walking around outside you get wet, even if you have an umbrella. Hair frizzes up and traffic is brutal. For others, like myself, there are many things to do on a rainy day for adults.

From relaxing, fun activities to getting organized and clutter-free – I’ve got ideas for when you’re feeling bored and stuck at home.

In the past, I’ve shared how you can write a love letter on a rainy day but there are many other rainy day activities you can do.

Whether you’re all alone, with others or with kids, there’s ALWAYS something you can do. Even it’s just taking a nap and lounging around the house.

This is good too! After all, you need downtime. Have you heard of Mom “Me-Time”? Rainy days are a license to chill out and relax.

But if you’re feeling restless, my list of things to do on a rainy day may just keep you from dying of boredom.


NOTE: FOR PARENTS seeking things to do on a rainy day with kids: See my post on 60 Activities To Do With Kids Indoors


Things To Do On A Rainy Day For Adults: Fun Stuff

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve added a whole bunch of ideas on fun things to do on a rainy day for adults. They can easily be adapted for any kind of day where you’re stuck at home.

These are just some of the fun things to do on a rainy day for adults. This list is by no means extensive… be as silly as you can!

  • Start a blog: I have a step-by-step guide to launching a blog that will get your new blog up and running in one day. If you’re not sure about it, read why 2022 is the perfect year to start a blog (and make some money at it too!).
  • Make Rice Krispie squares or chocolate chip cookies
  • Make gourmet popcorn with fun flavourings and do a marathon with your favourite movie or TV series – Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and 007 films are my choices
  • Be a kid again: sharpen your pencil crayons, make a cup of coffee or tea and do some colouring.
  • Try out a new style of makeup
  • Take selfies by the window for perfect shots in soft light
  • Work on a 2,000 piece puzzle
  • Pamper yourself with the works: bubble bath, pedicure, manicure, face scrub, etc.
  • Try out new cocktail recipes or learn more about the art of making cocktails like a pro (like a Manhattan): drink in moderation
  • Dig out the old game console and play video games
  • Put on galoshes/Wellingtons and go for a walk. Splash in puddles like a kid.
Rainy day activities: read a book. Things to do on a rainy day.
One of my favourite rainy day activities: drink coffee and read a book. Photo Credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
  • Using different nail polish colours, paint your nails in funky designs
  • Plan your next vacation.
  • Go for a walk in the woods with your camera. Waterproof it and take gloomy, moody photos. Instagram gold!
  • Head to your local arboretum or garden with a greenhouse. It’s always nice to take a walk among the plants.
  • A favourite rainy day activity – be artistic. Take time to draw, colour, paint, carve… whatever you enjoy doing.
  • Focus on your skin: do a face mask, massage your face with a roller
  • Take a virtual museum tour
  • Play around with Google Earth: go on a virtual trip
  • Have sex… try new positions with your partner. Try out some moves from the Kama Sutra.
  • Take a hike in the rain: just practice safe hiking and avoid any trails with roots and rocks, and ravines or escarpment edges
  • Take the time to check out blogs! Like mine… click the navigation above to peruse other blog posts you might find interesting!
  • Hang out on Pinterest and learn about things you’ve always want to know more about.
  • Knit! If you have yarn and knitting tools, make scarves for the upcoming winter or for gifts
  • Start writing a short story or book
  • Watch a series of comedy shows with your favourite comedians
  • Do a themed day: everything 70s, 80s, 90s and so on.
  • Put on the tunes: dance and do some exercise!
  • Try new yoga positions
  • Meditate and listen to soothing music: give your mind a rest for a day
  • Play a board game
  • Break out the playing cards: play poker, Black Jack or other fun games
  • Play video games on your phone/tablet
  • The best of my list of rainy day activities: read a book and drink a cup of coffee or tea
  • Indulge in a guilty pleasure: your favourite TV show, snack or activity
  • Make your favourite comfort food
  • Break out your old toys: get creative with dolls, blocks, LEGO. Create and take photos of cool scenes.
  • Watch educational shows on YouTube
  • Catch up on music videos
  • Make jewelry: bead bracelets or woven bracelets with embroidery thread
  • Learn the technical skills of drawing (Pinterest has many how-to’s)

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Things To Do On A Rainy Day: Get Organized

For the Martha Stewart types, one of the best things to do on a rainy day is to get organized, feng shued… whatever you like to call it.

Although gardening outside is not one of the best rainy day activities, there’s always something to do inside. Cleaning is my favourite go-to because I hate chaos in the home.

Need some inspiration for productive things to do on a rainy day? Here’s my list:

  • Do a thorough cleaning throughout the house.
  • Toss out or donate old clothing and shoes that I will never fit into or wear again
  • Organize the walk-in closet
  • Organize and de-clutter the front closet. Make a good impression with elegant wood hangers.
  • Do all the laundry, including the items that you keep putting off cleaning.
  • Clean up the mudroom/laundry room
  • Take stock of all cleaning and laundry supplies: make a trip to pick up what you need
  • Dust and re-paint scuffed baseboards. Make sure to get at corners and hard-to-reach spots for a thorough job.
  • Use a Swiffer or clean dust mop to dust the walls and remove cobwebs. They do get dusty! Trust me on this one.
  • The sofa gets dusty too, so vacuum it and fluff the pillows.
  • Solve the problem of too many cables all over the place.
  • Clean off cloth lampshades with a sticky clothes brush (the type that removes lint, hair via a sticky tape).
  • Tackle clean-up of dusty, grimy blinds.
  • Organize your kitchen cupboards: identify which canned/shelf-stable foods are near expiration dates and make a meal out of them.
  • De-clutter! Set aside any old clothing, shoes, kitchen items, CDs, books and other items for donations. If it’s broken and non-fixable, toss!
  • Make of list of herbs and spices that need to be replaced
  • Organize your finances: balance the books and forecast future expenses. Consider how you can save
  • File away invoices and other papers
  • Shred sensitive papers you no longer need.
  • Scan your old photos and make them digital.
  • A smart, often over-looked thing to add to your list of rainy day activities: take your old CDs and digitize them into mp3s
  • Water and take care of all of your plants
  • Go through your storage boxes to organize them: ensure they’re labelled correctly for ease of use

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So Much More We Can Do On Rainy Days

The list of rainy day activities can include many more ideas, depending on what you have going on at your home.

There’s so much that can be added to my things to do on a rainy day for adults list.

My husband’s rainy day activities list would include home renovation projects, working on fixing some trims and starting our basement renovation.

I also have a handy house cleaning checklist, based on what my grandmother taught me – as a Polish woman, she knew how to keep a house spotless!

One rainy day I decided to change over a whole bunch of things in our home to be more sustainable in our daily routines.

Rainy days are also perfect for planning a home renovation. Create a list of what needs updating, research contractors and develop a budget. Dream a little! Flip through the Houzz app for inspiration. Or perhaps, your home needs just a little updating of its home decor. 

Use Pinterest. It’s always nice to dream a bit.

Whatever you decide to choose as part of your rainy day activities, make them fun for you. If anything, you can at least learn how to swear in foreign languages.

| READ MORE: Over 30 FUN Ways To Celebrate New Year’s Eve At Home

QUESTION: What are your favourite things to do on a rainy day? I’d love to hear about YOUR rainy day activities that keep you from dying of boredom.


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Rainy Day activities
Author

Margaret Bourne is a blog coach and strategist, with over 18 years of experience in marketing and public relations. She helps aspiring bloggers build and grow professional online businesses. A wife, and mom to a little boy, she also occasionally shares lifestyle-related stories through her Suburban Tourist blog.

17 Comments

  1. Rainy days are so great bc you can go outside and play in the rain!

  2. I love rainy days when you ca just stay home and cocooning is the best idea. Thank you for sharing this post, so many things to look forward.

  3. Thank you so much for sharing all of these useful suggestions. I love the idea of embracing being a kid again.

  4. Thank you so much for this list. It’s actually perfect for my mom right now. She lives alone and will be at home for a while longer (she’s in the at-risk group) and she’s running out of things to do at home. I’m excited to share this list with her.

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