Rainy Day Projects

Indoor Builds for kids at home

Forts, tents, cardboard creations, and other things to build with what's already in the house.

45 activities across 15 themes. Pick a theme to see the set.

Indoor Builds at home

Indoor builds give children a reason to use what is already cluttering the recycling bin or the linen closet — and they give you a concrete role that goes beyond supervision. You are a collaborator here, not just a safety spotter. The activities under Rainy Day lean into whatever is already underfoot: a pile of cardboard becomes a Cardboard Box Town on the Floor for younger children who need something they can walk around and rearrange, while Build an Indoor Blanket Tent shifts the focus to enclosure and problem-solving for slightly older kids. Freestanding Cardboard Tube Tower asks children to think about balance and structure in a way that will genuinely challenge them. Expect mess, negotiation, and some trial and error from both of you.

What is here

There are 45 indoor Builds activities on the site so far, in 15 sets of three: four for a situation (Rainy Day, Snow Day, Sick Day and Birthday Party) and ten built around a world your child is into (Dinosaurs, Space, Ocean, Animals, Farm, Jungle & Safari, Pirates, Castles & Knights, Superheroes and Construction & Trucks). Every set has one activity for each age band where the format allows it, and the card on each set says how long it takes. Most indoor Builds activities are marked “light adult help”, so plan on that when you pick one. The themes are listed in the order they appear on the homepage.

How to use these

Start by pulling out cardboard and extra blankets before you look at any specific activity — having materials visible helps children engage faster. Read the age band on each card as a starting point, not a rule; the help level note beside it tells you more precisely whether your child will need you working alongside them the whole time or just at key steps. A natural afternoon arc is to begin with a floor-level build, move into an enclosure activity once the child has warmed up, and save any structural challenge for last when focus is highest. Leave cleanup as its own step rather than folding it into the final activity.

Other kinds of activity

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