I know it’s hard to leave the house with kids and on rainy days it seem almost impossible! But in my experience it’s always worth the effort to get out and do something fun and then the rest of your day will go much more smoothly and your kids won’t go stir crazy.
Here are a few of my go-to activities:
Visit one of the Museums in Port Adelaide.
These cost about $12/adult and kids under 4 are free. On weekdays there’s only usually a handful of people there and weekends are usually quiet too. There is the Railway Museum http://nrm.org.au/ , Maritime museum https://maritime.history.sa.gov.au/ and the Aviation Museum http://www.saam.org.au/ . The Railway Museum has free train rides every 30minutes where you get to go on a small train on a loop around the museum. The train ride only goes for a few minutes so it is perfect for young kids. The rest of the time you can explore and climb on a bunch of trains and there is also a model railway. The Maritime Museum has lots of boats to explore and there are plenty of areas that foster imaginary play. The Aviation Museum has lots of fun planes to climb on where you can pretend to go on a holiday and there’s one plane where the kids can sit in the cockpit and press all the buttons and go on an imaginary flight. They even have little plane trolleys so you can leave the pram in the car and your kid can enjoy being pushed around in their very own plane. Keep in mind that these museums are inside big sheds. They are sheltered from the rain but can still be cold and windy so just be sure to rug up! They are also quite big so it may be worth bringing the pram/stroller. Your kid will be in and out all the time to climb onto and off the trains/planes/boats, but as always, a pram is useful as a trolley so you don’t have to carry everything! Allow 1-2 hours for each museum. If you want to make a day of it you could head to two in the same day (they are 2mins from one another).
Go to the Zoo or Monarto https://www.zoossa.com.au/
Kids under 4 are free and adults are about $35, or you can get an annual membership for around $120. The zoo is mostly outdoors so I don’t recommend this on days where torrential rainfall is forecast. But it is great on days with scattered showers. On rainy days it’s extra quiet, but there are actually a heap of inside and undercover areas so it’s easy to take cover while any rain showers pass. If it’s your first time to the zoo you could spend all day there, but if you are a regular, it’s a good way to kill an hour or two. If the weather turns out nice it can also be fun to pop next door to explore the botanic gardens.
If you have zoo membership, entry to Monarto is included. Monarto is about 40 minutes up the freeway, so it’s not actually that far away (depending on where you live). When you go to Monarto you go on a shuttle bus around the park which takes about an hour. You can get off at different stops but if it’s rainy I’d recommend just staying on and doing the loop. Keep this in mind if taking young kids as you’re pretty much stuck on the bus for an hour which isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. But kids aged 3 and over generally love it. The bus drives through the animal enclosures so you get to see giraffes and lions right next to you out of the bus window. It’s pretty cool. After the shuttle bus you can grab a coffee or lunch at the café before heading home, or your kids may like to do another loop on the shuttle bus.
Bounce https://www.bounceinc.com.au/
Bounce has a site in Marleston (inner west) and another in Greenacres (north east). They have introduced “Play Dates” for $11 on school days where your toddler can have 2 hours of fun playing on trampolines, in foam pits, ball pits and one of those kid maze things like they have at play cafes (but smaller and cleaner). Its usually relatively quiet and who doesn’t love trampolines?! Bounce at Greenacres has an awesome little kids area for 0-5 year olds, as well as big trampolines, rock climbing and an arial coarse for the older kids. The only issue is that young kids can’t go in the big kids area, and big kids cant go in the little kids area which is hard if you’re the only adult and you have both big and little kids. When going to bounce definitely wear activewear as you will find yourself crawling through the maze or climbing out of a foam pit in no time.
Baby sensory/Toddler Sense (for kids aged 0-4) https://www.babysensory.com.au/
These classes are very popular and are usually booked for a whole term, but they sometimes have casual spots available so it’s worth contacting your nearest centre to ask. It’s a great regular activity for terms 2 and 3 when its often cold and wet outside. My kids absolutely loved baby sensory and toddler sense and there is a lovely sense of community in the classes. Your baby/toddler will have the best time and it’s so lovely doing new and exciting activities with them while also being a great bonding experience between you and your baby/toddler.
Adelaide Museum https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/ and Art Gallery https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/
Entry is free and there is always lots to explore. The museum is very kid centred and although your kids will find some areas of the art gallery “boring”, it has an area that always has art/craft activities for kids. My kids also always love tram rides so we often catch the free tram a few stops along north terrace and then catch it back again. You’re also right next to Rundle Mall so can always pop in there for a snack or lunch, or a spot of shopping (if your kid allows).
Kindergym (kids aged 1-4)
My kids loved kindergym, but not enough to commit to going every single week so we loved going to places that had casual options rather than needing to book in for the whole term. Glengowrie YMCA https://www.sa.ymca.org.au/what-we-do/gymnastics/glengowrie/preschool-programs offers casual Kindergym classes, as does Ascot Park Primary School. I’m sure lots of other places do too, but these were the ones I went to. It’s worth contacting a few local centres to see if they have casual spots and then it can be one of your options on rainy days.
Library Rhyme Time/Baby Time (kids aged 1-4) https://www.libraries.sa.gov.au/
Check out your local library as almost all libraries offer free weekly programs for babies/toddlers during school terms. These sessions involve singing nursery rhymes to your child and using various props like puppets, reading books, peek-a-boo scarves and shakers. I have such fond memories of my library sessions with my kids when they were babies. Most libraries have good areas for kids as well so you can hang out for a while before or after the session. And more often than not there is a coffee shop near the library so you can also grab a coffee and babycino while you’re out. Some libraries also have a toy library which is a great option to get some different toys each week or two rather than buying everything.
Ride bikes/scooters around Tonsley. https://www.facebook.com/tonsleysa/
This is one for the weekend as during the week it’s a business hub so not really appropriate to bring kids for a play right next to offices where people are trying to work. But on the weekends it’s a huuuge undercover area with lovely smooth concrete ground which is perfect for little ones learning to ride, scooter or skate. It can get surprisingly busy but has a funky and fun vibe. It’s free and you can stay as long as you like. There are also fun little garden areas perfect for games of hide and seek, and there are table tennis tables and exercise equipment if you’re feeling enthusiastic. The only down side is that none of the cafes are open, and the toilets are locked. So BYO snacks and a potty if your little one is toilet training
Embrace the rain
Pop on your gumboots and coat and grab the umbrella then head outside to jump in puddles and have fun catching raindrops in your mouth. Sing and dance in the rain and play a game where you pick up leaves, sticks and rocks and pop them in a stream/puddle to see what sinks and what floats. If there are any streams of water you can have races where you both drop a leaf or stick in the water and see which one travels the furthest. I suggest doing this close to home so you can quickly head home for a warm shower/bath afterwards.
What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day with your kid(s)? Let me know and I’ll add it to the list to help inspire others.
Have a great day and keep warm,
Tammy x