All rain and no sun makes most of us dull, kids included. The gloomy weather and the ban on parks and outdoor activities can make kids grumpy. But fear not! We went in search of rainy day activities for kids and rounded up the best, easy craft ideas for kids to do indoors. These DIY craft ideas will give both the kids and you a lift and leave you with fun memories of colours other than gray.

Monsoon craft ideas for kids

When the skies cloud over, just whip out one of these rainy day kids’ crafts.

Stamp some blossoms (Ages 3-7)

On a chilly, rainy afternoon, there’s nothing better than painting projects for kids. Get messy with soda bottle flower prints to echo the flowers blooming outside. All you need is some paper, paint, and an empty, clean 2-liter soda bottle to make bright blossoms that will chase away the blues. The end result will be worth the clean up afterward.

Take a taste of jewelry (Ages 3-8)

Necklaces and bracelets that double as snacks are fun to make and even more fun to eat. There’s something about these edible crafts for children that makes them beloved by both boys and girls. All it takes is threading some dried fruit onto a piece of string; kids can pick the fruits, the order, and the number of fruits. Once they’re done, your kids will still be entertained by admiring their new ornaments, and best of all, they’ll be sated when hunger strikes.

Explore the universe (Ages 4-8)

Not literally, of course, but building a pie-plate solar system can open your child’s eyes to the basics of astronomy. This is might sound complicated (Is Pluto a planet? Is it not?) but it’s actually one of the easiest kids’ crafts out there and requires no sharp objects. A pie plate is used to represent the solar system, a paper sun is glued in the centre, and marbles make for planets that roll around. For older kids, you can explore concepts like orbits and gravity while they’re making it. For the youngsters, who may not be able to pronounce Mercury or Venus, you can still explain what the sun and planets are while they enjoy the rolling marbles.

Make a family montage (Ages 5-12)

With the ever-improving quality of mobile phone cameras, kids today are quite kicked to have their picture taken with immediate results. Go through your digital photos with your child and let her pick out her favourites of special occasions, family holidays and the like. Use the opportunity to go over the family tree and reminisce together, strengthening your memories. The best part about this craft? It can be an ongoing project. Use one weekend to shortlist and print photos and the next weekend to paste the pictures on a mount-board which you can frame afterward, or make different collages around different themes.

View through a kaleidoscope (Ages 6-9)

This has got to be one of our favourite monsoon craft ideas for kids, because who knew an old cereal box and some plastic beads could make the world look so different? A paper towel tube forms the basis of this project, allowing kids to personalize their kaleidoscope with fun paper or drawing. But the real treat is inside; once assembled, the kaleidoscope will entertain your child for a couple of hours over and over again. Just point him toward a light.