Rainy Day Ideas When You Are Stuck Inside
Are you looking for something to do on a Friday or Saturday night but you don't feel like going out? Are you staying at the house because you are tired, sick or facing bad weather?
It is often hard to think of things to do other than the usual flipping around the channels on TV.
Sometimes we all get stuck in a rut and need some new ideas.
Staying in can be a great way to bond with friends, family or a significant other.
Here are some ideas for just hanging out and relaxing at home.
To Get Started
If it is a night of adult friends, you might want to purchase some adult beverages or suggest that everyone bring something to share.
You can also have everyone bring their favorite snack food. This takes the pressure off the host and lets everyone enjoy the evening.
Have some music playing in the background--you might even explore a different kind of music that you don't usually listen to.
Even if it is just you and your significant other or your family, staying in for the night offers all kinds of possibilities.
Pull Out The Board Games
Don't underestimate the fun of dusting off some old board games.
People have been playing board games since ancient times.
While many people play on gaming systems such as Wii or Xbox, stepping away from the screen for the night might give everyone a break.
Try some of the suggestions below and enjoy a fun evening.
Some Board Game Ideas
Board Game
| Description
|
|---|---|
Monopoly
| Good for two players or more. Easy for ages 10 and up. This game is all about buying property and making shrewd investments. It's a classic game that's easy to play.
|
Settlers of Catan
| Best with three or more players. This game is all about learning how to use the law of probability and planning your resource needs. Makes a great evening of fun.
|
Life
| Two or more players. Classic game that kids as young as seven can enjoy. Go through life by choosing a career path, getting married, having children and making wise choices.
|
Trivial Pursuit
| Two or more players. Test your knowledge on all subjects as you try to fill your pie piece and prove you are the one with knowledge.
|
Clue
| Three or more players. Seven and up. Figure out whodunit in this classic game of elimination and cunning.
|
Ticket To Ride
| Fun family game best with three or more players. Build railroads and take over lines in your quest to dominate the continent.
|
Cadoo
| Three or more players. This is a great family game where you use your imagination and skills to try to guess the object. You might have to draw, gesture or even sculpt with clay.
|
Rummikub
| Two or more players. A gameboard twist on the rummy card game. Make sets of three tiles in sequential order or different colors of the same number. First one out of tiles wins.
|
Mastermind
| Two players. One person is the code breaker and one is the code maker. Try to guess the hidden color sequence before you run out of space.
|
Scrabble
| Two or more players. A classic word game for ten and up. You don't just need to spell well. Plan where to place your word for the most points possible.
|
Watch A Classic Movie
If you're looking to watch something but want to go a little outside of your comfort zone, why not try a classic movie?
The movies that were made in Hollywood in the 30's, 40's and 50's have stood the test of time. Their characters are compelling, the acting superb and the plot lines are enjoyable whether it's your first or fiftieth time to watch the movie.
Check out some of the movies below and find out why they have won over generations of fans.
Classic Movies You Shouldn't Miss
Movie
| Category
| Description
|
|---|---|---|
Arsenic and Old Lace
| Comedy
| Cary Grant in an enjoyable mix-up of mistaken identities and crazy, lovable aunts who happen to murder people.
|
M
| Mystery/Suspense
| Starring Peter Lorre before he and Fritz Lang fled Nazi Germany, this German film leaves you on the edge of your seat as you follow the hunt for a child killer.
|
Bringing Up Baby
| Comedy
| Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn star in this hilarious story about a girl and her leopard.
|
Casablanca
| Drama
| Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in this tear jerker about love and war and sacrifice.
|
The Wizard of Oz
| Musical
| Judy Garland in one of her best roles as the lovable Dorothy. Just follow the yellow brick road.
|
Wuthering Heights
| Drama
| Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are the star-crossed lovers in this story of love and deception.
|
Strangers On ATrain
| Mystery/Suspense
| In an Alfred Hitchcock classic, two men meet on a train and plan murder. The ending scene at the fair will have you on the edge of your seat.
|
Rebecca
| Mystery/Suspense
| One of Alfred Hitchcock's best films, based on the Daphne DuMaurier novel of the same name. The title character is dead the entire movie but her presence looms over the new bride.
|
The Philadelphia Story
| Comedy/Drama
| Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn team up again as the battling couple who can't stand to be together or apart.
|
The African Queen
| Drama
| Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn star in the story of two who start as strangers on a journey into deepest Africa as they fight for survival.
|
Holiday Inn
| Musical
| A lighthearted musical starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Why not open an inn that only runs during the major holidays?
|
A Streetcar Named Desire
| Drama
| Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh light up the screen in this Tennessee Willliams play about deception, passion and, yes, desire.
|
Some of the best classic movies.
Bake Something Fun
Baking can be a fun and relaxing activity, especially if you're not under pressure to fix a meal or trying to get out the door to an activity.
On those evenings in, why not pull out a cookbook and try something from scratch---those dishes that you don't have time for when you are busy and on the go.
You can bake a cake or try learning how to bake fresh bread from scratch the way our great grandparents did.
Baking in the early part of evening will give you something to snack on while you play games or watch that movie later on.
Try Baking Bread From Scratch
If you are lucky enough to have an older friend or relative, you could invite them over to show you how to bake something delicious.
There are endless possibilities when you have time to play around in the kitchen.
Make It A Craft Night
There is nothing like getting creative with your hands as a way to relax your mind and body.
You don't have to get fancy or elaborate. You can get some beads and trinkets and make jewelry or have contests with your friends based on a theme.
Why not look at a classic painting and try to copy it or make your own version with a different medium such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" made with chalk on construction paper?
Or invite a friend over who knows how to knit and have him or her teach you.
Your craft night could even turn into a lifelong and useful hobby.
You can even try recycling old jewelry into something new.
Making crafts from materials you have around the house can bring out your creative side and let you reuse and reimagine old items you no longer use or want.
Try Some Old Party Games
If you have a group of people or even several family members, you can try some old fashioned, group party games.
These games have been around for hundreds of years in one form or another and are a great way to relax, laugh and socialize without spending a dime.
Some ideas for games include:
- Blind Man's Bluff: In this simple game, best played in a large room or one where the furniture is pushed back against the wall, one person is it and is blindfolded. The others try to sneak around the "blind man" without being touched. The first person to be found will then become it. As a variation, you can make each person get out after being touched. The last one that is found wins the game.
- Pin the Tail on the Donkey: You can get an old poster board or even construction paper. Draw an animal on it (it doesn't have to be a donkey, it can be any animal with a tail). Each person is blindfolded and spun around in the middle of the room. They must then find the picture of the donkey and pin the tail on it. (You can use tape if you'd rather not make a hole in your wall.) The person who puts the tail closest to the correct position wins.
- Charades: In this game you can only use gestures, no words, to try to get your team to guess what you are thinking of. It can be anything. This works best if you have a timer or time keeper and an agreed upon amount of time to get your team to guess the clue. Each team gets a point for guessing the correct answer first or you can play as individuals.
One Way To Play Charades
Read The Classic Novel You've Been Meaning To Start
Maybe you are in by yourself for the evening or the other members of your family are doing other things.
Or you want to pick a book and take turns reading out loud to each other.
This might be the perfect time to start reading that classic novel you've been meaning to start. Just because it is classic doesn't mean that it is boring.
A quiet evening at home is the perfect time for any kind of reading. But if you are the mood for trying something different, why not check out some of these titles?
- THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
- SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
- MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather
- MRS. DALLOWAY by Virginia Woolf
- THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker
- ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card
- THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton
- INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
There are so many great and inspiring books out there that are as entertaining as they are important. Many classics are available in the public domain on sites such as Project Gutenberg. You can also find the audio versions of the public domain books at Librivox.
Staying In Can Be Fun
Staying in for the evening doesn't have to mean doing nothing.
These are some fun activities that groups of any and various ages can enjoy together.
So whether you are in by choice or stuck because of bad weather or illness, you can still enjoy your night at home.
