Rain, Rain Go Away—10 Fun Things To Do With Kids When Its Raining

Kids seem to have somewhat of a sixth sense with the weather. 

The second the heavens open, it’s as if a switch flicks and the energy levels of those under 12 are dialled up to the absolute max. Suddenly, board games and baking won’t cut it, the couch becomes a crash mat, and the hallway turns into a high-speed racetrack. 

Fortunately, we’ve got an impressive trove of wet-weather distractions here in Perth, with plenty of places where kids can bounce, climb, create, explore and burn through enough energy to make bedtime a breeze. 

Here’s the best things to do with kids in Perth when it’s raining outside. 

Seas the Day at AQWA

Image credit: AQWA | Website

When the weather's serving more shipwreck than beach day, make a beeline for AQWA. Watching kids wander through the ocean tunnel as sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and fish of all shapes and sizes glide overhead never gets old, and while the famous touch pool is technically outdoors, it's completely undercover and sheltered from the weather. If you remember it as Underwater World, prepare for a serious nostalgia hit while the kids discover it for the very first time.

Press Every Button at Scitech 

Image credit: Scitech | Website

There’s no denying that children possess an extraordinary gift for locating the one button they’re not supposed to press. At Scitech, that instinct isn’t merely tolerated—it’s encouraged. Packed with hands-on exhibits, live science demos and enough interactive displays to keep curious minds occupied for hours, this Perth institution disguises rainy-day learning as unadulterated fun. A rare win for science and your sanity.

Bounce Off The Walls At Bounce Inc

Image credit: Bounce | Website

Does your kid appear to be powered by some unknown energy source that never drains? Bounce might just be your rainy-day saviour. Wall-to-wall trampolines, obstacle courses and climbing zones provide the perfect environment to turn even the most restless small human into a temporarily exhausted one. With locations in Joondalup, Cannington and Osborne Park, there’s a north, south and central option for maximum convenience and minimum excuses. Parents, meanwhile, can enjoy the café-based spectator sport of watching tiny humans defy gravity.

Dive Into Deep-Sea Adventure At OceanXperience, WA Museum Boola Bardip

Image credit: WA Museum Boola Bardip | Website

Still raining outside? At Boola Bardip, you can go fully underwater without getting wet. OceanXperience turns a visit to the museum into a cutting-edge deep-sea expedition, using immersive projections, larger-than-life screens and interactive technology to transport visitors beneath the ocean’s surface. No wetsuits required, just a sense of adventure. 

Burn Energy At An Indoor Playground

Image credit: Playdates | Website

When the kids have spent three consecutive hours treating your couch like a gymnastics apparatus, it might be time to call in reinforcements. Indoor playgrounds are the rainy-day MVPs, giving kids licence to climb, slide, crawl, jump and generally unleash chaos in a socially acceptable environment. Better yet, somebody else has to vacuum up afterwards.

Step Into A Storybook World at the Pickled Fairy 

Image credit: The Pickled Fairy | Instagram

Enchanting visitors in Fremantle's piazza since 1991, The Pickled Fairy feels like stumbling into the pages of a particularly magical storybook. On a drizzly afternoon (or any afternoon, for that matter), it becomes the ultimate escape into whimsy. Every nook, cranny and corner is packed with fairy doors, sparkling treasures, tiny trinkets, dress-ups and imaginative toys. Just be prepared to leave covered in glitter.

Turn A Shopping Trip Into An Expedition At Bunnings, IKEA & Spotlight

Image credit: Danielle Davies | Supplied

Need to tick a few errands off the list? Conveniently, some of Perth's biggest retailers double as surprisingly effective rainy-day entertainment. Take Bunnings for example, which kids tend to see less as a hardware store and more as an indoor obstacle course with bonus sausage sizzles. Or Ikea, whose Smaland children’s corner is even more colourful and exciting than the show room, with the added incentive of Swedish meatballs waiting at the finish line. Even Spotlight can become an adventure, with aisles and aisles of fabrics, paints, beads, craft kits and glitter. Let them choose a project, pick up the supplies, and you’ve solved both today AND tomorrow’s boredom. 

Let their Imagination Run Wild at Role-Play Villages

Image credit: Little Land | Website 

Ever wondered what your kid would do if they were handed the keys to a café, a fire station or a supermarket? At places like Little Land and Tots Play, they get to find out. These miniature, make-believe worlds are packed with tiny shops, kitchens, construction zones and role-play stations where kids can step into grown-up jobs and run completely wild with imagination—no screens, no rules, just endless make-believe (and maybe a very serious shift at the pretend bakery).

Level Up At Arcades Centres

Image credit: Danielle Davies | Supplied

When cabin fever settles in, it’s time to bring out the big guns. Colossal entertainment centres like Dave & Buster's and Chuck E. Cheese are the rainy-day heavyweights, offering hours of indoor fun for kids of all ages. Between racing simulators, basketball games, claw machines and enough blinking lights to be visible from space, kids can happily spend a day chasing high scores and accumulating tickets. Rain? What rain?