Rainy Day Activities in Brooklyn

While I hate walking to school in the rain, I hate having to fill up a Saturday even more. I respect the parents that suit up their children to play in the rain but I have no desire to be among them. (I will take snow and cold over rain any day.) Looking for family friendly ideas to pass the time in New York City this weekend with this rainy forecast? See mine below!

I’ve added age and price estimates to each option.

💰 0-$20 per child

💰💰 $20-$40 per child

💰💰💰 $40+

NYC Transit Museum (2-7 year olds)💰

The transit museum is a great activity for kids on a rainy day because you are (shockingly) fully underground. This museum in an abandoned subway station and the train track area has plenty of room for kids to run around on old trains. My primary frustration the last time I visited is that my children wouldn’t let me read more of the history. I love this photo (above) of one of old subway cars they placed in the ocean to make artificial reefs.

Genius Gems (3-10 year olds) 💰💰💰

If you’re up for the trek to Manhattan, this new space has over 100,000 magna tiles and a bar- my favorite addition to play spaces!! For older children, they have great challenges to match design templates. The adults in my group really enjoyed these too lol. For younger children, the sheer number of tiles and also the glow in the glow-in-the-dark options to keep them entertained. The only drawback on a weekend is that they are pretty strict with the timing of your session.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum (1-6 year olds) 💰💰

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is probably the first go-to indoor play for most parents on a rainy day. Because of that I personally like to avoid it because it gets pretty crowded. That being said, it is a really safe place for kids to be just loud and noisy- some days you need that!

Chuck E Cheese (1-8 year olds) 💰💰

Chuck E Cheese is my personal favorite rainy day activity. The best part is honestly the location as it’s really central to many bus and subway lines. Because it is the same building as Atlantic Avenue, you don’t have to walk in the rain at all. There is also parking by Stop and Shop. The second best part of Chuck E Cheese is how secure the space is with kids. They take a selfie (picture above) with your children and they cannot live without proof of photo. While younger kids can’t play games they can be loud, run around, and stay dry while watching older kids!

Brooklyn Bowl (concert: any age; bowling: 5+) 💰💰💰

Brooklyn Bowl has family bowling every Saturday from 12-5 p.m. and family bowling plus a kids’ concert and dance party on most Sundays starting at 12 p.m. The kids’ concert is with Rock and Roll Playhouse and is 100% worth the trek to Williamsburg.

Industry City (all ages) 💰

Industry City is just massive, you’ve got everything in this complex of old industrial buildings. I find it very kid-friendly because your kids can run around inside and be loud. There is an arcade for older kids as well as a great bookstore. Things are pretty quiet until around 12 pm when most of the food vendors open. If you have a car, there is a huge parking lot. Pack all the toys and you can spend hours there easily eating delicious food.

Urban Air (4-10 years old) 💰💰💰

Disclaimer: Urban Air can get CROWDED. The first time I went we waited 20 minutes just to get tickets. If your kids have a lot of energy they will tire themselves out here though. There are a ton of trampolines and obstacle courses that my 6-year-old particularly loves.  Because of the potential for crowds, I’d gear visits for older kids (4+) though generally, I think trampoline parks can be fun for younger children as well.

Indoor playspaces

There are plenty of great indoor play areas depending on where you live. Some I’d recommend: Playwell, Kidstown, Good Day Play Cafe, Twinkle Playspace.  If you live in Park Slope you’re lucky because there are so many close to you!  

Ideas to do at home:

Sensory Bins: Chantal of Color Architect Kids has some great ideas for how to make sensory bins out of things already in your kitchen. Her first suggestion is to take rice and then put on legos or small plastic toys. Using any kitchen bowls, tablespoons, etc. you can make a pretty easy game. Another idea is to make cloud dough with flour and oil. If you grate chalk into the mixture you can make colorful rainbows and ice cream! (Personal Parenting tip: buy these trays from Ikea if you don’t already have them for crafts.)

Water Beads: My absolute favorite part of water beads is that they take up so little storage space. I’ve also been using the same container I bought during covid lockdown. (The picture is actually a throwback to the dark days of April 2020.) Whenever I see rain in the forecast, I try and make these the night before. The clean-up can be a bit annoying but my kids can play with these for hours.

Painter’s Tape Games: Painter tape can be the gift that keeps on giving for kids’ activities. I highly recommend the Instagram account Busy Toddler helped my family survive COVID lockdowns and I first discovered painters’ tape there. Depending on the age of your children she has tons of great recommendations.

What does your family like to do in the rain? Comment below to add your tips/insights.

Good luck this weekend!

Katie