When it rains in Stockholm you have three kinds of choice: a museum or a swimming pool where your child can move about, the library, which is free and close by, or home with whatever is already in the cupboards. Twenty concrete ideas below, sorted by where you are and how much energy you have. None of them needs more than an hour's planning.
It is half past eight on a Saturday in November, the rain is coming down in sheets and the four-year-old has already asked twice what you are going to do. You have the whole day ahead of you. This is the list we send to families who ask what the nanny usually comes up with on those days, and it starts with what asks least of you.
At home: ten things that cost nothing
- A den of sofa cushions and sheets. A classic for a reason. Peg the sheets to the bookcase with clothes pegs and put a torch inside.
- Bake something simple. Buns, pancakes or oat biscuits. Your child stirs, you measure. See our guide to Baking with kids.
- An obstacle course in the hallway. Cushions to jump between, a chair to crawl under, a strip of tape on the floor to balance along.
- An indoor treasure hunt. Hide five things, draw a simple map. Three-year-olds want pictures, six-year-olds want riddles.
- Water play in the bath in the middle of the day. Plastic bowls, a whisk, bubbles. Forty minutes goes quickly.
- Disco in the living room. Turn off the lights, put on music, dance until everyone is sweaty. It tires children out better than almost anything.
- Crafts with what you have. Loo rolls, milk cartons, newspapers and tape. See Crafts for kids for ideas by age.
- Board games and puzzles. Memory from age two, simple board games from four, card games from six.
- Read aloud, for a long time. A pile of books on the sofa, a blanket, hot chocolate. Children who get to choose the book listen for longer.
- Go out in the rain anyway. Rain gear, wellies, puddles for half an hour. Then a warm bath and dry clothes. It is the best half hour of the whole day.
Out in town: ten places under a roof
- The library. The children's section at your nearest library, or Stadsbiblioteket. Free, close by, often with story time. See our guide to Children's libraries in Stockholm.
- The swimming pool. Two hours in the pool gives you a child who falls asleep at seven. Check the children's sessions on the municipality's website.
- Tekniska museet. Things to touch, press and climb in. Suits children from about three and up.
- Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. The animals, the dinosaurs and the whales. Good from age two, because you can just wander around and look.
- Junibacken. Built for children between two and six. The story train, Villa Villekulla and a playroom where you can sit down.
- Nordiska museet. The playhouse for the younger ones and the time-travel exhibition for the older ones. A calmer option when the other museums are packed.
- Vasamuseet. One enormous ship that impresses even a three-year-old. Short visit, big effect.
- A play centre. Loud and sweaty, but children love it. See our guide to Indoor play centres in Stockholm.
- Ride public transport for the ride itself. Take the tunnelbana (the metro) to the end of the line and back, or the Djurgården ferry there and back. Two-year-olds think it is an outing.
- Öppna förskolan. For those with children under three: other adults, new toys, coffee. See Öppen förskola in Stockholm.
Always check current opening hours on each venue's website. And go early: on a rainy Saturday half of Stockholm has had the same idea by eleven.
What suits which age?
| Age | At home | Out |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 | Water play, a blanket on the floor, reading aloud | Öppna förskolan (the free drop-in preschool for parents with babies and toddlers), a walk with the rain cover, the library |
| 2 to 4 | Den, obstacle course, baking, disco | Junibacken, Naturhistoriska, the swimming pool, the library |
| 4 to 6 | Treasure hunt, crafts, games, baking | Tekniska museet, Vasamuseet, a play centre, the swimming pool |
| 6 to 12 | Board games, building something bigger, real cooking | Tekniska museet, Nordiska museet, the swimming pool, the cinema |
What rarely works on a rainy day
A shopping centre with a preschooler: crowded, hot and full of things your child wants. The cinema with a three-year-old: too dark, too loud, too long. A restaurant with a child who needs to move: you eat cold food and leave after twenty minutes. It is not that you are doing it wrong; it is that those places are built for adults. Choose something where your child can run, climb or splash instead, and eat at home afterwards.
And have realistic expectations of yourselves. A rainy weekend with small children is hard work. It does not get easier if you plan three activities, only more expensive. One thing in the morning, one thing in the afternoon, and an early bath is a good day.
How to make the day hold together
The most common reason rainy days turn into hard work is that you try to fill them. Decide on one thing in the morning and one in the afternoon, and let the rest be. A child who has spent an hour building a den and then been to the library copes fine with some boring time in between. A child who has been dragged to three places is whiny by three o'clock however fun the places were.
And be honest about screen time. A film in the afternoon is not a defeat; it is a strategy. Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden) recommends no more than an hour a day for children between two and five, and on a rainy Saturday that is an hour you can use wisely: when you need to sit down yourselves.
How we do it with our families
Doaa looks after a family in Sundbyberg with a three-year-old, and rainy Wednesdays have a fixed pattern: pick-up from förskola (municipal preschool, from age one), bus to the library, story time and three new books, home and a den in the living room with the books inside. She takes the same bus every time, because the three-year-old knows exactly where to get off and says so. The note to the parents says which books they borrowed and when they are due back. It is not a big day, but it is a day the three-year-old asks about on Tuesdays.
Our nannies are out and about with children in Stockholm every week: parks, libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds. Would you like someone to take the afternoons? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home.
Read more: Museums for children in Stockholm · Children's libraries in Stockholm · Swimming pools for children in Stockholm · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which museum works best on a rainy day with a three-year-old?
Junibacken, because everything is built for children of that age, and Tekniska museet, because there is plenty to touch. Check current hours on their websites, and go early in the day before everyone else has the same idea.
Does doing something indoors have to cost money?
No. The libraries have children's sections with story times, and you can ride public transport just for the ride. Swimming pools cost a little but give you two hours of a tired, happy child. The rest of the list is done at home with what is already in the cupboards.
How long can a preschooler last at a museum?
One and a half to two hours, including a snack break. Pick two things to see, do them, and leave before your child gets fed up. Next time goes better if last time ended well. Go at opening time, when it is quiet and your child is at their freshest.
Should we go out anyway?
Yes, for a while. Rain gear and wellies, half an hour in the puddles, then in for a warm bath and dry clothes. Children under school age are rarely bothered by rain, only by being indoors all day. That half hour is often what makes the afternoon calm.
What do we do with a baby on a rainy day?
Babies do not care about the weather. A walk with the rain cover on the pram gives sleep and fresh air, and at home a blanket on the floor and a few new things to look at is enough. Öppna förskolan is the best rainy-day place for you as parents.