Rainy Day Mum is a play-based learning website created to help parents and carers enjoy simple, meaningful activities with their children. Founded in 2011 by Cerys Parker, a mum of two, qualified teacher, marine biologist, and homeschool educator, Rainy Day Mum began during the early years of parenting, when finding genuinely age-appropriate activities felt harder than it should have been.
What started as a way to share simple ideas with friends and family has grown into a long-running resource for baby, toddler, and preschool activities, trusted by families around the world.
Why Rainy Day Mum exists
In the early days, many “toddler activities” online weren’t actually suitable for toddlers at all , requiring too much adult intervention, preparation, or unrealistic expectations. Rainy Day Mum was created to change that.
Every activity shared here is designed to be:
- simple and low-prep
- achievable at home
- appropriate for young children
- enjoyable for adults and children together
The focus has always been on learning through play, using everyday materials and real-life experiences.
What you’ll find on Rainy Day Mum
Today, Rainy Day Mum shares ideas and resources for:
- Baby play from birth to 12 months
- Toddler activities for ages 1–3
- Preschool learning ideas for ages 3–5
Alongside crafts and play ideas, you’ll also find cooking and baking with kids with recipes tried and tested in our home kitchen, gardening activities, book-based learning, fun early literacy, numeracy, and fine motor play ideas and nature and science-inspired activities. Many ideas are inspired by Cerys’s background in marine biology, her love of nature, and wildlife.
Cerys’s background in marine biology and love of nature has also led to the creation of simple observation journals, including bird watching and weather journals for children.
Our approach
Rainy Day Mum believes that:
- children learn best through play
- activities don’t need to be complicated to be valuable
- time spent together matters more than perfect outcomes
All ideas are tried and tested, first at home with her own two children and often their friends, and then later in learning environments, and shared with the aim of making everyday moments meaningful, calm, and enjoyable.
Want to get started?
If you’re new here, you might like to start with:
- Baby Play Activities (0–12 months)
- Toddler Activities (1–3 years)
- Preschool Learning Ideas (3–5 years)
Each section is designed to help you quickly find ideas that suit your child’s age and stage.
Working with Rainy Day Mum
Rainy Day Mum is an award-winning parenting and early learning website and works with selected brands and organisations that share its values around education, creativity, and family life.
If you’re interested in working together, please visit the Work With Me page for more information.