Wet weather ideas for October Half Term

The forecast says rain. The children say they’re bored. Before booking an expensive day out or covering the kitchen in glitter, pick one thing to build the day around. A blanket den and a film can be enough, but in case you're going stir crazy, I've included plenty of options to get you out of the house!

The ideas here mix easy afternoons at home with indoor outings in London, including some suggestions for the North of England too. The events listed below are for October half term 2026.

Things to do at home

1. Build a den with a proper purpose

Push two chairs together, drape over a sheet and add cushions. Then let the children decide what they’ve built: a reading hideout, a veterinary surgery for teddies or a space station that urgently needs snacks.

A torch and a basket of books can keep a quieter corner going long after the construction is finished. If siblings want different things, let one make signs while another moves in. The den doesn’t need to look good in a photograph.

2. Open a rainy-day café

Make paper menus, set the table and put someone in charge of taking orders. Decorating ready-made biscuits or assembling sandwiches keeps the cooking manageable, while older children might enjoy weighing ingredients and baking something simple together.

Use the food you already have and work around the family’s allergies. A café that serves toast is still a café. Paying with homemade coins is optional; washing up is less so.

3. Turn a cardboard box into a theatre

A cereal box can become a tiny stage, or the back of the sofa can do the job. Draw characters on card, tape them to craft sticks and invent a story with three parts: someone wants something, something goes wrong, somebody sorts it out.

Younger children can perform a familiar book while older ones write the script or make sound effects. Keep the performance short and invite the teddies. They’re a forgiving audience.

4. Make a miniature museum

Choose a subject the child already loves: dinosaurs, shells, toy cars or unusually important stones. Arrange a small collection, make labels and give each object a story. A toy dinosaur can have a completely invented discovery date if that’s more fun.

Add paper tickets and let the curator give a tour. Older children could photograph the objects and make a little catalogue; younger ones may prefer rearranging everything just as the visitors arrive.

5. Try a tiny stop-motion film

Prop a phone or tablet securely on a stand or against some books. Photograph a toy, move it a little, take another picture and repeat. Start with something very small, such as a dinosaur crossing the table, rather than planning an entire feature film.

Use a stop-motion app if you already have one, or flick through the photos to see the movement. Children can make a cardboard backdrop and add voices afterwards. It’s also a nice follow-up to the animation exhibitions and activities below.

6. Hold a living-room games afternoon

Let everyone pick one game, then add an activity that doesn’t need a box: a treasure hunt with picture clues, a sock-pairing race or a very serious competition to build the tallest block tower.

For a slower finish, make cinema tickets and choose a film together. There’s no need to fill every hour. Sometimes the best half-term plan includes a stretch of doing very little.

Out and about: indoor ideas in London

Southbank Centre: free storytelling or a trip into space

The Southbank Centre has two particularly useful options this October.

Search for a Story, 29 October–1 November 2026, brings drop-in storytelling activities to the Clore Ballroom inside the Royal Festival Hall. It’s free, with no ticket required, and recommended for ages five and up. Story fragments gathered around a giant storytelling bed give children a starting point for their own imaginations. Check the day’s session times, particularly on Friday, when the timetable is different.

For a planned theatre outing, The Smeds and the Smoos, 28 October–1 November 2026, is at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tall Stories’ adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s book mixes music, alien families and a journey through space. It’s recommended for ages three and up and requires paid tickets. Allow for tickets for accompanying adults as well as children; the event page explains the babes-in-arms exception.

Both activities are indoors, but the walk from the station isn’t. Choose one as the main event rather than relying on dry weather for a long riverside wander afterwards.

Science Museum: hands-on science, with free and paid options

The Science Museum’s October half-term programme combines free galleries and family trails with separately ticketed experiences. It’s a good option when the children want to do something rather than just look at things.

For older children, Wonderlab is recommended for ages seven to fourteen, with hands-on exhibits and live demonstrations. New half-term shows explore light and the science of motion. Wonderlab needs its own paid ticket; it isn’t included in free museum entry.

Book museum admission in advance and decide whether you want a paid experience before travelling. One gallery and a snack break can be a perfectly good visit; there is no prize for seeing the whole building.

London Transport Museum: a birthday for the Piccadilly line

October half-term activities at London Transport Museum celebrate the Piccadilly line’s 120th anniversary, with a programme running 24 October–1 November 2026.

From 24–27 October, there are activities for under-fives and a train-design craft for children aged five and up. The programme changes from 28 October, so choose the date as well as the destination. The museum’s historic vehicles and transport displays give train-loving children plenty to talk about between activities.

The half-term activities are included with admission. Children aged seventeen and under go free, but most accompanying adults need a paid Annual Pass. The ticket page also requires a timed entry booking, so don’t mistake “kids go free” for a completely free family outing.

Young V&A: Wallace & Gromit

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends goes behind the scenes of stop-motion animation at Young V&A in Bethnal Green. It runs until 15 November 2026, making it a lovely starting point for children who want to see how clay characters become films. The exhibition requires a paid pass, with advance booking recommended.

On 29 and 30 October 2026, Young V&A is open only for the Aardman exhibition and pre-booked half-term events. Its free general galleries are not open on those dates.

If you’re planning a free museum visit rather than the exhibition, choose another day and check the museum’s visitor information. Aardman fans could follow the outing with their own tiny animation project at home.

Out and about: indoor ideas in the north of England

Manchester: aliens and animation at the Science and Industry Museum

The Science and Industry Museum’s free half-term programme runs 24 October–1 November 2026, with alien-making, spacecraft-building and family-friendly science-fiction screenings.

Children aged seven and up can try a stop-motion animation activity, although places are limited. The museum also has separately ticketed experiences, including Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos and Power Up, so keep those distinct from the free programme when planning the budget.

For a wet day, build the visit around the indoor activities rather than the monster installation in the Upper Yard. There are tram service restrictions during half term, flagged on the event page, so check your route before setting off.

Bradford: Shaun the Sheep’s Mossy Bottom Laboratory

The National Science and Media Museum’s Mossy Bottom Laboratory runs 24 October–1 November 2026. Its free programme includes a short family science show, a museum trail and animation activities recommended for ages six and up.

This is an especially good match for a child who enjoys making stories or finding out how films work. There are toys and books for younger children in the animation activity space too. Cinema screenings have their own ticket arrangements, so don’t assume everything listed on the programme is free.

Some activities include spooky creatures and special-effects references to injuries. A sensitive child may prefer the science show, whose access information says there are no loud, unexpected noises or flashing lights. Use the individual activity descriptions to choose the right mix.

Halifax: witchcraft and wizardry at Eureka!

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum has an October programme running 24 October–1 November 2026, alongside its hands-on galleries.

On 26–30 October, the Eureka! School of Witchcraft & Wizardry offers an immersive drop-in experience with costumed characters and interactive challenges. It gives children a little story to step into, rather than making the day depend on sitting still for a performance.

This is a paid museum outing, so book the Halifax venue and check the admission arrangements for your group. Eureka! also has a separate Wirral site: make sure the booking matches the place you intend to visit.

Liverpool: fish, dinosaurs and a shorter museum mission

World Museum is a useful year-round indoor option, with an aquarium, natural-history displays and a planetarium. For this half term, it lists daily opening 10am–5pm until 1 November, including the Monday.

Let the children choose a mission before going in: find a favourite sea creature, pick the strangest dinosaur or choose an object to sketch. It makes a big museum feel more manageable and leaves something for another visit.

General museum admission is free, while some experiences have separate booking or ticket requirements. Check the planetarium programme if that’s the main attraction rather than promising a particular show before you arrive.

Newcastle: a ship indoors at Discovery Museum

Discovery Museum is a year-round rainy-day choice with free general entry and no booking required. Start with Turbinia, the steam-powered ship at the heart of the museum, then explore the stories of Newcastle and Tyneside.

It suits a day when you want a destination without committing to a timed performance. Choose one or two things to investigate and let the children lead the route. The building remains open during roof-restoration work; use the museum’s visitor information for any access updates and check separate booking requirements for special activities.

Keep a little room in the plan

A timed activity can be an anchor for the day, not a reason to fill the hours around it. Check whether a ticket covers the museum, the exhibition or just one session, and leave time to get coats off and everyone settled.

A good half term doesn’t need a big day out every day, especially when the forecast has other plans!