It’s raining outside. The energy inside your house is building to dangerous levels. You’ve exhausted the coloring books, the tablets are dead, and if you hear the theme song to that one cartoon one more time, you might snap.

You need a rainy day hack for parents that is cheap, fast, and doesn’t involve scrubbing glitter out of the grout for the next six months.

Forget the toy aisle. Head to the garage (or the junk drawer) and grab that half-used roll of blue painter’s tape.

This isn’t just for edging baseboards. It is the ultimate weapon in your arsenal of cheap activity supplies. It’s low-tack (meaning it won’t ruin your floors or walls), it tears easily without scissors, and it transforms any room into an arena for low mess indoor fun.

Here are four ways to turn a $5 roll of tape into an afternoon of engagement.

The Golden Rule of Tape Games

Use PAINTER’S tape (blue or green), not masking tape or duct tape. Painter’s tape is designed to peel off cleanly after days. Masking tape shreds and leaves residue if left too long. Duct tape is forever. Choose wisely.

1. The Hallway “Laser” Maze

The Gist: Mission Impossible for toddlers. This is one of the best gross motor tape games for burning off physical energy in a small space.

The Setup: Find a narrow hallway. Zig-zag long strips of tape from one wall to the other at various heights—some low for crawling under, some high for stepping over.

How to Play: Challenge them to get from one end of the hallway to the other without touching the “laser beams.” If they touch the tape, they have to start over.

Pro Tip: For older kids, time them. For younger toddlers, just let them enjoy crawling through the sticky chaos.

2. The Indoor Interstate System

The Gist: The classic application. Turn your living room into a sprawling metropolis for toy cars.

The Setup: Use the tape to create a painters tape road network on your floor. Go down the hall, under the dining table, and over the couch cushions (it sticks to fabric, too).

How to Play: It’s an indoor race track diy project. Let them drive their Hot Wheels on the lines. You can add intersections, parking lots, and garages.

Pro Tip: This is great for independent play. Once the road is built, they can usually entertain themselves for a solid chunk of time.

3. The Sticky Spider Web

The Gist: A target practice game that won’t break a window.

The Setup: Find a doorway. Create a crisscross web pattern across the opening using the tape, but here’s the trick: make sure the sticky side is facing OUT (towards where the child will be standing).

How to Play: Give them a handful of cotton balls, crumpled-up paper, or light plastic balls. They have to throw them and try to get them to stick to the web.

Pro Tip: This is an oddly satisfying sticky spider web game that builds throwing accuracy. Count how many “flies” they caught in the web.

4. The “Don’t Fall Off” Balance Beam

The Gist: Simple floor marking games that test their balance.

The Setup: Clear a space on the floor. Put down a single, long, straight piece of tape.

How to Play: It’s a balance beam tape line. They have to walk heel-to-toe all the way across without stepping off the line.

Pro Tip: Too easy? Make the line curvy, zig-zagged, or broken up so they have to jump across gaps. You’ve just created a low-stakes tape obstacle course.

The Ultimate Low-Prep Tool

The beauty of masking tape games (using safe painter’s tape, of course) is the simplicity. You are turning the environment they see every day into something new.

When the rain stops and you peel the tape up, the mess is gone instantly.

If you love the idea of using simple household objects to create epic games, but hate the brainstorming part, let us help.

Download FunDad on the App Store. Our AI scans your room and suggests instant activities based on what you already have lying around.