Fun in the Rain!!
Don't be sad, don't look outside and wince when you see the rain! Head outside and play! As long as there is no thunder and lightning, don't let kids stay cooped up in the house during a downpour. They can toss on raincoats, hats, and boots for easy outdoor activities for kids (and grownups!) They'll be surprised how different the world is when the raining is pouring down!
As parents, we usually discourage kids from jumping in puddles for so many 'grown up' reasons, so kidlets will be surprised and excited when you start a carefree splash contest! Gear up in raincoats and gumboots to head outside and stomp through pools of water! See who can create the biggest splash of water!
There is little to no excuse for not playing in the rain. Whether you are in the cold rain of Spring or the warm rain of summer, we’ve put together a great list of ideas for having fun on a rainy day!
1: Smell the rain
Once you're outside splashing through the rain, take a big whiff of the air. Do you notice a difference in the smell of rainy-day air?
2: Bugz Abound
Look around, and see if you can spot any animals or insects that you don't normally see when the sun is out. Watch your step. Chances are you'll see plenty of earthworms wiggling about in the rain.
4: Look at the trees to see how they handle the rain. Some leaves are made so that the rain glides off them. Check to see what else you can discover around your house that looks different in the rain than when the sun is out.
5: Colour Yourselves
Put on bathing suits and then colour all over yourselves with bathtub crayons or other washable colours (we recommend that whatever you use washes off easily). Draw silly faces on your stomachs or write funny messages. Go wild. Then get out in the rain and wash yourselves off. It's nature's shower! Ready for more? Dry off and start all over again.
6: Wet and Wild Relay Race
Don't let a little drizzle keep the kids cooped up. Use waterproof toys to create the ultimate obstacle course for a fun family race. Split into teams (so what, if there's only two of you — compete against each other) and take turns kicking a beach ball around cones, hula hooping, spinning in circles while resting your forehead on a plastic bat, and competing in a water- balloon toss. In this race, laughing at the goofy challenges is more important than rewarding a winner.
7: Document the Day
Give your young photographers disposable waterproof cameras so they can capture the stormy weather on film. Spring showers provide a perfect opportunity to capture rare images of water droplets, colourful cloud formations, reflections in puddles, and beautiful rainbows. Shoot away, then drop off the cameras at a same-day photo processing centre and send your shutterbugs home with the prints for lasting memories.
8: Camp Out
Pitch a tent in your backyard when the clouds start to gather. You'll stay nice and dry when the rain starts, but the change in scenery will make it feel like an adventure, brightening up a dreary day. Once inside, enjoy the soothing rhythm of the raindrops hitting the tent as you tell ghost stories and create flashlight shapes on the walls. Or play a board game until the rain lets up.
9: Make Like Gene Kelly
Leave the great indoors for an invigorating walk around the block. To keep spirits high, sing classic wet-weather songs like "Singing in the Rain," "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," "It's Raining, It's Pouring," and "Rain, Rain, Go Away." Your family's song styling’s may even bring a smile to a waterlogged neighbour’s face.
10. Go to a pond and feed the ducks
11. Listen to the sound of the rain on your rooftop
12. Play soccer or baseball in the rain –slide tackles!
13. Play twister (indoors or outdoors)
14. Make a mud pie
15. Catch rain in a cup
16. Walk to the library with a bright coloured umbrella
17. Twirl around a lamp pole and sing “Raindrops keep falling on my Head”
18. Sail a boat in a puddle
19. Draw a picture on the sidewalk in chalk and watch the rain wash it away
20. Build a shelter for a squirrel
21. Plant spring bulbs
22. Set out a bird bath
23. Put out a rainbarrel
24. Drop food colouring in a puddle and stir it with a stick
25. Take photos of the rain
26. Build a water theme park for your “Littlest Petshops” or other small figures
27. Ride your bike through mud puddles
28. Wash your bike with soap and water
29. Wash the family car (mum and dad will be happy!!)
30. Create a watercolour painting
31. Build a rain shelter fort in the yard
32. Sing “Rain, Rain Go Away”
33. Drink a big mug of warm hot cocoa
34. Dig for worms then…
35. Go fishing – everyone knows they bite better when it’s raining!
36. Catch frogs – if you can!
37. Play “Rain Tag”
38. Tilt your head to the sky and let the raindrops fill your face with “tears”
39. Have a waterballoon war – who cares if you get hit – because you’re already wet!!!
40. Bring out the slip and slide
41. Skip stones in a pond
42. Build a bug shelter to protect them from the rain.
43. Put a leaf in a stream and see where it goes
44. Do a rain dance
45. Look for rainbows – when you find one follow the rainbow to the end to find a pot of gold!
46. Play basketball – extra points for dribbling through puddles
47. Sit near a window and watch the rain fall on it
48. Put a few drops of food colouring on a paper plate and let the rain fall on it – you’ll love the effect!
49. Slide in the grass and see who has the biggest grass stain!
