Fun things to do in the rain

Isn’t the weather a bit crazy at the moment? One minute we have glorious sunshine , the kids are playing in the garden with their pools and trampolines. The next it’s absolutely pouring down with rain and we are debating whacking the heating on! I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite things to do on rainy days.

Thunderstorms are fun!

One of my favourite things to do when there’s a thunderstorm is to whack the kids coats and shoes on . Take them outside and literally dance and splash about in the puddles. I’m 99.9% sure my neighbours all think I’m a little bit crazy but I can assure you that I’m having the best time.

Last week it was baking hot to the point no-one could breath properly and everyone was just so sticky. I have an app on my phone that detects lightening. Watching it make its way up the UK towards us, I took the decision to keep the kids up a little bit longer. There was method in my madness. It was so warm they struggled to sleep. By getting them out in the storm it gave them the perfect opportunity to cool down a little bit. Meaning a more settled night for me!

Puddle jumping

Now I’m not sure if there is an age restriction on this, But everyone loves a good splash about don’t they? I’m one of those people who don’t make sure everyone is fully kitted with wellies, coats, hats etc. Instead it’s a case of “ahh lets go outside anyway, things will wash! We can’t be taking up valuable splashing time with faffing about can we?

Build a tent!

Is there a more amazing sound than rain hitting the roof of a tent? It’s so relaxing! Imagine the fun of trying to build a tent in the rain then climbing inside it. Snuggled up with some pillows and quilts just listening to the rain hitting the top. It also makes a pretty awesome canvas for raindrop races.

What’s a raindrop race? I hear you cry!

Everybody picks a rain drop. It can be on a window, a door, a leaf. Anywhere you wish and then you watch to see whos raindrop races to the ground first. It doesn’t sound overly thrilling but trust me little ones absolutely love the excitement of seeing if their raindrop will win!

Arts and crafts

Who is to say that you can only paint or draw a picture in the sunshine huh? A really awesome thing to show the kids is to paint a series of colours or patterns then take it outside in the rain. You can watch as the ink runs smudging the picture and making it merge into more pretty patterns. There is of course stuff you can do inside that can be both educational and fun. Get them to sit at the window and draw what they can see outside. Ask them to describe it and help them by teaching them different describing words. For example they could say ” WOW look at that raindrop” You could then ask them what other ways they could describe it, is it big or small? Does it drip down fast or slow? Kids are absolute sponges when they’re engaged in activities. Most of the time not even aware they’re learning.

Go to the park!

Swings and slides aren’t just for sunny days you know! One day I had promising the kids a trip to the park after lunchtime to meet friends. Then the heavens opened and their little faces just looked disappointed so I thought, Why not take them, it’s only rain. There is no exaggeration when I say they had the BEST time at the park ever. Even the older ones joined in too! Apparently they aren’t too cool for parks in the rain 😉

Make mud angels!

Yes, you read it right! Snow angels are a thing so why can’t mud angels be them too? Whack the kids in some old clothes, find a muddy patch and watch them as they swirl around making their very own special mud angels. I’m not going to lie to you, there will be lots of washing but how cool would it be to go outside, make a mud angel then finish the fun off with a nice warm bath and a hot chocolate? You can thank me later ( for the fun I mean not the washing)

Help the worms come out to play

When I was a kid I remember if you tapped the ground the worms would come out to play. I vaguely remember someone saying it’s because they think it’s the rain. Why not jump and stomp around on the grass and see if you can get any worms to come and join you? Pre-school children can also learn by counting how many worms they find. How many times they jump etc?

Create mud art

The great thing about kids is that their imaginations are incredible. You’d be surprised what they will come up with if you send them to a pile of wet mud and ask them to create you something. Before you know it you’ll have a 4 course meal in front of you all made out of the most delicious mud! If you’re really ahead of the game you could get them a mud kitchen so that they can really experiment ( and keep your garden relatively clean at the same time)

These are just a few little ideas that might help you with the cries of “I’m bored!!”
Thanks for reading 🙂