On a rainy day, it’s great fun to play imaginative games and art and craft activities. Here are a few suggestions to keep you occupied while the clouds clear.
Create a Weather Chart
Creating a weather chart is both fun and educational for your kids. All you need is a large sheet of paper, a ruler, some colouring pens, and a measuring jug. If you leave your jug outside, you can measure the rainfall over the last 24 hours. This allows your child to practice their measuring skills and to really see the difference between days. If you have a thermometer, you can use this to take a measurement of the temperature. I’d recommend doing this roughly at the same time everyday – this way, you can see the change over time! Otherwise, you can use an online weather forecast that will give you the temperature for the day. To make your chart, split the paper into columns with the date in one set of columns and the weather in the other. In the weather column, your child can draw or write what the weather was like for that date.
Make a Rain Shaker
Making a rain shaker is always a fun activity – but it is particularly fun when it is pouring outside! For this activity you will need an old toilet roll or kitchen roll tube; dried lentils, peas or rice; paint or pens; thick paper; scissors; and tape (preferably masking tape). Trace the end of your tube on the paper and cut out two circles that are just bigger than this. Use the tape to stick one circle to one end of your tube and place it down on the table with the open end pointing up. Pour a couple of spoonfuls of lentils, peas or rice into your tube – you don’t want it too full, as then they will not be able to flow up and down the tube to make a noise. If you have the time and dexterity you can line your tube with tin foil to make the sound even more like rain. Once you’ve put in your lentils, cover the other end of your tube. Now you have the basis of your rain shaker, and all you have left to do is decorate it! This activity really lets your child have fun and get creative. It is also a great accessory to the next activity…
Invent a Sun Dance
…inventing a sun dance! So, usually people talk about doing a ‘rain dance’, but since we are looking for rainy day activities, this is a great variation. What kind of dance can you do to try to encourage the sun to come out? You can do this activity to a pop song, nursery rhyme, or just to a rhythm (if you have had the time to make a rain shaker, then you can use that). This activity cannot really be taught as it is all about using your imagination to use up some of that energy that cannot be worn off outside. Good things to get your child thinking about are what the sun does when it shines, what rain looks like, and how they feel when it is sunny or rainy.
Finally, everyone knows that after the rain, you get a rainbow. This activity is very simple, and it requires skills similar to those needed for the game ‘I Spy’. It is particularly fun for younger kids. For each colour of the rainbow, you have to find objects around the house with that colour. If you have a particularly colourful household, you can restrict the hunt to one room or get an object from every room in that colour. You will be surprised how hard it can be to find all the colours!