It’s all well and good wanting to play outside but what about when it just keeps on raining and raining and raining? Here’s a list of ideas for playing out in the rain in the winter.
1. Make muddy footprints
Get a lot of paper and lay it on the floor by the door. Get your wellies on and run around somewhere muddy. Come back in and make beautiful footprints!
Plus side, it also teaches kids about what muddy boots do to the floor!
2. Catch raindrops on a string
Put a string up in the garden and see if you can catch raindrops on it. Then you can twang them off!
It’s easy if you find the right place. B did this one so it caught the drops falling off the top bit of the chair. We tried to do it on the hedge after but that was a lot harder.
If you have a washing line up it’ll probably do it for you.
3. Negotiating the weather
Getting caught out in the rain can be fun if you’re focusing on it. Can you find somewhere to shelter? Can you get home before it pours? How dark is the sky looking? Will there be lightning and how will that change things?
Things to do when you’re sheltering under a tree… see if you can spot a bird (and what’s it doing?); what’s the coolest thing you can find?; can you make something out of what’s around you?
4. Spotting rainbows
The best rainbow days are when there’s sun as well as rain and they crop up in the most unusual places. Our best one (spotted by B) was in the middle of a cloud. They can be great for car journeys.
Who can see a rainbow first? Who can see the best rainbow? You could even try and get to the bottom of it, though it might elude you.
5. Sit in a tree and watch the world go by
Presuming you’ve got a lot of waterproofs on, rain is actually not the worst time for a spot of tree climbing. It might be a bit slippy but it’s more sheltered and there’s a joy to sitting in a tree and watching everyone else pass by, unaware you’re there.
6. Finding the biggest puddle
The joys of puddles… useful in so many places so long as you’ve got wellies on!
When you’ve finished splashing in them, see if you can find the biggest, the deepest, the smallest and the funniest. If you want to be scientific you could look for a stick to measure them with. Or just use your feet.
7. Listening to the rain
Listening to the rain pattering outside. What rhythm’s can you hear? Do they change?
We recorded the rain at different times and then made a rain music recording. Velux windows, cars and sheds all good places for really hearing it clatter.
For more rainy ideas check out 10 ways to play outside in the natural world in January for the joys of playing in and with gutters.
