Rainy day play

No one can resist jumping into a great, big puddle. Little children love getting wet so the next time it rains, why not make it memorable for them? Playing in the rain is good fun but it can also be a great way for children to learn about nature and the world around them.

If you’re lucky enough to have rain, make the most of a wet day. Rain provides endless opportunities for children to explore. You might like to take your child on a nature walk in the rain and talk about all the things that you can see.  You could ask questions like: “I wonder where the butterflies go when it rains?” You could even introduce and talk about new words like drizzle, weather forecast, soaking or even humid.

When helping your child get dressed on a rainy day you might like to talk about clothes that people wear in the rain, like gumboots, a raincoat or an umbrella.

Here are some rainy-day play ideas:

• If you’re brave enough, get muddy; you might like to help your little person make mud pies.
• Talk about the texture of the mud, what does it feel like, is it hot or is it cold?
• Find sticks and leaves and see if they’ll float or sink in the puddles or gutters.
• Sing songs like: Row, Row, Row Your Boat or It’s Raining it’s Pouring.
• Look or listen for animals that might appear in the rain, like frogs.
• Search for a rainbow and talk about the colours.
• Jump and splash in the puddles.
• Draw in the mud.

Even if you don’t have rain and have water to spare, making your own mud is also a brilliant way to get fingers and toes into some gooey squishiness and see where your child’s imagination takes them.

If the weather is too wild to go outside, why not try these books about rainy days:

• Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein
• Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough
• Muddle and Mo’s Rainy Day by Nikki Slade Robinson
• This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson
• Big Fella Rain by Beryl Webber
• I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian