What to Do on Rainy Days…?

When the weather is rainy and unpleasant for us as

adults, it doesn't mean that our children feel that

way. Rain puddles have an almost compelling pull

for children. They love to jump in them, roll through

them on their bikes and trikes and feel the splash of

water on their legs.

1. Puddle jumping - As long as it is warm enough, I regularly encourage my

two-year-old granddaughter to put on her raincoat and boots and run outside

to jump in puddles while it is raining! She likes puddles after the rain too, but

her favorite is watching the rain fall into the puddles as she jumps off the front

steps into them! What a fun way to develop the gross motor skills of jumping

and stomping! Children also experience cause and effect and properties of

water through this simple activity.

2. Floating and Sinking - Use a puddle as a environmental water table. Let

your child discover properties of floating and sinking by experimenting with

different items found outside. Does a leaf float in the puddle? What about

grass or sticks? What about rocks?

This can lead to other investigations and questioning. Why do ripples form

when you drop a rock into a puddle? Children learn to make predictions and

discover strategies for answering their questions through this type of play.

3. Puddle Music - Rain has many different sounds. Listening to rain on the roof

and rain falling into a puddle are different experiences. A soft rain also sounds

different from a hard rain. Consider trying to replicate the sounds of rain using

different items. Maybe a pot or a wood block, a drum or a shaker? Consider

singing while playing in puddles. Songs can also lead to imaginative role

playing in the puddles and can be complete made up. Use a song like Twinkle,

Twinkle little Star and be turned into Falling Rain on to the roof. Just go with it!

4. Puddle Soup - Children use their environment to create play experiences

with very little assistance from adults. We just need to give them the

opportunities to explore and the independence to live out their ideas. Provide

some buckets and shovels or spoons to use in puddle play. Consider making

puddle soup. Add leaves and sticks, allowing your child to stir, scoop, measure

and serves his or her soup. It also helps to promote language, with children

describing the process and to discuss with you. Children practice building

vocabulary and confidence as well as self-regulation through imaginative play.

Puddle soup also can incorporate measuring and fine motor development

using measuring scoops and cups.

Puddles can provide endless fun and exploration. Put on your raincoat and

head outside with your child on the next rainy day, and when the sun

comes out, keep track of how long it takes for a puddle to evaporate! There

is always something new to learn when we play in nature.