Rainy Day Active Play Ideas

No shoes, no problem! It’s summertime. It’s wet and warm outside and water play comes naturally to young children. And don’t hesitate to join in too. As long as there is no lightning or thunder, being outside is a joyful experience! “Get your feet wet” with some of these rainy day active play ideas.

1. Splash and jump in puddles. Ask the children, “How many puddles did you find to jump in?

2. Blow bubbles in the rain. Challenge the children to pop them using sand blocks or to catch them with a chopstick.

3. Run and find a rainbow. If it’s a sunny rainy day, chances are that you just might spot a rainbow or two. Encourage the children to run to it and try to find the legendary “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow. If no rainbow in sight, let children run with their own Rainbow Dancing Wrist Band in hand.

4. Colorful rain dance. Allow children to paint an arm or leg with Colorations® Simply Washable Tempera paint or even draw a silly face on their stomach. Now it’s time to get out in the rain and “dance, dance, dance” until the color washes away.

5. Nature walk and insect and crawly critter hunt. Some bugs become active when it rains. Bring along a magnifying glass to look along sidewalks, in the grasses, or under rocks and pieces of wood to find worms, beetles, slugs, snails, roly-polies, ants.

6. Wet and Wild Obstacle Course. Kick a ball around cones, walk the river logs (Step-A-Logs Balance Beam), jump the river (two jump ropes laid on the ground in a V-shape), toss soggy foam balls into a bucket, and go mountain climbing in the rain (Cones and Poles -- thread a pole horizontally through medium or high level holes in two cones to make a crossbar (mountain) for climbing (stepping over).

Jump, run, walk, kick, dance, toss, throw are all active verbs that encourage active play.

Head outside and have some rainy day fun!

Round, Round, Round, Round...I Run Around

A ball is round and invites play with a partner or a group of friends. Let’s go outside, and play an active game that combines kicking a ball, as in soccer, and running around bases, as in baseball. No wonder kickball is sometimes called soccer-baseball.

Kickball for Little Kids

There are no outs or fouls in this preschool friendly game, just a lot of kicking and running.

Materials Needed:
Rubber playground ball
3 Bases and 1 Home Plate
10 Colored Cones

Set Up:
• Playing field - grass, dirt, asphalt or cement
• Place bases and home plate in the same general arrangement as you would a baseball diamond but make the base paths much closer to each other (i.e., 20 feet apart)
• 2 or more adults/play leaders
Let’s Get Started:
1. Gather children and have them watch and listen as directions of how to play are demonstrated.
2. An adult/play leader places the ball on home plate.
3. One child stands or approaches and kicks the ball as hard as he/she can.
4. Children who are not “kickers” can position themselves near the basesto catch the ball that is kicked into the playing field,
5. The “kicker” runs around the bases and returns to home plate.
6. The game continues until every child has had a turn or “runs out of breath.”
7. Every child is a winner when they cross home plate! Be assured that they will want to kick the ball and run the bases again and again. This is play with a purpose and promotes coordination and lots of vigorous physical activity!

Furthermore:
• As children become more skillful, the adult/play leader can roll the ball to the child at home plate and the child stands and kicks the ball that is rolled at them.

Recommended Products:
SETC - Colored Cones
BASES - Indoor/Outdoor Bases
PGSET - Playground Balls
KICKBALL - Kickball for all Ages
BALLKIT - Ultimate Ball Kit

Animal Moves

Adapted from TeacherQuickSource, this activity is a great one for helping young children work on gross motor skills and to get them up and moving. This activity can be done indoors or outside, and is great for any size group. "Animals" can be big, small, real and imaginary. They can go on a parade, have a dance or take a wild romp through "the wilderness." The creative possibilities with this activity are as large as the animal kingdom itself!

Goal: To introduce or enhance balance and control during locomotor activities.

Materials needed: Pictures, drawings or video of animals

Let's Get Started:

1. Show the children one of the animal pictures.

2. Discuss the sounds and movements of that animal.

3. Have the children move around the space pretending to be that animal.

4. Repeat the activity with a different animal.

Summer Brings...

Summer Brings...

Picnics and watermelon,
Bike rides and ice cream,
Friends and family,
Camping and s’mores,
Swinging and cool breezes,
Swimming and fishing,
Bugs and butterflies,
Summer fairs and carnivals,
Sunshine and gardens,
Birds and beaches,
Sand and water,
AND PLAYING OUTDOORS!

I do hope you and the kids are going outside as much as you can... If even only on the playground or in the backyard. Field trips and neighborhood walks can be difficult to conduct these days, but that doesn’t mean that you and the children can’t have lots and lots and lots of outdoor play. Did I say LOTS?! Open the door and explore outdoors. Nature abounds even on asphalt playgrounds.

Bikes, trikes and wheel toys promote gross motor development and lots of dramatic play. Just listen to the cyclists as they speed around on the bike path. Using some props, set up a gas station, car wash, or service station. Socialization, language development as well as physical activity are many of the benefits.

Want more ideas for dramatic play that can take place outdoors?

• Have a pretend snack or lunch outside, picnic style. Make a “Picnic Prop Box” that includes a blanket, plastic food and dishes.


• Camping is an all-time favorite activity in the summer. Pretend with a small tent, rest mat, firewood, metal dishes. Don’t forget the fishing pole!


• Make available to your "junior rangers" or "nature detectives" magnifying glasses, binoculars, shovels, nets, observation boxes for found ants, bugs and butterflies. Collect leaves and rocks and provide containers (i.e., empty egg cartons) for them to sort, count and explore their treasures.

Gardening can also be a fun summer activity for kids. No space for a garden? Did you know you can plant seeds and grow vegetables in old tires, in giant pots, window boxes or a raised garden bed? Raised garden beds can help protect young or more fragile plants from active preschooler play. Choose plants and veggies for species diversity, various colors, different heights, textures and fragrances. Have the kids help plant and care for them. Or, you may want to purchase a simple greenhouse. Greenhouses provide a great opportunity for children to grow their own food and work with plants throughout the year.

Can’t get to the beach? Turn on the garden sprinkler or fill up the wading pools. Set up the sand and water table to include items to enhance digging, pouring, constructing, and dramatic play with sand and water. Kids love to explore sand and water with funnels, sifters, pails, molds, shovels, rakes, scoops, spoons, cups and saucers, sand wheels, trucks, plastic animals and even craft sticks. Children may want to add natural objects such as shells, sticks, stones or leaves. Fill your sensory table with only water and children will want to make bubbles, wash dishes or give the baby doll a bath.

Fresh air, open spaces and a little imagination and creativity... That's all it takes to make time each day to be outdoors with the children, exploring, making discoveries and appreciating nature this summer season.