Rain can be a real nuisance! Especially if you have planned a day outside with the kids. But all is not lost! You can turn a rainy day into a fun experience for them as well! So let’s look at 10 fun outdoor activities to play with kids in the rain.
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Table of Contents
What benefits can playing in the rain have on kids?
Playing out in the rain can be very beneficial for your child’s mental and physical wellbeing, by building up their immune system, and it has sensory benefits and a handful of other bonuses. So let’s take a quick look at how playing out in the rain is excellent for the kids.
Enhance kids’ immune system
Bacteria is good! Let me explain. Using an old expression, kids are more likely to get sick if they are wrapped up in cotton wool. This is because if your child’s body has not been exposed to much bacteria, then when they do get exposed to bacteria, they will get sick as their body hasn’t picked up much of a resistance to various germs.
By allowing your kids to play out in the rain, their bodies will get used to all the different germs they encounter. Dirt, rainwater, and mud all help to boost a child’s immune system, so they are less likely to fall ill as often as a child hidden from the outside world during a rainy day. So get those welly boots on and get out there!
Boost sensory awareness
Allowing children to explore new environments helps to boost their sensory awareness. The smell, the feel of the rain in their hands, and the sound it makes when hitting various surfaces. All of these things are crucial for healthy development in kids.
Explore creativity
Most kids have an incredible imagination which allows them to be transported into fiction worlds created entirely in their minds. By encouraging your kids to play out in the rain, you give them a new world to create, explore, and use their imagination.
Challenge Physical Skills
With rain comes new terrain! Things are slippery, wet, and muddy. This is an excellent environment for kids as they will learn so much so fast. For example, you only learn something is slippery when you slip on that slippery surface! So, let them go out, slip, slide, and climb! They may gain a bruise or two along the way, but that’s how they learn.
What about the parents?
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Now that we have looked at the effects of the rain on our children. Let’s look at ourselves as parents. It’s very easy to become boring as we age. We go from playing in a playground with our friends to complaining about back pain and sleep quality within a few decades. Why don’t we just let go of our old boring selves for a while and dive back into our childish ways?
If that little speech didn’t convince you to play with your kids in the rain, how about these benefits below? Do these help to change your mind?
Creating memories
You won’t be around forever. I know that’s a bit of a gloomy statement in the middle of a positive article, but it’s true. So it’s important to make the most of things. That includes creating wonderful memories for your kids to talk about for years. Not to mention just how fun it is to create those memories too!
Keeping in shape
As we age, it becomes more difficult to stay in shape, and it becomes far too easy to pick up a lazy lifestyle. But we need to shake that attitude off and do our best to stay in shape. That doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym for hardcore workout sessions, and just spending an hour or two chasing the kids around the yard will do the trick!
Releasing the inner child
Deep down, we all have that inner child. Some people show it better than others. But whether you have a little dance when you are alone, or you have a little sing-song to yourself. We all have these wonderful little childlike moments. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have more of those? Well, we can!
We can release that inner child by playing outside with the kids in the rain. We can slide down muddy hills, splash around in puddles, skim stones across the water, and more. So, what are you waiting for? Get your shoes on and go and play with the kids in the rain! If you still need a little more convincing, then check out this article about the importance of releasing that inner child.
10 Fun activities to do in the rain with your kids
Now that we have gotten through the benefits and reasons to get your kids playing out in the rain. Let’s get into the fun stuff! Here are 10-fun activities to do with your kids out in the rain. Enjoy!
1) Puddle jumping
Starting off this list, we have a classic! Puddle jumping is a whole lot of fun for kids. It’s crazy simple, and you only need a pair of welly boots! There are many different puddle jumping games that you can play. Let’s take a look at some now:
Avoiding the puddles
If it’s particularly rainy, there will be puddles everywhere. So, challenge the kids to avoid all the puddles. Mark out a start line and a finish line, then take turns to avoid the puddles and see who can make it to the finish line the fastest!
Largest splash
The largest splash is pretty self-explanatory! Get yourself a tape measure or some other form of measuring distance and take turns jumping into puddles with all your might to see who can create the largest splash.
Splash race
Saving the best for last, we have the splash race! This is heaps of fun. Make a start line and a finish line and get everyone to line up. Then you all make your way toward the finish line, and the only catch is that you MUST jump in each puddle between the start and the finish. So, no matter who wins, everyone gets wet!
2) Mud sliding
Mud sliding is one of my all-time favorites. Just a little word of advice. Don’t wear clothes that you care too much about! So, get you, and the kids dressed up in old clothes and head out in the rain to the nearest hill. Don’t choose a massive hill! Choose one that’s appropriate for your kid’s age range.
Once you have your target hill in mind, then the fun can begin! Take turns sliding down the wet, muddy hill and see who can slide the fastest. I’d also advise bringing a camera, as you are almost guaranteed to snap a few hilarious picks along the way!
3) Take bath toys outside
This one is fairly simple, so you don’t have to get covered in mud! Bring out bath toys if you are lucky enough to have a yard. Bring out a bucket or two as well. Let the buckets fill with water and play with the bath toys out in the garden. If you have particularly large puddles, you can play with the kids by sailing their bath toys along the tops of various puddles. You’ll have a blast!
4) Pitch a tent and camp in the garden
There are a couple of different ways of doing this one, but whatever way you choose, it’s almost guaranteed to end with smiles on everyone’s face. Before breaking down the different ways of doing this, you may need to own a tent!
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Nature’s tent
If you are fortunate enough to live near a place with many trees and shrubs, creating a nature tent is a great way to play with kids in the rain. A nature tent is exactly what you think it is! It’s a tent built out of materials found in nature. Get the kids to gather any fallen branches and anything else they think may be useful. Then guide the kids and help them build their own nature tent, just make sure to take plenty of pictures! Here’s a more in-depth guide for building a nature tent.
Camping in the rain
This is only to play in your backyard, actual camping with tent in the rain is not fun at all.
First of all, get the kids to help you and set up a tent. Then, when the rain comes down, you can all dive into the tent, bring a bunch of snacks, sit back, and relax, listening to the raindrops hitting the tent. The kids will have fun watching the raindrops race down the outside of the tent. Maybe do this later in the evening, and then you can bring a torch and share some scary stories with the kids. Just don’t make the story too scary unless you don’t want your kids to sleep that night!
5) Water fight
I know, what’s the point of a water fight in the rain? Well, the point is, there is no point! Everyone’s already wet. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a blast! Load up your super soakers and play kids v parents and unleash hell! The excitement the kids feel as they try to get you with their water guns is something they will remember for a long time.
It doesn’t have to be kids v parents, and you can play a whole host of battle games. Free for all, capture the flag, hostage rescue. Your imagination only limits you, so get creative.
6) Skimming rocks
Skimming rocks is an art form! It’s easy to learn but difficult to master. So grab the kids, throw on the rain gear, and head down to the nearest lake. When you arrive, get everybody to go on the hunt for the flattest rocks you can find. Then once you have your ‘ammo,’ take turns and see who can skim a rock the furthest, or maybe see who can create the most bounces with a single rock. The kids will love it! Here’s a little cheat sheet for rock skimming, shhh! Don’t tell the kids!
7) Make your own boats
This one is great because not only is it fun, but it also teaches kids about science! Grab a variety of items you have lying around your house. Empty plastic bottles, plastic boxes, string, plastic sleeves, and anything else you can think of, and head on out with the kids. Find the biggest puddle and get the kids to build their own miniature boats to sail on the puddle. Make sure you build one too! Then compete to see whose boat is the best!
Doing this teaches kids about buoyancy, which is great! Just be sure that you take all of your bits and bobs back home with you afterward. Nobody likes a litterbug!
8) Bucket and spade
This one is aimed more toward toddlers. It’s incredibly simple. Let them dig! Let them explore; let them make mud pies or mud castles. This one ties in with helping build up a child’s immune system. Also, most toddlers will play for hours. Whether they are gathering stones in their bucket or filling said bucket with mud, it’s something that the little ones love doing. But don’t just supervise them. Join in and play with your toddler! It’s more fun than you might think. Just be sure to take a bath afterward!
9) Assault course
Another one of my personal favorites is building an assault course in the rain. Gather waterproof household items, check if you have footballs, cones, tennis rackets, and anything else you can think of that might be of use, and build yourselves an assault course. Then take it in turns and see who can run the course in the quickest time. If you aren’t sure how to create your course, check out some of these ideas.
10) A rain walk
We are rounding off this list with a peaceful one, and you are welcome! A nice stroll in the rain is a lot nicer than you might think. Put on your waterproof gear and head out into the great outdoors for a family walk.
Alternatively, this can also be used as a great way of calming kids down after playing some of the more physical activities on this list!
Maybe pack a magnifying glass and get the kids to hunt for bugs that only come out in the rain. Who knows, they may even discover a new species! I’m joking, of course, but it doesn’t hurt to imagine, does it?
Final Thoughts from Pragmatic Lifestyle
There is so much fun to be had when you play with kids in the rain. In this list, I covered 10, but there are a lot of other rainy day outdoor games to play. Just use your imagination.
One other thing, kids love spontaneity! So surprise them on a rainy day and make it a day to remember. If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy this one about outdoor gift ideas for kids.
About me
Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials and possibilities with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.
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