This song presents an opportunity to allow children to enjoy the rain up close. Dress children in rain gear such as raincoats, hats and boots. If possible, make sure that each child has an umbrella. Take the children outside and allow the children to take turns in the "spotlight." Each child should have a chance to sing, twirl his umbrella, splash in puddles and create his own unique rain celebration when it's his turn. This simple activity teaches children that each day can be enjoyable, rain or shine.
This popular rain song can be used with word activities because the words aren't very long or difficult. Children can use worksheets to fill in the missing words from the song or cut the words out in flashcard form and build the entire poem while singing the song to themselves. The former activity works best in small groups so the children learn to help one another and work through mistakes.
"Rain, Rain, Go Away" has always been used as a chant for children stuck indoors during inclement weather. It can also be used as an imaginative tool to get children to create an art piece about what they would do outside if it were not raining. Provide colorful paper, pencils, markers, crayons, paints and various art supplies. Ask the children to create a story, using pictures, about an awesome outdoor activity they would do if the rain were to "never go away" and it were the last sunny day on Earth. Encourage the children to think big and let their imaginations take them to new places.
Use this rain song to create a movement activity for children both indoors and outdoors. Have the children make a circle using their chairs; the chairs should face outward in musical chairs fashion. Choose one child to be the snoring old man who stands in the middle of the circle holding on to the back of one chair. The children will walk around the circle singing the song "It's Raining, It's Pouring." When the song is finished, the children all sit in the first available chair. The child who sits in the chair the snoring old man is holding is out. That child must take his chair and leave the circle. Repeat until one child is left.