Preschool Activities to Go Along with Rain

Rainy Day Snack

• Before class, pour liquid blue gelatin into clear plastic cups. Let the gelatin set up, then begin to make an umbrella to put into each gelatin cup. Cut oranges in half. Put the handle end of a plastic spoon into the center of the fleshy part of the orange to look like an umbrella with a handle. Push the spoon into the gelatin cup.

Rain Songs

• Sing some songs about rain or a rainy day with the preschoolers. Use familiar songs or make one up using a familiar tune. An example is:

  (Sing to tune of "Bingo")

  We wanted to go out and play,

  but it was a rainy day.

  Rainy, rainy day,

  Rainy, rainy day,

  Rainy, rainy day,

  It was a rainy day.

  Mommy gave me some new things

  A raincoat and umbrella.

  Raincoat and umbrella,

  Raincoat and umbrella,

  Raincoat and umbrella,

  Then I went out to play.

Creative Collage

• Challenge preschoolers to create a collage of things they think about with the theme rain. Provide a piece of butcher paper for each preschooler. Have them use the uncoated side of the paper to create their picture collage. Offer spray bottles of blue water color paint, glue, pieces of yarn for worms and grass, plastic flowers, gray felt pieces for storm clouds and foil for lightning. Let the children create the picture the way they want.

Puddle-Jump Game

• Place some hula hoops on the floor in a spacious play area and tell the children these are rain puddles. Tap a wooden spoon on the bottom of a pan or a cardboard box and tell the children this sound is thunder. Have the children dance around the room, avoiding the hula hoops, as though it were a sunny day. When they hear the "thunder" noise, they should hop into a hula hoop puddle. Continue the game as long as time allows. Let children take turns making the thunder, if desired.

Who Needs an Umbrella

• Help preschoolers discover which animals and creatures would not like to get wet. Tape an umbrella picture onto the side of one shoebox and a rain puddle onto another shoebox. Provide small pictures of worms, frogs, ducks, fish, dogs, cats, cows, horses and other creatures. Put the pictures into a bag. Have the children take turns taking out a picture and determining whether it would like the rain or not. Have them place the picture into the box with the umbrella if they feel the creature would not like to be in the rain, or in the puddle if they think it would like the rain.