10 Rainy Day Activities for Early Years to Keep Young Learners Engaged and Happy
Rainy days can be challenging in early years settings, but they also offer a fantastic opportunity for children to explore creative, sensory, and educational play indoors. Here are some exciting rainy day activities for early years that will keep young learners entertained and active and develop essential skills, all while staying cosy and dry.
Let’s dive into some engaging activities that transform any rainy day into a memorable one!
1. Indoor Obstacle Course
Creating an indoor obstacle course is a wonderful way to keep children active and burn off some energy indoors. Use soft materials like pillows, blankets, and foam mats to make a safe and fun path that children can navigate, crawl under, jump over, and balance on.
For more indoor physical activity ideas, BBC Tiny Happy People offers activities that help young children stay active and improve coordination skills.
2. Rainy Day Story Circle
Gather children for a cosy story circle, where they can listen to their favourite books or act out stories about rain, weather, or friendship. Stories like “The Rainbow Fish” or “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” work well to keep children engaged.
BookTrust provides a list of recommended books for early years, perfect for reading aloud on rainy days to promote language skills and imagination.
3. Friendship Bracelets and Crafts
Rainy days are perfect for friendship-themed crafts. Children can make bracelets, cards, or drawings for their friends. This activity encourages fine motor skills and creativity while also fostering social-emotional skills like kindness and sharing.
For more ideas on simple crafts that build social skills, Twinkl has a range of friendship-themed printable resources that are easy to set up and perfect for indoor play.
4. Indoor Nature Exploration
Just because you’re indoors doesn’t mean you can’t explore nature! Set up an indoor nature station with pinecones, stones, leaves, and other natural items. Children can examine these items with magnifying glasses, sort and categorise them, and even create small nature-inspired art projects.
For more ideas on bringing nature indoors, Nature Detectives by the Woodland Trust offers printable nature resources and activities for young children to explore and learn.
5. DIY Rain Shakers and Musical Fun
Create DIY rain shakers using recycled plastic bottles, rice, and dried beans. Children can make “rain” sounds, exploring different rhythms and volumes. This sensory activity not only entertains but also develops listening and motor skills.
Check out Early Years Alliance for more ideas on sensory and musical activities that can enhance early years development.
6. Puddle Painting with Watercolors
Even though it’s wet outside, children can enjoy “puddle painting” indoors by using watercolour paints to create abstract, rainy-day-inspired art. Let them experiment with mixing colours on wet paper, mimicking how rain would blend colours in a real puddle.
For more creative art ideas for young children, Learning and Exploring Through Play offers a variety of craft and art ideas that are perfect for early years.
7. Indoor Treasure Hunt
An indoor treasure hunt is a fantastic way to engage children in problem-solving and critical thinking. Hide small objects or “treasures” around the room and give children clues. This activity encourages exploration, listening skills, and a sense of adventure.
Education.com provides printable treasure hunt clues and activity ideas for early years, making setting up a scavenger hunt on a rainy day easy.
8. Sensory Bin Fun
Sensory bins are a staple in early years education and are perfect for rainy days. Fill a bin with rice, beans, sand, or water beads, and add small toys, scoops, or cups for children to explore textures and sounds. Sensory play is excellent for developing fine motor skills and calming busy minds.
For more sensory play ideas, Pocket of Preschool offers themed sensory bin ideas that are engaging and easy to set up.
9. Storytelling with Puppets
Use puppets or soft toys to bring stories to life. Children can take turns acting out parts of a story, creating their characters, or even creating new stories with their puppets. This activity promotes language development, creativity, and self-confidence.
To learn how to make DIY puppets with children, visit The Imagination Tree for instructions and inspiration for storytelling props.
10. Calming Yoga and Stretching
End a busy rainy day with calming yoga and stretching exercises. Simple yoga poses like “tree pose” or “butterfly pose” can help children relax and build body awareness. This activity is also great for developing balance, flexibility, and mindfulness.
For yoga poses suitable for early years, Cosmic Kids Yoga provides easy-to-follow and engaging child-friendly yoga videos.
Wrapping Up Rainy Day Fun!
Rainy days don’t have to mean a lull in learning and play. With these activities, children can stay engaged, active, and connected, building new skills and strengthening friendships indoors. Whether it’s through creative crafts, sensory bins, storytelling, or indoor exploration, these rainy-day activities turn a gloomy day into an opportunity for fun, discovery, and growth.
So the next time rain keeps you indoors, try these ideas and watch the children’s faces light up with excitement!
