Well hello there Autumn! With the rainy, gloomy, more stereotypical British weather creeping in, many of us - myself included - are looking forward to cosier days. Just imagine it now, you're curling up on the sofa, hot chocolate in hand, watching the autumn leaves falling and rain tapping on the window, children whining 'I'm bored!' in the background... Oops, time to snap out of that daydream! Rainy days for parents can be both a blessing and a curse, but when the rain kicks in and every day is rainy, it can be a little bit more difficult knowing how to entertain the children. So, here are some ideas to get you outside and having some fun in the rain!
Go for a Walk!
You don't HAVE to stay indoors just because it's raining! Now I know getting outside in the rain isn't for everyone, but for me, personally, I'm trying to raise children that get outside in any weather. Wildlings, if you like. After all, there's that saying - there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! So, why not grab your wellies, puddlesuits, coats and umbrellas and go for a rainy walk!? If your children are anything like mine they'll probably absolutely love walking in the rain - especially jumping in puddles... or muddy puddles for any Peppa Pig fans!
Go for a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts don't have to be for summer time only! Why not make a rainy day scavenger hunt and go exploring - you could look for puddles, rainbows, bugs hiding from the rain, someone with an umbrella, someone with a certain coloured coat etc. The options are endless - use your imagination!
Conker Collecting
Autumn is conker season! When you're out on your rainy day walks, have a look for conker trees - your best bet is likely to be woodland areas. If you do manage to find any conkers - bring them back home by the bucketful and create an Autumnal sensory play set up for the kids indoors - they'll love it, and it's so much more special when you've gone out and had fun actually finding the materials yourselves.
Mud Kitchen
If you have a garden, playing with mud is an absolute MUST. We have to let our children be children, right?! Mud kitchens are extremely popular - but if you don't have one in your garden then a couple of pots and pans or even just a plastic bowl will do just fine! Add some water, a few spoons, scoops and a trowel and encourage your child to dig up some mud! Let them get messy and see where their imagination takes them. Are they making mud soup? Mud pie? Mud cake? Or are they mixing a magical mud potion for the fairies?
Mud Painting
Another idea for mud... mud painting! This works particularly well if you have a patio - let your child paint on the patio tiles using mud! Grab a few thick, chunky paintbrushes, ask them to dig up a little bucket of mud and then 'paint to their hearts content on the wet patio tiles! It'll make an absolute mess, but the rain and a bit of sweeping will easily clean it away.
Chalk Drawing
If mud painting sounds a little bit TOO messy for you, let me introduce you to the more gentle alternative - chalk! Buy some of the jumbo pavement chalk (most supermarkets will get this in for Summer, so stock up when you can!) and let your child do chalk drawings on the patio or pavement in the rain. The wet ground makes the colours so vibrant, and the rain will wash the drawings away over time so clean up is minimal.
Painting on Windows
Here's a little fact that tends to be unknown about good old paint sticks - they can be used on glass! Yes, really! If you have patio doors that your child can safely access, then you can quite literally lock them outside in the rain whilst they paint all over the windows. This is one of my favourite activities for rainy days as the kids get to have fun in the rain, but I can watch them paint from the comfort of the sofa, coffee in hand, interacting with the odd 'that looks good!'.
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Sand Play
If you have a sandpit, don't be afraid to let your child play with it in the rain! As long as it isn't absolutely pouring down, it'll still be great fun, and in fact you want slightly damp sand to sculpt sandcastles from anyway!
Muddy Animals
Grab your child's favourite figurines (my son is dinosaur obsessed, but any figurines will work perfectly - from farm animals to characters from your child's favourite TV show!) and let your children cover them in mud! Then, afterwards, give them some warm soapy water and a cloth and ask them to wash them all clean. This also works well with cars and trucks - you can do the exact same, but call it a car wash!
Oobleck Figurines
Use cornflour and water mixed together in a 2:1 ratio to create a gloopy, slimy mixture then cover some animal, dinosaur or character figurines in them. You can add cocoa powder to create brown 'mud' or green food colouring to create a swamp. Once your child has finished playing, take the messy figurines into the garden in the rain to wash them clean!
Raft Building
Use lollipop sticks, glue, string, sticks and whatever else you can find to build little boats or rafts, then take them outside in the rain and see if they can stay afloat on a puddle! This works particularly well if you have multiple children, as you can turn it into a friendly competition.
There you have it! I hope that has inspired you to get outside this Autumn and Winter and enjoy playing in the rain. Make sure you stock up on some good quality waterproofs and wellies, though!
