Angelique from BabyPlay explains how immersion in rain is a powerful sensory experience for a babies and toddlers with 4 fun sensory rain play ideas.

Let your children play in the rain.

I know what your thinking; its wet, its not nice to be outside right? Heck even our nursery rhymes hold a negative attitude towards rain… “rain, rain go away”… I believe in children playing in nature no matter the weather. Children learn so much through nature; through exploration of their natural environment & this includes rain.

Of course it is very well documented and discussed that young children learn using all of their senses and exploring in the rain is a powerful sensory experience. Playing in the rain allows children to explore new senses. In the rain there are new smells, the ground feels different, the leaves look different, the water changes everything. Playing in the rain gives children the practical experience to learn about rain!

Through this immersion in rain children (and adults) feel a natural sense of mindfulness, living in the moment, the sounds and feelings can create a sense of calm and peacefulness.

Exploring in nature with slippery surfaces and crumbly terrain provides a wonderful gross motor development experience and develops their balance, agility and coordination. Each step they take uses their problem solving skills and enhances their cause and effect knowledge – example, if I step in this puddle my shoes (and socks?) will get wet.

4 sensory rain play ideas

Sing and dance in the rain

You could sing a range of rain related songs, such as rain, rain go away…. Dance and watch the motion of the water as you move differently; observe how the puddles splash in different directions depending on how your feet hit them. 

Make mud pies or nature soup

What better time for water play than when the water is literally falling from the sky! Grab out some pots, pans & kitchen utensils. Mix, scoop and pour together different creations. You could set up a kitchen, or perhaps a shop and sell the mud pies or soup.  

Use cups and measure the rain

Using a range of different sized/shaped containers you can see how much rain you catch, which containers fill up the quickest and explore ways to fill them up faster by finding spots where the rain is heavier (e.g. falling off the guttering).

Make music in the rain

Again, grab a range of different containers, different sizes and different materials. Notice the sound each makes when the rain hits them. Explore how different water levels change the sounds. Use sticks or stones to create new sounds. 

Playing in the rain provides all the benefits that we already know outside play has, but with a new element, so next time its raining, instead of getting housebound, get out, explore and experience the rain with your child – you might just enjoy it yourself!

When you are all finished in the rain warm up inside by getting dry and take a warm bath or change into warm clothes.

Angelique is a mum to three. She shares her ideas, wonderful activities and fun she and her children have each and every day on her BabyPlay Facebook Page.