The Spring season brings lots of rainy days, offering opportunities to engage young children in activities and conversations that explore raindrops, rain clouds, weather changes, and more. In this article, we share rain-themed STEM and art activities, as well as stories about rain and rainy weather fun, that you can enjoy with the little ones in your care.
This discovery activity is a great way to introduce older preschoolers and children in pre-k to the water cycle, and the connection between clouds and raindrops. For this discovery activity, you’ll need two clear jars (one empty and one filled with water), a kitchen sponge, blue food coloring, plastic pipettes, and some paper towels.
To set up the activity, add blue food coloring to the jar filled with water. Place the sponge on top of the empty jar and move the jars so that they are close to each other. Invite the children to use the pipettes to remove the blue water and squirt the water into the sponge. Once the sponge becomes filled, it will begin to release small droplets of water into the empty jar. As little ones work, you might talk with them about how the sponge is like a rain cloud, which eventually gets so heavy from moisture that it has to let out some rain.
For this simple process art activity, you’ll need just a few items: blue tempera paint, construction paper, and empty toilet paper tubes. Prepare the activity by bending the toilet paper rolls so that they are shaped like raindrops– the circular end will have a point, like the top of a raindrop. Then set the raindrop-shaped paper rolls out with some blue paint and construction paper, and invite the little ones in your care to dip a roll in the paint and stamp it on the paper to form raindrops. As the children have fun with the stamps, you can talk with them about the shape of raindrops and how they form rain as they fall from the sky.
This simple activity is rich with learning opportunities! As the children use plastic pipettes to apply paint to paper that is attached to an easel or clipboard, you can point out that it is gravity that makes the paint move downward on the paper – in the same way that raindrops fall from the sky! This activity also invites an exploration of color, and supports fine motor development as little ones squeeze the pipettes.
To get started, you’ll need pipettes, watercolor paints (or tempera diluted with water to make it more runny), and construction paper. If you have easels available in your classroom, you can set the activity up there – or you can make your own easel by propping clipboards onto book stands (such as these). Invite children to dip the pipettes in the paint and point the tip of the pipette towards the top of the paper before squeezing out droplets of paint. Then, watch as the water runs down the page, the same way that raindrops fall from the clouds!
These easy-to-make sensory bottles create a fun way for younger learners to explore the rain. You’ll need empty plastic water bottles, cotton balls, baby oil, blue glitter, white tinsel pom-poms, and something to seal the bottles closed (such as hot glue or duct tape).
To make the rain bottles, place some cotton balls into each bottle, fill the bottles halfway with the baby oil, spoon in the glitter and tinsel pom-poms, and add water until the bottle is filled all the way. Close the bottles by securing them with hot glue or duct tape, and offer them to the children so they can shake and explore the cotton clouds and the sparkly rain! As they shake the bottles, they will notice that the glitter falls slowly towards the bottom of the bottle, just as raindrops fall to the ground.
This story follows a drop of water on a journey from the sky, through the earth, and back again, using simple child-friendly language to introduce young learners to the water cycle.
Find this book available for purchase online or enjoy a free read-aloud video on YouTube.
This simple children’s book, written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Chris Turnham, celebrates all the wonderful things that rain makes possible–– from blooming flowers to puddles for jumping.
Find this book available for purchase online or enjoy a free read-aloud video on YouTube.
This rhyming picture book, written by Jean Taft and illustrated by Matt Hunt, describes young children enjoying rainy-day fun, as they splash through puddles and notice a nearby worm who is also enjoying the weather.
Find this book available for purchase online or enjoy a free read-aloud video on YouTube.
