There’s Something Special About Playing In The Rain
Our first instinct when it’s raining is to keep the kids inside. We don’t want to deal with wet clothes, more diaper changes and muddy babes. I totally get it.. But there is a wonderful thing that happens when kids play in the rain. A sense of liberty and JOY! This morning it was raining, no, it was downright POURING and while we were making breakfast, the kids snuck out. They were dripping wet before I knew it and having a blast. How could I stop them!?
The Benefits Of Playing In The Rain
It’s Fun! – Riding the Radio Flyer and Tonka Truck down the hill is SO much more fun when it’s raining! They stomped, ran, sat and rolled in puddles. We threw giant balls down the hill into the pond that had taken over our yard. They made the biggest splashes ever and laughed as they covered each other in water. It was a really good time!
Gross Motor Skills – Running, jumping, throwing, etc. all help develop gross motor skills. While playing outside and being physically active, children are developing muscles for balance and coordination. Today they learned that they can’t run down the hill when it’s slippery or they can fall and get hurt. Miss 4 learned that the hard way!
Science – Talk about where the rain comes from and the water cycle. You could make a rain water collector or use a rain gauge to track how much rain you got.
Develop A Connection With Nature – Encourage your little one to look, listen and touch the world around them. When my kids get cranky outside, we stop, take a deep breath and talk about what we see and hear. The birds singing, the wind blowing, the green grass, etc. You could play I Spy With My Little Eye!
Health – Being physically active as a child encourages a healthy lifestyle and less likeliness of becoming overweight. Physical activity develops muscles that support your body and it improves bone health.
Sensory Learning – Our senses create neural pathways in the brain to trigger different responses. When we play in the rain, touch the raindrops, see them fall and catch raindrops with our tongue, we are stimulating the senses. Sensory play creates nerve connections that support speaking skills, problem solving, recognizing danger (like a hot stove), and so much more! Sensory play strengthens the brain!
Mother Nature’s Ability – We saw how quickly our yard turned into a pond. It was amazing but also a great opportunity to teach the positive and negative effects the weather can have on the world around us.
More than all of this though, is the one super special thing that happens when we play in the rain…
WE MAKE MEMORIES.
A memory this fun and exciting will be passed along to my children’s children and their children. It will bring back emotions of love and happiness and be treasured forever. We know our memories define us so I’m determined to create as many amazing memories with my children as possible. Even if that means rinsing off after stomping in muddy puddles and getting a new outfit for the third time today!
Our favorite book about rain is The Little Raindrop. It’s a beautiful book with pastel colors about a raindrop’s journey through rivers, clouds and landscapes. I was given this book by my mom when I was pregnant with my daughter and it has a special place in my heart.
