Rainy days usually bring sighs and eye rolls from teachers and kids tend to get a little bit restless with all that pent-up energy that’s not used when they play indoors. Of course, after a full-on day working hard in the classroom, they need to go out for some fresh air, as will you!
So, if you are looking for some fun and easy ideas to get the kids using their energy in the classroom like they would in a playground, look no further!
We polled our teachers for some of their best rainy day activities that entertained their students, whilst exercising their bodies and their brains.
Stop/Start Dance Party
This classic is a good way to start and end the day. Most children like to dance – or just be plain silly – so this is a great way to get them moving and exercising! All you need is music for this activity and the only rule is to freeze when the music is paused. Tip: encourage the children to make silly faces and poses. Experiment with your music’s tempo and style.
Stretching & Yoga
Yoga has been recommended by a lot of teachers and swears by its positive effects saying that it has increased their kids’ energy and focus. Tip: Remember that these are children you’re dealing with and they won’t stay quiet and breathe! Expect laughs with the names of the animal poses and positions.
Story-Go-Round
Make your class a tale-telling machine by creating a cooperative story. How? Let the class sit in a circle and have each student continue a story by adding a sentence to it. Start with a simple and convenient plot, for example, “The dog met the fox in the middle of the park,” and let the children continue from that. Tip: encourage the children to have fun and use their creative thinking skills by making silly sentences!
Charades
This is another classic! Have kids guess animals, characters from the books and movies you have read and watched together, and even ideas you have discussed in class. Tip: If you have a big class, you can have them play in small groups so that each child can have more opportunities to participate.
Self-Portraits
Let the children draw themselves using a mirror. Point out parts of the face that they can add some emphasis on. Encourage them to be creative. If they draw a whole-body image, let them have a go at fashion and costume design too! Don’t be surprised if your student draws her self-portrait with blue and pink hair though!
