Springtime is here, and new life is beginning to thrive. But new life requires water, and whence is the earth to get it? From rain, of course! While rain is part of the normal course of plant life, it can be a real impediment when it comes to playing outside. Next time recess is moved indoors for rain’s sake, try one (or all!) of these rainy day activities to keep your students active!

Host a Custom Game of Jeopardy

‘Jeopardy’ and ‘fun’ are probably fairly unrelated concepts in most of your students’ minds. With a customized set of questions, competitive teams and some stakes (candy, anyone?), you may just be able to change some opinions on the matter. Using this tool from Super Teacher Tools, you can customize a game of Jeopardy to cover anything from dinosaurs to quantum theory!

Conduct a Zany Experiment

Rainy days are a perfect chance to gawk at some scientific phenomena with your class. There are plenty of fun and engaging things you can do, from conjuring skittle spectra to creating one of the many varieties of “slime” that today’s children are so engrossed by. If you’re looking for some help planning or a last-minute idea, check out our Kids’ Science Projects Pinterest board!

Lead a Yoga Session

Kids tend to get a bit rowdy when they’re bottled up inside. You can get rid of their jitters and mix some zen into the atmosphere with a few kid-friendly yoga poses! There are plenty of resources to help teachers pull this off, from Pinterest to Youtube—try it out one rainy day this spring.

Play ‘Cheese or Font’

Wait, play what? As the name might imply, Cheese or Font is a web-based game that tests one’s nomenclatural knowledge regarding curdled dairy and typeface. Sound weird? It is. Sound easy? Not so much. And while the lore of cheese and fonts might not be emphasized in your curriculum, this game can be a whole lot of fun during a rainy recess. It’s even zanier when you get creative with it—you can set up teams or add custom rules to make the game suit your purposes.

Keep a Reserve of “Emergency” Board Games

Let’s face it—board games are a game-changer when everyone’s stuck inside. It’s a good idea to keep a few favorites stowed away in your classroom. You never know when the sky is going to open up! Aim to have a variety of games, from classics like Jenga to new-wave favorites like Settlers of Catan. For extra board game goodness, open it up for your students to bring in their favorite games when rain seems imminent.

Don’t Be Afraid to Stick with the Classics

Don’t feel like you have to eschew the likes of Simon Says, Charades, Heads Up Seven Up, and Four Corners. Okay, so they’re not exactly “off the wall”. In fact, they’re about the most quintessential rainy day recess activities we can think of. But they’re classics for a reason. If they were good enough for when you were a student, they’re good enough for today.

Shadow Puppets / Theater / Storytime

In days of old, people would gather around bards or in theaters when the weather turned inclement. Times haven’t changed—people, especially kids, are still entranced by a good story on a rainy day. Fortunate news, considering how good dramatic play is for developing minds.

Take advantage of your time inside with some form of storytelling, be it interactive theater, improv with shadow-puppets, or just a good old choose-your-adventure book. You can foster more dramatic play on a daily basis by incorporating some of our Dramatic Play line into your classroom!

Teachers, what’s your favorite activity to break out on a blustery day? Share in the comments below, or on our Facebook page! We run monthly giveaways—don’t forget to stay tuned to our social channels for a chance to win.