Rain Sensory Storytime
Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman, is the perfect storytime book for exploring rain, weather, bathtime, or dogs with toddlers, preschoolers, and children of all abilities. Children love the “mucka mucka chucka wucka” muddy scenes, sing-song rhymes, and vibrant illustrations. Below, you’ll find ways to make the reading experience more adaptive and extend it with rain-themed songs and sensory play activities. Work one or more of these elements into your next Sensory Storytime for more engagement and fun.
Offer Raindrop or Umbrella Manipulatives
For songbooks like Split! Splat!, give children a fun manipulative to hold and lift/sway/bounce along to the beat. Felt raindrops are easy to make if you’ve got blue felt in your craft closet, as you simply need to cut them out. Children can lift them high and drop them to the ground. Check out FeltBoardMagic.com for more raindrop songs and felt patterns.
Another fun option would be to cut out cardstock umbrella tops and glue them to craft sticks, which serve as the umbrella handles. Kiddos can lift their umbrellas high over their head and swing them as you read.
Rain Sensory Storytime Movement Songs
Little Raindrop Song
After the story, get kiddos moving with this raindrop version of “If You’re Happy & You Know .” I’ve used this version for years and have yet to track down the source, so if you know it, please share it in the comments! The key to this version is starting the song slowly and speeding up as you go. The kids LOVE patting their legs and going faster and faster!
First a little raindrop hits the ground (pat legs slowly)
Then another little raindrop hits the ground
Then another and another (pat legs faster)
And another and another (and faster!)
And pretty soon we hear a different sound
SPLASH! (clap hands!)
Five Little Umbrellas Rhyme
Place five umbrellas in different colors on a felt or magnet board. Take one off as the rhyme goes along to count down from five to none. If you gave the children umbrellas during the story, they can use them with this song, too! Encourage them to hide their umbrella behind their back each time one comes off the board.
Five umbrellas stood by the back door,
The red one went outside, then there were four
Four umbrellas, pretty as could be
The blue one went outside, then there were three
Three umbrellas with nothing to do
The green one went outside, then there were two
Two umbrellas not having much fun
The yellow went outside, then there was one
Just one umbrella alone in the hall,
The purple one went outside, and that was all!
Rain Sensory Play Crafts & Activities
Ending Sensory Storytime with free play provides children and their caregivers with an excellent opportunity to explore and socialize. Here are great play activities to enjoy with Split! Splat!:
Rainy Day Pom Sorting
If you have cups and poms in your craft closet, you’re all set for this sorting activity that supports fine motor development and hand-eye coordination. You can also get fancy and offer tongs and place cloud/sun/rain pictures on your cups. The blog Just Reed & Play has more info and fun tips for this activity.
Umbrella Craft
This fun craft requires only cardstock, craft sticks, crayons, and tape or glue. Set the supplies out at the end of your storytime, OR precut and glue the umbrellas to the craft sticks ahead of time for kids to use as props during the storytime, which they can color later. For more information and tips on this activity, visit TeacherWeena.Blogspot.com.
Water Sensory Bin
Embrace the mess and offer a water table or sensory bin! Add an inch or two of water to a bin, along with some cotton ball “clouds,” a strainer, and a cup or two for water exploration, for an absolute blast for kids. Or make your life easier by skipping the water and simply filling the bin with cotton balls. The blog Play Teach Repeat has more ideas for water sensory play.
More Sensory Storytime Books
Split! Splat! pairs beautifully with these other rain and weather-themed books:
Visit The Youth Desk’s Sensory Storytime page for more information about Sensory Storytimes, including a full outline, additional books, songs, crafts, and play ideas.
