Welcome to the Storytime at Home series! Every other week, we share a list of book options tied to a kid-approved theme, a craft you can set up to go along with the theme, songs/rhymes you can do during storytime, and additional enrichment activities. All books are available at Richmond Public Library, and crafts will involve items you likely have at home already! Our hope is that we can make it easy for you to share stories with your little ones and create a little bit of library magic at home.
P.S. Love library storytimes? Take a look at all in-library storytime options here. There is a storytime for your child every morning at our various branches!
Okay, now to the fun stuff…
Today’s storytime theme is RAIN!
Springtime brings forth many new things – flowers, baby animals, longer days, and lots and lots of rainy days. They don’t say April showers for nothing! Rain is a magical thing – especially when it comes to using it as a way to support your child’s learning and development! You can explore rain sounds, promote motor development by jumping in puddles, learn about our senses by feeling, hearing, seeing the rain, discuss weather, and more. There are so many great ways to teach your child about rain and have some fun along the way! The library has many wonderful books about rain, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search ‘rain’ in our catalog, or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect one for you and your child.
Books
Reading to your kiddos turns them into confident thinkers. Making books a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to build children’s love of reading and learning. Storytimes also help build excitement around reading to support their literacy development.
Here are a few book options you can choose from for your rain-themed storytime.
Preschool
- On A Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
- Rain! by Linda Ashman
- Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle
- A Beary Rainy Day by Adam Ciccio
- The Umbrella by Beth Ferry
- Split! Splat! By Amy Gibson
- This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson
- Rainy Day! by Patricia Lakin
- Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
- Watersong by Tim McCanna
- Thirsty Thursday by Phyllis Root
- Rain by Cynthia Rylant
- Rain by Manya Stojic
- Puddle by Hyewon Yum
Toddler/Baby
- Rain, Rain Go Away! by Caroline Church
- Splish, Splash Ducky! by Lucy Cousins
- Split! Splat! By Amy Gibson
- Find Spot On A Rainy Day by Eric Hill
- Watersong by Tim McCanna
- In The Rain by Elizabeth Spurr
There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one! Click the arrow below to see some of our favorite tips for bringing stories to life at home.
Click here to see some of our favorite reading tips
- Point at the pictures and ask your child what they see. Help build their vocabulary by pointing to pictures and saying the word aloud.
- Ask your child questions about the story: What do you think will happen next? How do you think this character is feeling? This character is going to the park; do you remember when we went to the park?
- Read with expression and enthusiasm, and use different voices for different characters.
- Act out what’s happening in the story. For example, if you’re reading about umbrellas, pretend to hold one up. Similarly, when reading about rain, make raindrops with your fingers and when reading about jumping in puddles, jump in your pretend puddle!
- As your child gets older, count objects in a book, discuss the different colors they see, point out shapes in the story, etc. What animal is that? How many raindrops do you see?
- Snuggle up and be patient. Reading is great bonding time for you and your child. Take your time walking them through the story. If your child wants to turn the page or be finished with reading, that’s OK too. You don’t have to read every word or even every page for reading with your little one to be beneficial for their development.
Songs and Rhymes
We love adding songs and rhymes to our storytimes. This is a great way to practice language with your child and support their physical (motor) development through movement.
Here are two songs and rhymes you can use for this themed storytime.
Sing: Little Raindrops Falling Down
Tune: London Bridge
(flutter fingers down like raindrops as you sing)
Little raindrops falling down,
Falling down, falling down
Little raindrops falling down,
Falling to the ground
Repeat with bigger raindrops (clapping) and giant raindrops (stomping)
Movement Rhyme: Rain Drop Rhyme
Down come the rain drops SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH! (stamp feet on the splashes)
Let’s run for cover, DASH, DASH, DASH! (run on the spot)
Pitter patter, pitter patter, DRIP, DRIP, DROP! (clap hands in rhythm)
I’m under my umbrella till the raindrops STOP! (put up pretend umbrella)
Arts and Crafts
Adding a craft along with a book is a great way to continue allowing your child to learn, explore, and grow. Crafts are a nice supplement as they encourage motor development, creativity, self-confidence, and more.
In fact, art and craft activities:
- Build fine motor skills. Actions such as painting, coloring, gluing, and cutting develop small muscles in small hands and improve coordination skills as children learn to use both hands at the same time.
- Support early literacy. When children make art, they learn vocabulary and how to follow directions when getting verbal instructions from parents and caregivers. They also boost their communication skills via talking about their work!
- Teach early math concepts. Math skills are used frequently in arts and crafts. Kids learn about and recognize different shapes, count and sort art supplies, and even measure out materials.
- Encourage creativity. Art helps develop creativity, self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity.
- Boost self-esteem. Doing arts and crafts can give children a sense of achievement and allow them to take pride in their work, which builds confidence.
- Offer bonding time. Kids love spending quality time with parents and caregivers, and arts and crafts are a great opportunity for this.
Here is a craft activity you can do along with the rain theme.
Rain Cloud Craft
Materials Needed
- Cardboard or cardstock
- Construction paper
- Cotton balls
- Yarn/string
- Glue
- Tape
- Scissors
Source: Vicky Barone
Directions
- Cut a cloud shape out of a big piece of cardboard or cardstock. (You could also use a paper plate.)
- Cut raindrops out of the construction paper. You need an even number.
- Have your child cover a section of the cloud with glue and arrange the cotton balls, filling in every space and adding glue as necessary. Continue section by section until the cloud is covered.
- Help your child cut different lengths of the yarn/string.
- Help your child glue two raindrops together with the string in the middle.
- When all the glue is dry, help your child tape the strings to the back of the cloud.
Additional Enrichment Ideas
The fun doesn’t have to end at books, songs, and a craft. There are many ways to enrich a storytime with additional activities and lessons. Here are a few ideas for you and your child:
- Go play in the rain! Put on your coat and boots and find some puddles to jump in. There is something magical about rain play with your kids.
- Visit the water table at the Children’s Museum of Richmond to learn more about weather and splash in the water.
- Make rain sticks at home – this is a great tutorial.
- Set up an indoor puddle jumping activity to practice letters, numbers, etc.
- Create a rain sensory bin at home. Fill a shallow bin/dish with water. Give your child items to scoop and pour, and have them create their own rain showers.
- Let the rain play a role in your art! Use watercolors to paint, and then take them outside to see how the rain transforms it. See here for a great example.
- Make a rainy day picture with paint and bubble wrap.
- Explore more rain arts and crafts projects here.
- Create a rain-themed snack with your child like the ones below (see here for more inspiration).
We share these Storytime at Home posts twice a month, so be sure to check back soon for more. You can also search “#storytimeathome” to see all past posts.
