Don’t get stuck indoors on a rainy day. There are plenty of fun things to do outside in the rain to keep kids of all ages amused.

And once you’ve had lots of fun getting wet and splashing about, head indoors for baths and some warm drinks!

Make it interesting by setting a challenge, for example – how many snails can you find in 10 minutes? Count the number of earthworms you come across. Look out for any interesting stones or leaves. Here is a fun nature scavenger hunt to download and try.

And when you get back inside you can use leaves and twigs to make a lovely nature collage or these leaf craft ideas.

This is great fun for all ages, but ideal for pre-schoolers to let off a bit of steam as well as encouraging them to count by checking how many puddles they found to jump in.

Tip – just make sure their waterproof trousers or dungarees are outside their wellies to help keep feet dry!

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Head to a nearby beach and build stone castles by piling up flat stones and see who can build the highest castle.

Or why not try creating a sea monster in the sand – draw a huge outline of a face and body and decorate with stones and shells to make eyes and shirt buttons with seaweed for hair.

Use the trees as giant umbrellas. See if you can spot any birds or squirrels in the trees, or look under the trees for animal burrows and mushrooms (remember to avoid picking mushrooms though unless you are an expert.). Can you hunt for pine cones?

How big is that tree? Here’s how to measure a tree, it’s very easy actually and you don’t need a long ladder!

If you come across any fallen down trees or tree stumps guess the tree’s age and then count the numbers of rings to see if you are right.

Take a ball out into the garden or the nearest park and have a game of “Soggy Soccer” or “Drizzly Donkey”. Sure to result in some slipping and sliding in the mud, which is always a winner with the kids!

See how many songs about the rain that you can think of. Take it in turn to yodel or sing them out loud (e.g. “Singing in the Rain”, “Raindrops keep falling”) as you splash through the puddles.

Find as many sticks as you can and take it in turns to make an arrow trail with the stick for everyone else to follow. Put in some loops to make the trail more interesting.

Make a ground level ‘tree house’ in the woods. Find a big tree with a strong low branch then collect lots of broken branches and ferns. Lean the broken branches and ferns in layers across the branch to make a mini-house under the tree.

Make mud pies! Find a suitable spot in the garden where the kids can dig to their hearts content and using buckets and spades make some delicious mud pies.

Tip – make sure you have plenty of hot water ready for a warm bubble bath afterwards!