Wet Play Activity Box Themes – themed boxes for rainy days
These boxes have particular themes as opposed to a selection of different activities for children to do, such as:
- Thinking Games
- Paper Play and Technology Challenges
- Quiz and Puzzle Activities.
All the above themes are in Part I of Therese Hoyle’s 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities; each section provides a wealth of ideas to keep children entertained.
Some classes like to have a general activity box and a themed box.
Organising the themed boxes
- Use a plastic cube/container to store all the materials needed for your theme.
- Each theme needs to be age appropriate.
- When using activities and games from the book for your themed box, firstly print out the activities you want to use from the CD Rom onto coloured card, laminate them so that they will last and then gather all the equipment suggested and store it inside the box.
- Practise playing some of the games and have a go at some of the activities, so you feel prepared when the next wet lunchtime strikes.
- Print out a selection of the photocopiable resources and worksheets from 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities.
Other Wet Play Activity Box ideas
There are hundreds of ideas you could use to create additional themed boxes, below are a few suggestions. Please do use your own creative ideas and make sure you get the children actively involved in the planning stage too.
Pirates
The Pirate theme is always popular with young children. When making up a Pirate theme box you may like to use a selection of ideas from below:
- Children can make their own eye patches using card, wool/elastic.
- Have a selection of books on pirates.
- Sticky labels are great for making pirate name badges.
- Make sure you have some thick tights or socks for storing ‘pieces of eight’.
- Card tubes make great telescopes, so get parents to donate these from home.
- Have paper and pencils ready for making treasure maps, drawing skull and crossbones.
- See if you can get hold of pirate puzzles, colouring pictures, materials to make flags etc.
Other themed ideas:
- Wool activities – for finger knitting, plaiting, making pom poms etc
- Badge making – using sticky labels, get children to decorate them and then they can wear them.
- Feelings – Gather a collection of objects, eg. Sponges, comb, toothbrush, spoon, rubber, piece of lego etc and a blindfold. Get the players put on the blindfold and then feel an object from the bag and then and guess what it is.
- Making collages/montages and mosaics
- Games – make up a box with a selection of board games etc.
- Create your own ideas for activity Boxes
Whole class activities in their classroom.
This can include a selection of games from Part II of Therese Hoyle’s 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities – circle time games, parachute games, singing and dancing games, active games for letting off steam, or activities from Part I- quizzes, paper play, technology challenges, thinking games etc, where the whole class can be involved in the same activity.
Whole school activity zones
Different zones can be created throughout the school so that children can freely wander and find an activity they are interested in.
The zones may be the classrooms, hall, library etc.
Suggestions for activity zones:
- Reading zone – library
- Video/DVD in the hall
- Parachute games in the hall
- Circle time or singing and dancing games in the hall.
- Active games for letting off steam in the hall.
- Paper Play and Technology Challenges
- Singing and dancing games
- Disco and dancing
- Quiz and Puzzle activities
- Quiet Games zone
- Umbrella zone– children can borrow an umbrella and go for a walk in the rain.
Children have two choices with this system
- They can choose one activity for the whole lunchtime
- They can choose to wander around the school and try different activities. The latter involves more careful consideration since of course there could be a danger in children wandering around the school and getting themselves into trouble. To avoid this I would suggest you discuss the school rules, their responsibilities and any additional rules needed inside the school during a wet lunchtime.
Rules
For example:
Walk in the corridors, don’t run
Move quickly from one activity to another.
Etc
You can always trial this system and see if it works. It’s certainly worth giving children the opportunity and if they want to make it work then they can make it a success.
At the end of a wet lunchtime make sure that staff and children tidy up 5-10 minutes prior to the bell going and then ensure that they all return to class promptly!
