Games to Play in the Rain

Outdoor games that need rain falling or puddles on the ground: press Pick 3 new games.

Games to Play in the Rain

  1. Ripple Rings Count1. Crouch beside a wide, still puddle when the rain has eased to a drizzle. 2. One player drops a pebble from knee height into the middle. 3. Everyone counts the rings out loud until the first one touches the edge. 4. The next player tries a bigger or smaller pebble. 5. Most rings from one drop wins, and the group says what made the difference. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 6. Time: 5 min. Props: a few pebbles.
  2. Downspout Bucket Countdown1. Find a downspout that empties onto grass or a splash block. 2. Everyone guesses how many seconds it will take to fill a small bucket to the brim. 3. Slide the bucket under and count aloud together. 4. Closest guess wins. 5. Tip the bucket onto the grass and guess again with a bigger pot; a grown-up moves the bucket. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a small bucket and a bigger pot.
  3. Mud Ball Bullseye on a Tree Trunk1. Draw three chalk rings on a wide tree trunk or a fence the grown-ups do not mind washing. 2. Each player rolls three mud balls the size of a walnut. 3. Throw from a line five steps back, one player at a time, with everyone else behind the line. 4. The center ring scores three, the next two, the outer one. 5. The target is the only thing anyone throws at. The rain cleans the trunk. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: mud and sidewalk chalk.

Next step Outdoor party games for a dry day

How it works

These games to play in the rain are for children outdoors in rain gear on a warm, wet day. Every one needs rain falling or puddles on the ground, and each ends with dry clothes.

Read the full guide

Rain falling, or only puddles

Catch-the-rain games need rain coming down: cups, pans and paper are set out to catch it. Most of the Puddle games and several Mud and chalk games also work in the hour after a shower, while the ground is still wet.

Set out one jar first

A straight-sided jar left in the open at the start sets up Guess the Depth in the Rain Jar: everyone guesses the depth, and a ruler settles it before the group goes in.

Tips
  • Every game is written for a yard, a path or a driveway, away from roads, streams and drains.
  • Old clothes under the rain gear: the mud games are as muddy as they sound.

Questions and answers

What are fun games to play in the rain?

Start with puddles: Biggest Splash, Judged From a Dry Spot and Leaf Boat Race Down the Driveway Stream need only boots and a wet yard. Then set out cups and pans for Rain Catcher Contest and Rain Band: Rank the Drums.

What can kids play outside after it stops raining?

Anything that runs on puddles or mud. Puddle Depth Guess With a Stick, Stepping-Stone Crossing, Mud-Pie Bake-Off and Whose Boot Print Is It? work for an hour or more after a shower. The catching games need rain still falling.

When should a rain game stop?

At the first thunder or lightning. The U.S. National Weather Service says the only completely safe action in a thunderstorm is to get inside a safe building or vehicle, and to wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before resuming play.

What do you need for games in the rain?

Rain boots, a coat and old clothes, plus kitchen things for the catching games: cups, a measuring cup, pans and a sponge. Sidewalk chalk and washable paint cover the rest, and dry clothes wait by the door.

More tools

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All 29 games

Puddle games 10

  • Biggest Splash, Judged From a Dry Spot 1. One grown-up is the judge and stands well back, under an umbrella. 2. Each child in turn steps up to the puddle and does one two-footed stomp. 3. The judge holds up one to five fingers for the height of the splash. 4. Second round: style points for the pose. 5. Add the two scores. Everyone else waits behind a line a few steps away, so that only the jumper gets soaked. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: rain boots and an umbrella for the judge.
  • The Dry Ground Is Lava 1. Choose a start and a finish with plenty of puddles between them. 2. Players cross by stepping or hopping from puddle to puddle. 3. A foot on dry or merely damp ground means back to the last puddle. 4. Where the gap is too wide, a player may lay down one stepping leaf and stand on that. 5. Count the hops; fewest hops wins, not the fastest time. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: rain boots and a few big leaves.
  • Empty a Puddle in One Minute of Stomps 1. Choose a small puddle and push twigs into the ground all around its edge. 2. The whole group stomps in it together for one minute while a grown-up counts down. 3. Stop and stand back. 4. Push a second ring of twigs in at the new edge and see how far the puddle shrank. 5. Time how long the rain takes to fill it back to the first ring. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: rain boots and a handful of twigs.
Show all 29 games (26 more)

Puddle games, continued

  • Leaf Boat Race Down the Driveway Stream 1. Find the trickle that runs down a driveway or a path in the yard when it rains, away from the road. 2. Each sailor chooses a leaf and may add a twig mast. 3. Lay a stick across the trickle as the finish. 4. On go, set the boats down together at the top and walk beside them; no pushing, but a stuck boat may be freed with one finger. 5. First leaf under the stick wins. Race three times with new leaves. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: leaves, twigs and a stick.
  • Long Jump Over a Puddle, Three Tries 1. Pick a long puddle on grass or a path and lay a stick at one edge as the take-off line. 2. One at a time, each jumper takes a short run and jumps along the puddle, landing on two feet. 3. A helper pushes a twig into the ground where the back heel landed. 4. Three jumps each; only the best twig stays. 5. The twig farthest from the stick wins, and the winner picks the next puddle. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: rain boots, a stick and a few twigs.
  • Puddle Depth Guess With a Stick 1. Find a straight stick and wind a rubber band around it at every finger-width from the bottom. 2. Everyone looks at a puddle and says which band the water will reach. 3. The youngest player stands the stick in the deepest part. 4. Closest guess scores a point and chooses the next puddle. 5. After five puddles, name the deepest one in the yard. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: a straight stick and rubber bands.
  • Puddle Parade, the Leader Picks the Splash 1. Line up behind a leader. 2. The leader walks a route through every puddle in sight. 3. At each puddle the leader chooses how to cross it: tiptoe, giant stomp, backward, one foot, a spin. 4. Everyone copies in turn. 5. At the fifth puddle the leader goes to the back and the next player leads. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: rain boots.
  • Ripple Rings Count 1. Crouch beside a wide, still puddle when the rain has eased to a drizzle. 2. One player drops a pebble from knee height into the middle. 3. Everyone counts the rings out loud until the first one touches the edge. 4. The next player tries a bigger or smaller pebble. 5. Most rings from one drop wins, and the group says what made the difference. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 6. Time: 5 min. Props: a few pebbles.
  • Stepping-Stone Crossing 1. Pick the widest puddle in the yard. 2. The team has five minutes to build a way across from what is lying around: flat stones, bricks, a short plank. 3. A grown-up tests each stone with a foot before any child steps on it. 4. Everyone crosses one at a time. 5. The crossing passes if the smallest player gets over with dry socks. Take it apart afterward. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: flat stones, bricks or a short plank.
  • Upside-Down I Spy 1. Stand around a still puddle after the rain has eased. 2. The spy says, I spy in the puddle something beginning with, and gives a letter or a color. 3. It has to be something reflected in the water: a branch, a chimney, a hat. 4. Guessers look only at the puddle, never up. 5. Whoever guesses is the next spy. One stomp wipes the picture and starts a new round. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: none.

Catch-the-rain games 9

  • Downspout Bucket Countdown 1. Find a downspout that empties onto grass or a splash block. 2. Everyone guesses how many seconds it will take to fill a small bucket to the brim. 3. Slide the bucket under and count aloud together. 4. Closest guess wins. 5. Tip the bucket onto the grass and guess again with a bigger pot; a grown-up moves the bucket. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a small bucket and a bigger pot.
  • Guess the Depth in the Rain Jar 1. At the start of the afternoon, stand a straight-sided jar in the open, away from walls and trees. 2. Every player writes a guess on a slip: how deep will the water be when we go in? 3. Play the other games. 4. Before going in, stand a ruler in the jar and read the depth. 5. The closest guess wins and gets to tip the jar out. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a straight-sided jar, a ruler, slips and a pencil.
  • Paint That the Rain Finishes 1. Under cover, each artist dabs blobs of washable paint or draws thick lines with washable markers on a paper plate. 2. Carry the plates out and lay them flat in the rain. 3. Count to sixty together. 4. Bring them back under cover. 5. Each artist turns the plate until a picture appears and gives it a title; the group votes for the title that fits best. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: paper plates and washable paint or markers.
  • Rain Band: Rank the Drums 1. Set out six things upside down in the rain: a metal pan, a plastic tub, a baking sheet, a tin can, a bucket and a pot lid. 2. Everyone guesses which will be loudest. 3. Stand still and listen with eyes shut for ten seconds at each one. 4. Line the drums up from quietest to loudest. 5. Last, each player takes two wooden spoons and plays along with the rain. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: pans, tubs, a tray, a can and wooden spoons.
  • Rain Catcher Contest 1. Each player chooses one thing from the kitchen to catch rain: a mug, a mixing bowl, a funnel in a bottle, a baking sheet. 2. Set them all out in the open at the same moment. 3. Wait five minutes under cover, guessing who will have the most. 4. Pour each catch into the same measuring cup in turn and read the mark. 5. The highest mark wins; the group works out why wide beats tall. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: kitchen containers and a measuring cup.
  • Raindrop Race Down the Glass 1. Stand on the porch or under an awning beside a window or a glass door. 2. Each player picks one drop near the top of the pane and points to it. 3. No touching the glass. 4. The first drop to reach the bottom wins; a drop that joins another carries both players with it. 5. Best of five races. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Sponge on a Stick 1. Tie or tape a dry sponge to the end of a stick for each player. 2. On go, hold the sponges up in the rain for one minute. 3. Players may move around in the open to find where it is raining hardest, under no tree or roof edge. 4. Squeeze each sponge into its own cup. 5. Most water wins; then try again with the sponge held flat or on its edge. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: sponges, sticks, tape or string, and cups.
  • Spots on Dark Paper 1. Each player holds a sheet of dark construction paper under their coat. 2. Everyone guesses how many drops will land on it in five seconds. 3. On go, hold the sheets out flat while a grown-up counts to five, then pull them back under cover. 4. Count the spots before they spread. 5. Closest guess wins. Play again when the rain gets heavier or lighter and compare. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: dark construction paper.
  • Umbrella Drip Aim 1. Stand a cup on the ground for each player. 2. Each player holds an open umbrella and tips it so that the water runs to one rib and drips from its tip. 3. Without moving the cup, steer the drip into it. 4. Play for two minutes. 5. Deepest cup wins. Players stand an umbrella's width apart and keep the ribs above head height. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 6. Time: 6 min. Props: an umbrella and a cup for each player.

Mud and chalk games 10

  • Chalk Creatures That Run 1. While it rains, each player draws a creature on the wet path with sidewalk chalk. 2. Give it a name. 3. Step back and watch for two minutes as the rain makes it run. 4. Each player says what the creature has turned into. 5. Vote for the best change, then draw the next one on top. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: sidewalk chalk.
  • Chalk Line Against the Rain: Guess the Minutes 1. Each player draws one thick chalk line on the path, all the same length. 2. Everyone guesses how many minutes the rain will take to wash the lines away. 3. A grown-up starts a timer and the group plays something else nearby. 4. Check every two minutes. 5. The guess closest to the moment the last line disappears wins. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: sidewalk chalk and a timer.
  • Dam the Trickle 1. Find a trickle of rainwater on a path in the yard or at the edge of a lawn, away from the road and from any drain. 2. Teams of two have five minutes to build a dam across it from mud, sticks and leaves. 3. Start a count when the water begins to pool. 4. The dam that holds longest wins. 5. Then each team opens its dam with one finger and watches the flood go. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: mud, sticks and leaves.
  • Dry Circle Face Race 1. Stand upturned buckets on a hard path in the rain, one for each player, and leave them for two minutes. 2. On go, each player lifts their bucket. 3. Underneath is a dry circle. 4. Draw a whole face in it with chalk before the rain speckles it out. 5. A grown-up walks the line after thirty seconds and picks the face that can still be read. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a bucket and a stick of sidewalk chalk for each player.
  • Mud Ball Bullseye on a Tree Trunk 1. Draw three chalk rings on a wide tree trunk or a fence the grown-ups do not mind washing. 2. Each player rolls three mud balls the size of a walnut. 3. Throw from a line five steps back, one player at a time, with everyone else behind the line. 4. The center ring scores three, the next two, the outer one. 5. The target is the only thing anyone throws at. The rain cleans the trunk. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: mud and sidewalk chalk.
  • Mud Kitchen Order Up 1. One player is the customer and sits on a step. 2. The cooks stand at a mud kitchen: a bucket of mud, bowls, spoons, and heaps of leaves, pebbles and petals. 3. The customer orders once, without repeating: soup with three leaves and a pebble on top. 4. The cooks each make the order from memory and carry it over. 5. The customer checks each bowl against the order and picks the cook who got it right; that cook orders next. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: a bucket, bowls, spoons and things from the yard.
  • Mud Slate Draw and Guess 1. Smooth a patch of mud the size of a doormat. 2. The drawer thinks of an animal and draws it in the mud with a stick, one line at a time. 3. The others guess after every line. 4. Whoever guesses wipes the slate smooth with a flat hand or a piece of bark. 5. That player draws next. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a stick and a patch of mud.
  • Mud-Pie Bake-Off 1. Each baker gets an old pie tin or a plastic lid and a spoon. 2. Ten minutes to mix and shape a mud pie and decorate it with leaves, petals and grass. 3. Line the pies up on a step. 4. A grown-up judges, with a prize for the roundest, the best decorated and the one that looks most like a real pie. 5. Nobody tastes anything, and the pies are left for the rain to wash away. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 10. Time: 15 min. Props: old tins or lids, spoons and whatever grows in the yard.
  • Whose Boot Print Is It? 1. Smooth a patch of mud with the back of a shovel. 2. Everyone presses one boot into it at the edge, so that all the sole patterns can be studied. 3. Smooth the patch again. 4. The detective turns away while one player makes a single print in the middle. 5. The detective looks at the print, then at the soles the players hold up, and names the boot. Three guesses, then swap. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: rain boots, a mud patch and a shovel.
  • Worm Count Along the Path 1. After heavy rain, choose a stretch of path and mark its ends with sticks. 2. Everyone guesses how many worms are on it. 3. Walk it slowly in a line and count together, pointing and not picking up. 4. Closest guess wins. 5. A grown-up may lift any worm stranded mid-path onto the soil with a leaf. Never in thunder or lightning, and it ends with dry clothes. Players: 1 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: none.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for children outdoors in rain gear on a warm, wet day, in our own words; ages, player counts and minutes are our estimates. Every game needs rain falling or puddles on the ground, is played in a yard or on a path away from roads, streams and drains with an adult outside, and ends with dry clothes. No game is played in thunder or lightning. On that point the U.S. National Weather Service says: "The only completely safe action is to get inside a safe building or vehicle," and, once in a safe place, to "wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before resuming play" (https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-outdoors, read on 2026-10-03). What a rain gauge measures was checked the same day at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_gauge. Licence: own work