Rainy days are always something I dread as a teacher. It usually means a more hectic and chaotic day than usual.

Of course, it depends upon your school’s policy but in the majority of schools I have taught in, it means having the students in the classroom the whole day beginning with opening your classroom at least half an hour before school to allow students in, then entertaining them with an activity to keep them busy before the bell rings. Almost 100% of the time, it is an inside recess and lunch as there is never enough undercover space for all students to be outside and out of the rain or avoiding wet surfaces.

Then what to do during playtime’s to keep your students amused? Are you one of those teachers who put a movie on and all student must sit still and quiet and watch it for the whole of playtime or can you handle abit of noise and mess and allow your students to play with the free choice activities? There is a fine balance; you want your students to exert their energy yet you also want to save your sanity.

Add to that, the temptation that students have to run out in the rain, or find any excuse to jump in a puddle or ‘accidentally’ get wet. While it might be great fun for our students, it is a huge pain in our neck with constantly reminding them to stay under the walkway; when going to the toilets, the canteen or another classroom. Can anyone relate?

Chuck in there, your eating time as well and wanting to sneak out for a bathroom break. So you leave your class in the capable hands of the teacher next door, yet there is always an injury, or someone running in the classroom or at least someone dobbing on someone, when you get back so you question is it really worth leaving in the first place?

But the day is not over yet, usually parents will have to come to the classroom of an afternoon to collect their children, which means delay as they have to find a parking spot, they have to collect their other children from their classrooms first and you can be left with the straggler’s at least half an hour after school finishes. And you have never been happier to see the end of that school day. Oh, and the joys when it is raining for a whole week.

I can assure you, you deserve every penny we get paid on rainy days.

Some ideas if you struggling for ways to entertain your kiddies during inside play days;

• put music on and have a dance off

• provide paper and pencils for drawing

• provide paper booklets and they can create their own story books

• copy colouring pages for them to complete

• offer lego, blocks, or other construction toys

• get out the board games or card games

• put on Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube to get them moving

• put on the Bluey series

• put on Franklin episodes

• entertain them with the Lola and Charlie show

• Berenstain Bears is an old favourite too

• or you have Babar if you have younger students

• put on a movie (good luck choosing one all students will enjoy)

• allow students to play on the iPad

• get out the whiteboards for drawing or writing

• Mr Bean is a classic for the older grades

• Pink Panther is a great one to watch as there are no voices or conversations. Bliss

• encourage reading of books in your literacy corner

• set up an obstacle course in the classroom if you are up for a bit of fun

What do you do on rainy days to keep sane? What is your school policy for indoor days? I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to join the conversation below.