Rainy days don’t have to mean bored kids!
When the weather isn’t cooperating and we’re stuck inside, I love finding simple crafts that let my daycare kids get creative without needing a giant list of expensive supplies. This rainy day umbrella craft is one of those activities that is easy to set up, fun for little hands, and makes a really cute decoration to send home.
The best part? You probably already have most of what you need sitting around your craft supplies.
And honestly, I think these would be adorable hanging up around a daycare room, classroom, playroom, or even on the fridge at home.
What You’ll Need
For each umbrella, you’ll need:
- Construction paper
- Markers
- String
- Glue
- Tape
- Scissors
- Glitter glue (optional)
- Stickers, crayons, pom-poms or other craft supplies you have around
- Blue construction paper for the raindrops
You can use whatever colours you have. Let the kids choose their own umbrella colour and really make it theirs!
Step 1: Make the Umbrella
Start with a piece of construction paper.
You can either draw an umbrella shape for the children to decorate first and then cut it out, or for younger children, cut the umbrella shapes out ahead of time.
I like to make a big, simple umbrella shape with a curved bottom. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
This is daycare craft time, not an umbrella-making competition.
Step 2: Let the Kids Decorate
Now comes the fun part!
Give the kids markers and let them decorate their umbrellas however they want.
They can draw:
- Rainbows
- Flowers
- Hearts
- Polka dots
- Their names
- Clouds
- Sunshine
- Crazy patterns
You can also put out stickers, crayons, pom-poms or anything else you have in your craft cupboard.
And if you have glitter glue, this is the perfect opportunity to use it!
A little glitter glue around the edges or across the umbrella can give the finished craft some extra sparkle.
Just be prepared for glitter to somehow end up everywhere. If you’ve ever done daycare crafts, you already know!
Step 3: Make the Raindrops
Now it’s time to make the rain.
Take your blue construction paper and cut out lots of little raindrop shapes.
For each raindrop, you’ll need two matching pieces.
Place a piece of string between the two raindrop shapes and glue them together so the string is sandwiched between the paper.
This gives you a raindrop that looks finished from both sides and allows it to hang down from the umbrella.
You can make the raindrops different sizes too!
Some can be tiny and some can be big. There really isn’t a wrong way to do it.
Step 4: Attach the Rain
Once the glue has dried enough, tape the strings of raindrops to the back of each completed umbrella.
I like using different lengths of string so the raindrops hang at different heights.
This makes it look like the umbrella is actually sitting underneath a little shower of rain.
You can use three or four strings of raindrops per umbrella, or add even more if the kids want lots of rain.
Step 5: Hang Them Up!
Once everything is dry, your rainy day umbrellas are ready to display!
Hang them from a window, bulletin board, daycare wall, or anywhere else you want to add a little colour.
You could even make a giant rainy-day display by putting all of the children’s umbrellas together with clouds above them.
It would make such a cute daycare decoration!
Make It a Learning Activity Too
Of course, crafts are fun, but I love when we can sneak a little learning into them too.
While you’re making the umbrellas, you can talk about:
- What happens when it rains
- Where rain comes from
- Different types of weather
- Colours
- Counting raindrops
- Big and small
- Long and short
- Patterns
You can even ask the kids questions like:
“How many raindrops did you put on your umbrella?”
“Which colour did you choose?”
“Can you make a pattern?”
“What do we need when it rains?”
For younger kids, simply decorating, gluing and manipulating the paper is already giving them plenty of opportunities to work on those little hand and finger muscles.
A Simple Craft With Supplies You Probably Already Have
This is exactly the kind of craft I love doing with my daycare kids.
You don’t need fancy craft kits or expensive supplies. A few pieces of construction paper, some string, glue and markers can turn into something really cute.
And because every child gets to decorate their own umbrella, they all end up looking completely different.
That’s my favourite part.
There is no “perfect” umbrella.
There are just their umbrellas.
Some will be covered in scribbles. Some will have rainbows. Some will have enough glitter to be seen from space.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.
More Fun Crafts From Funky Frugal Mommy
If you’re looking for more simple crafts and activities to do with daycare kids or your own children, I’ve got lots more ideas over on Funky Frugal Mommy.
🍎 How to Make a Super Cute Apple Suncatcher Craft for Back-to-School — This one uses simple craft supplies and turns out so cute hanging in a sunny window. (Funky Frugal Mommy)
🦋 Cellophane Butterfly Wings — A fun creative activity I made with my daycare kids that also makes for some really cute pictures. (Funky Frugal Mommy)
🧪 Easy Clay Slime Recipe — One of our favourite sensory activities, and you can change it up with different colours and fun additions. (Funky Frugal Mommy)
🏠The Best Indoor Toys for Daycare Spaces — If you’re looking for more ways to keep little ones busy indoors, I’ve shared some of the toys we’ve actually used in our daycare. (Funky Frugal Mommy)
Whether you’re a daycare provider, preschool teacher, parent, grandparent or just looking for something fun to do on a rainy afternoon, I hope you give these little umbrellas a try.
Take your time, let the kids get messy, and most importantly, have fun with it!
Because sometimes the simplest crafts end up being the ones the kids remember.
