Activity ideas inspired by World Photo Day
World Photo Day takes place on 19th August every year, and is a day devoted to celebrating the history of photography. This year’s theme is ‘Understanding clouds’ and we thought it could be perfect inspiration for a weekend of fun and learning!
Watching the clouds go by
This is a perfect activity for everyone to enjoy together, and could be a great way to relax after a trip to the park, or playing some games (you can find ideas for games to get moving here).
What you need
- A blanket or a comfortable place to sit.
What to do
- Place a blanket on the floor and lie down on your backs so you can look at the clouds.
- Talk about what you can see, with older children you could see if you can see a shape in the clouds.
- Babies might not notice the clouds, but you could lie together under a tree so they can enjoy the movement of the light through the leaves. And they will notice that lying down outside feels different to being inside.
Save this activity for a dull day, don’t look at the sky if the sun is bright.
Spot the rain clouds
As the saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad weather – just the wrong clothes,” and children love getting outside in the rain.
What you need
- Waterproofs and wellington boots
What to do
- On a rainy day, put on waterproofs and wellington boots and go out for a walk.
- Give your child time to jump in puddles and feel the rain on their skin.
- Look at the clouds together and comment on what the rain clouds look like.
Babies and toddlers won’t understand the connection between the clouds and rain just yet, but by chatting with them about this now you’re helping them to make these connections.
Take some cloud photos
What you need
- A camera or phone
What to do
- Show your child how to use the camera or phone to take photos.
- Take a couple of photos yourself of the clouds and look at them with your child.
- Ask them to take some photos of the clouds too.
- Put all the photos together in one album on your phone (or print them) and look at them together.
- You could take photos on different days and see if your child can spot rain clouds or different shaped clouds in your pictures.
Find some cloud books
There are lots of books about clouds, including Little Cloud by Eric Carle, which is a simple story about a cloud that loves changing shape.
There are also books for children about different types of clouds, so if your child gets really interested you could visit the library and get a book to help you find out more.
If you don’t have a book why not look online together for some more information about clouds?
Don’t forget to use your activity page to find ideas linked to the skills you’re helping your child to master now.