Family outing despite rainy weather: Why it’s worth it

A family outing is always a welcome change and brings parents and children even closer together. However, when it comes to a trip into nature, rainy weather can really dampen your mood. But that doesn't have to be the case: if you're properly equipped, a rainy day trip can be a real highlight.

With the right equipment, a nature trip with the family is fun even when it rains.

Braving the rain has many advantages

If a hike was actually planned as a family outing , rainy weather can really spoil the mood. After all, the best thing to do when it's raining is to stay at home. However, parents keep in mind that children should be allowed to play in the fresh air for about two hours a day. But what do you do when rainy and muddy weather ruins your outing plans?

Rainy weather and a trip into nature, even with small children, are not actually contradictory. Accordingly, rainy weather does not ruin most outdoor excursion plans. It simply requires a different attitude and perhaps the right equipment. However, if kids are equipped with warm and rainproof children's boots , an outdoor trip is no problem even in bad weather. What's more: There are several good reasons why children (and parents) should spend time outdoors even when it rains.

Fresh air is good in any weather

Many adults are no longer used to being outside, even in bad weather. They travel most of their journeys by car anyway. If it starts to rain, most of them don't even set foot outside - or get straight into the car.

However, these habits are primarily about convenience. After all, rain doesn't harm anyone. On the contrary: daylight and fresh air are good for adults and children alike, whatever the weather. Even if it's overcast outside, daylight still stimulates the body's important vitamin D production. Since many people spend less time outdoors, especially in autumn and winter, there is a lack of the "sunshine vitamin" anyway. A trip outside, even in rainy weather, can therefore be a welcome opportunity to curb the vitamin D deficiency .

Get to know nature from a new perspective when it rains

Anyone who goes on a trip into nature when it's raining will get to know it from a completely new perspective. Of course, this perspective can be wet, muddy or foggy. Nevertheless, nature has a special charm even without the sun.

Landscapes, mountains and meadows are not only impressive when the sun is shining. When the sky is cloudy or it is raining, you can rediscover familiar destinations. When it is not sunny, well-known favorite destinations present themselves from a completely different perspective. When fog hangs thickly over the meadows or a small stream turns into a river, it becomes a completely new experience.

Another fascinating feature is that rain and higher humidity attract many animals to the daylight. With a bit of luck, you can observe snails or salamanders during a rainy trip that you would otherwise rarely see.

pixabay.com © EvgeniT (CCO Creative Commons)

When it rains, you can discover nature in a whole new way.

Sensual experiences with the elements

Especially in bad weather, children can gain valuable sensory experiences during a nature trip. After all, they come into contact not only with water, but also with earth and wind in an "unusual form". In this way, children in particular are physically and mentally stimulated in a different way than usual.

This is already evident from the fact that most children are fascinated when they play with water in a stream, for example. And the new experiences with wind and sand on a holiday by the sea usually fascinate children for a long time. Reason enough to give children very special experiences in nature during an excursion in rainy weather.

To ensure that the trip doesn't literally fall through, a little preparation is required. To have fun even when it's raining, the equipment on a trip has to be right. After all, nobody likes to explore their surroundings with wet feet. The following items are therefore essential for a trip in rainy weather:

• Waterproof, warm shoes or boots
• Rainproof jacket with hood
• Possibly a warm fleece jacket to wear underneath
• Digging or mud pants for smaller children

Alternative excursions in rainy weather

A nature trip has its own charm even when it's raining. Nevertheless, there are days when you long for an indoor activity in bad weather. That's not a problem either. After all, there are many great alternative trips where you won't get your feet wet even when it's raining:

• Visiting a museum: There are countless museums in Germany that are also ideal for a family outing. Special family tours are often offered that are also interesting for children. To ensure that no one gets bored, the child's preferences should be taken into account when choosing a museum.
• Visit castles or palaces: Princesses, knights and kings fascinate older and younger children alike. A great alternative for a family outing is a regional palace or palace. Here, too, interactive family tours are often offered, allowing children to get into new roles.
• Trip to the aquarium: Experience the water without getting your feet wet on a trip to the aquarium. Here parents and children have the opportunity to get to know various sea creatures up close. The insight into the underwater world and the encounter with starfish and crabs are also fun for parents and older children.
• A visit to the theater: If it's raining outside, it's worth visiting the theater with children. Of course, the program should be child-friendly. If that's the case, however, The Snow Queen or Peterchen's Trip to the Moon will excite children far more than a trip to the cinema or a TV film.
• Trip to the indoor playground: If the weather outside is bad, you don't have to miss out on exercise and fun. And the couch doesn't necessarily have to serve as a bouncy castle. After all, a family trip to an indoor playground can be a simple option when it's raining. Smaller children in particular can really let off steam here. But just like their parents, they won't get their feet wet.