April means Spring time is finally upon us. So whether we are splashing in the puddles, enjoying the sunshine, or wandering through the garden, it is the perfect time of year to learn about nature. Today we had the opportunity to check out an adorable new book about the water cycle, and how it affects the world around us. We also paired it with some fun water cycle activities that can also help kids with fine motor skills and counting.

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions on my own.

Little Raindrop was written by Melanie Joyce and illustrated by Gina Maldonado. This sweet story follows a happy little raindrop as it makes it’s way through the water cycle. From  living in a cloud to falling to the ground and helping plants to grow, the little smiling raindrop introduces young readers to the steps of the water cycle.

The rhyming text follows a first person narrative, giving the story a conversational tone and making it engaging for little ones. The illustrations are full of bright, vivid colors, and personify the raindrops, clouds and flowers with friendly, smiling faces. Overall, this is a great way to introduce the water cycle to little ones and start a conversation about how water plays a part in the growth of the plants around us.

Counting Raindrops

This adorable book gave us the perfect opportunity to work on counting skills. For this activity, you can use this free printable, or create your own smiling clouds with white paper and marker. Cut out your clouds and write a number on each one. Then pour blue paint onto a plate and have kids place the correct amount of “raindrop” fingerprints on each cloud. You could also use blue jewels or beads to represent raindrops if you don’t want to use paint. This would help kids with fine motor skills as well.

Fine Motor Rain Clouds

We are all about fine motor skills and stringing beads lately, so this activity allowed us to talk about rain clouds while also having some fun with beads. First, I cut a paper plate in half and used a hole punch to create holes along the edge. Next, I threaded some yarn through each hole and tied it to the plate. I wrote a number above each hole, telling my daughter how many beads she should string onto each piece of yarn.

She counted out the blue beads and added the correct amount to each string, and then I helped her to tie a knot in the bottom so they would stay on. You could also use this to practice tying knots with older kids. Instead of having them add the right amount of beads, you could have them tie the correct amount of knots per string or have them tie a knot after each bead that they add.

Fingerpaint Water Cycle

To help my daughter visualize the water cycle outlined in the book, I created this free printable and  used it as a base for some finger painting fun! First, print out the water cycle printable and pour some blue paint onto a plate. This will represent the rain drops in the water cycle. For the evaporation portion, I would recommend either a light gray or a lighter blue to help kids differentiate between the two parts of the cycle.

With our materials all set, I reviewed the images on the page with my daughter and we talked about the water cycle we learned about in the book. Then I encouraged her to use her fingertips and the blue paint to create rain drops on the right side of the page, representing precipitation. Next, we used the lighter blue (or gray) to make water droplets on the left side of the page, going up towards the cloud and representing evaporation. Finally, we made a bunch of different colored fingerprints in the white clouds for condensation.

By following the arrows on the page and talking through the project, this helped her to visualize the water cycle and understand how the water moves from one phase to another.

There are lots of fun ways to discuss the water cycle with kids, and this adorable book is a great way to introduce the topic to very young readers. Does your family have any favorite books or activities for teaching the water cycle? Share in the comments below!

More Posts You May Enjoy: