Even though filling a tub with water and adding a bunch of random stuff to it is so simple, it has countless benefits for children. This article lists a bunch of them if you are interested in learning more about water play from an educational perspective. Some of the basic math and science concepts such as measuring, sinking and floating or hot vs cold can be taught using water. the best part of water play is that it’s fun and your children can become absorbed in it. Rosebud could sit there forever just playing in the water. She loves bath time, jumping in a puddle or swimming in her pool in the summer.

Since spring doesn’t seem to want to show up this year, it has been cold so I’ve tried to find interesting things for us to do inside. Last weekend, I decided to put some water in a tub, cover the kitchen floor with towels and let Rosebud play and experiment. She had fun scooping, pouring, squeezing the sponge and so on. We talked about whether the water was warm or cold. She commented that it was warm. We counted how many scoops it would take to fill the cups. We talked about sinking and floating. Even though she’s young and doesn’t understand these concepts yet, it’s good for vocabulary building. She got wet of course, but surprisingly my kitchen floor didn’t so the clean up doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Another plus is that water play can be relaxing and can help a child Wind down.

What’s in the tub?

Water,

Small cups, (I used the little cups you can put salad dressing in by Tupperware)

Scoops, (one of them was shaped like a shovel and the other round)

Different sized funnels,

Small turkey baster,

Sponge, (This one was shaped like a whale)

Ball, (Just for something different)

You can basically use anything that you can put in water. It’s something you can be creative and have fun with.