Children love splashing around, playing and experimenting with water and it’s got so many benefits for them too. Water play helps develop hand-eye co-ordination, builds their concentration and focus levels and even introduces early scientific concepts – how much water can I fit in this bucket, will this float etc. We have put together a few water play ideas for you to try out at home. Have fun!
1. Water Tuff Tray
Tuff trays are brilliant for exploring all sorts of concepts and there are lots of different ways you can use tuff trays with water – create an area to sail boats in, add saucepans and cups etc that the children can fill and empty out and you could also add different elements from the garden (petals, twigs etc). The possibilities are endless!
2. Make a Leaf Boat
Have a go at making your own boat out of leaves. This could be as simple as using a large, intact leaf as a base and then adding something to travel on the boat (a stick maybe). Or you could use a nut shell as the boat, a stick as a mast and the leaf as the sail. Experiment together with what works best and what stays afloat on the water.
3. Blow Bubbles
Children love bubbles! And it’s easy to make your own – all you need is washing up liquid, water and something to use as a wand (straws, paperclips, biscuit cutters etc – experiment with whatever you can find at home!).
4. Make a Rain Gauge
Measure how much rain has fallen by making your own rain gauge. Simply cut a plastic bottle (ensure it has a flat bottom) about 2/3 of the way up, take the lid and turn the top part of the bottle upside down, (like a funnel) and place it inside the bottom part, fixing it in place with tape. Using a piece of tape, make a scale in cm (use your ruler to help you) and fix it to the side of the bottle. Put your rain gauge in place outside and ensure it is secure and won’t blow over. Keep checking to see how much rain has fallen each day.
5. Freeze Petals
Such a simple activity but a very pretty one. Collect some different coloured petals and/or interesting leaves, place in a container of water and freeze (a muffin tray would work really well for this). After a couple of hours take a look at what has happened! You could place some string in with the petals too so that you can hang your creations once they have frozen. Or ‘free’ the petals again by dropping warm water on them.
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Also, don’t forget to check out where our local Little Muddy Boots classes are taking place if you have toddlers or pre-schoolers.
