Children love playing with water, and parents often discourage this. But in fact kids can learn a lot from water play, while having lots of fun. Water is familiar to them from their time in the womb and is a kinesthetically pleasurable and calming substance for most children.
1. Bubble blowing
Bubble blowing mix
1 cup dishwashing detergent
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoon glycerin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
A large plastic bowl
Children love to blow bubbles and watch them float around.
Use the recipe given above and supply straws or wire twisted into a loop?then send the kids outdoors for lots of fun.
2. Indoor water play
You can provide a variety of toys for your child to use while having a bath or on a hot day you could give them a bucket or tub of water to play with in the bathroom or on the balcony.
Children learn invaluable mathematical facts from playing with water. They learn concepts like full, empty, volume, float, sink, measurement, conservation, and much more. All you need to do is provide interesting items for experimentation, and occasionally converse with the child, naming objects and concepts and challenging her thinking (eg, ?Which container do you think holds more water ? the tall thin one or the short fat one??)
Some easily available items are listed below (give only a few at a time ? if you offer too many toys, he will just throw them around; he will focus better with fewer materials).
Objects that can float or sink
Give objects and let them see for themselves
Objects which will float:
A wooden spoon
A toy boat
A rubber/ plastic ball
Objects which will sink:
Keys
Stones
Paper clips
A metal button
Other materials:
Tea strainer or colander
Eyedropper
Squeeze bottles
Containers of different sizes and shapes
Spoons
Sponges
Funnels
3. Painting with water
Material
Small bucket
Large Paint brush
Method
Fill the bucket with water and give the brush to the child to paint an exterior ? a tree, fence or wall.
4. Sponge Play
Material
Sponge
Two containers
Method
Fill one container with water and leave the other empty. Get your child to transfer the water from one container to the other using the sponge. The child will learn about the absorbent property of the sponge, while developing hand coordination and strength.
