Water play 💦 for toddlers is one of the best summer activity ideas! If you want to mix up your water play for babies and toddlers then this list of great activities will keep you going! Water is one of the easiest sensory play activities to set up for babies and toddlers and a great toddler summer activity when the weather warms up.

While not every activity has to have a learning element to it, it's always amazing how much incidental learning happens during play. The beauty of water play is that it's an open-ended activity - there's no right or wrong way to play. It's all about exploring and seeing what happens. Safety tip: Always supervise ALL children near water.

Preschoolers are drawn to water play for the sheer fun of it: filling and emptying a cup,; squeezing a rubber toy; stirring with a wooden spoon. These are repetitive motions that a toddler can enjoy over and over while building fine motor strength. Water play can be soothing and calming, as well as a full-on sensory experience.

Just a few of the ways that toddlers learn through water play are: 

• Cause and effect (what happens if I tip the cup up? What happens when I splash something? Does it sink? Does it float?)

• Problem Solving - they are learning why things happen (if I tip the cup up, it pours out - if I want to keep the water in, I need to keep the cup the right way up).

• It's calming (well it can be!). There's something about scooping and pouring water that can calm toddlers down (older children too)

• Water play encourages language skills - while they are playing they are surrounded by rich language - either by talking or listening. You (or they) are using mathematical words (counting, measuring etc), scientific words (float, sink) along with asking and answering questions.

• Water play is also pretend play - they're not just 'playing in water' they're creating a harbour with boats, washing toys at a vet, creating a car wash scenario etc. This is very valuable imaginative play!

Setting up water play activities can be as simple as using a water table, or you can get a bit more creative like some of the ideas listed below.

Water Play with Sponges

No expensive items required for this one - grab some clean sponges 🧽🧽 and let them play!

We use:

• A simple plastic bin is all that is required to start the fun. Water play 💦 with sponges may get a little messy so prepare the area ahead of time with a drop cloth and some towels for wiping up spills.

• Add a variety of sponges 🧽, in different sizes, shapes and colours. These are usually found for little expense at your local supermarkets or shops, or even online on a trusted company.

• You can use the sponges as it or be creative and cut the sponges to resemble the shape of a boat 🛳 or a fish 🐠. You can also add craft eyes or fins to a sponge to make a sea creature.

• Engage your toddler with conversation and hands-on activities.

  • Show your child how to squeeze the sponge to release the water. Squeeze water over your hand and over the sponges and toys.

  • Practice filling a small bucket 🪣 or bowl. Then pour the water out of the container.

  • Observe how sponges float.

  • Stack the sponges.

  • Sort the sponges by colour, size or shape.

  • Place small toys on the sponges to see if they sink or float!

Little Toys Water Play

Take your toys from your bath (ducks, or any bath animals will work). It's interesting how they become more interested in a toy when you change the setting - their bath toys become fun again when you add it to the water table.

While your Preschooler is moving their toys around in the water, take advantage of opportunities to promote language development. Talk about the placement of the toys in relation to the mother duck 🦆. Use simple words and phrases with your toddler as you position duck and ducklings in the water.

Place the ducks 🦆around the mother duck in different ways.

• in front of

• behind

• under

• beside

• near

• far

You can further promote interactive play and chatter by incorporating songs and music.

Water play is a perfect sensory activity for toddlers for strengthening fine motor, language and social skills, while Munchkins have fun with pretend play. Your Munchkin will love splashing in the water table

Washing Toys! 

Get out your toys (or clothes 🧦👚🩳🥻👗), add some bubbles 🫧🫧, add a cloth and a towel to dry them with. We've done this with cars, socks & trucks, dinosaurs 🦖🦕, ponies and dolls - the possibilities are endless! 

Washing toys (or clothes!) is certainly not a unique idea, but it's one that we have used in early education settings for years and every time we put them out everyone wants to join in!

It is always a popular water play activity for preschoolers. All we use for this one is a big container of bubbly water. We used our regular bubble bath but washing up liquid would also work. The more bubbles you can make the more fun they have!

Put a few cloths in there for them to wash the toys with and add some toys!

We also put another smaller container next to the bubbly water full of clean water for them to rinse the toys in and a big towel for them to dry the toys.

We started with cars and trucks, moved onto ponies and ended up washing their dolls and Oscar and Mabel’s socks too!

Any plastic animals or toys will work.