Water play is great fun for children of all ages, however it can be difficult to think of alternative ways to offer the play. Here are 8 fun and exciting activities to encourage water play in your setting.
Food colouring ice cubes
Add colour to your water tray using food coloured ice cubes. Simply add a small amount of food colouring to an ice cube tray and add water. You can one colour or a variety and these will need to be left to freeze for a couple of hours. Once ready just add to your water play and watch them slowly melt away adding splashes of colour to the water.
Cork pirate boats
Making boats are a fun way to add small world to water play. Simply stand two or three corks side by side and attach them together using a rubber band at each end. You can ask the children to make some small paper flags and add these to the cork boats using tooth picks. These cork boats float in the water and can be reused over and over again.
Pipettes
Using pipettes in water play can encourage and develop the children’s fine motor skills. The children need to squeeze the top of the pipette to collect water then let go to keep the water in. This enables the children to practise their pincer grip, a vital skill needed when learning to write.
Shells and Pebbles
Shells and pebbles are a great addition to a water tray. They add a natural touch to the play and the children love to use their senses to feel the texture of them. You can add sieves and colanders to the water tray and let the children catch the shells and pebbles, whilst watching the water run through the holes.
Jugs and funnels
Children love to uses containers in water play to transfer the water, filling and emptying bottles or cups. Jugs and funnels enable children to experiment further with transferring water between containers using the funnels. You can encourage them to explore size and measure, for example can all of the water from the big jug fit into the small jug? This activity will develop early mathematical skills.
Washing clothes
Children love to rein-act scenes or events from their home life, with cleaning jobs usually a favourite! Children can experience washing and drying the baby clothes using the water tray. Simply add some bubbles, sponges and doll’s clothes to the water play and encourage the children to wash the clothes. You could add your very own washing line across the top of the water tray using two poles at either end and some string to create the washing line. Children can practise their fine motor skills by manipulating the pegs when adding the clothes to the line.
Number fishing
Children can enjoy exploring and playing with number in the water tray through a fun fishing game. Simply use a marker pen to write different numbers onto ping pong balls and add them to the water tray. Provide children with small fishing nets and encourage them to catch different numbers using their nets. You can add green strips of cellophane to act as seaweed making the game harder for the older children.
Magnets
Magnets are a great way to encourage some early investigation skills in children. Simply add lots of different objects to the water tray, some magnetic items like coins and paper clips and some not such as lolly pop sticks and plastic animals. Encourage the children to use magnets to discover which items are magnetic and which are not. You can add two buckets for the children to sort the items into.
There are lots of other ways to make water play more interesting, visit our Pinterest board for more ideas.