Summer is here, and so is the challenge of keeping your kiddos entertained and cool. Parents know that bored toddlers can quickly become troublemakers prone to tantrums (and many other undesirable behaviors). Water play is the perfect antidote—it’s a blast for kids and offers a smorgasbord of developmental benefits, too.
When toddlers splash, pour, and swim, they’re doing so much more than simply having fun. They’re learning and growing in incredible ways (it can be our secret). Water play helps kids develop coordination and motor skills, strengthens their muscles, and provides multi-sensory input. It’s also an excellent opportunity for them to practice problem-solving, learn about cause and effect, and even grasp basic math and science concepts.
We’ve rounded up our water activities to keep your toddler entertained and engaged all summer. From backyard fun to creative bathtub games, these ideas will bring smiles, giggles, and a whole lot of splashing.
The Benefits of Water Play
Water play isn’t just a fun way to keep your toddlers cool on hot summer days—it’s also packed with amazing benefits for their holistic development. Here’s why splashing around is so great for your little ones.
Physical Development
When your toddler is pouring water from one cup to another or trying to swim across the pool, they’re building important physical skills. Water play helps develop fine motor skills (like grasping and pouring) and gross motor skills (like jumping, running, and balancing).
Multi-Sensory Experiences
Water play is a full-on sensory adventure. The feel of water splashing on your kiddo’s skin, the sight of bubbles forming, and the sound of waves or a running hose all stimulate your child’s senses. Multi-sensory input is seriously brain-boosting: Stimulating multiple sensory systems turbo-charges the formation of rich neural connections. All those connections facilitate growth and learning.
Cognitive Development
Watching a toy float or sink, figuring out how to make water flow through a funnel, or even just playing with different water temperatures introduces your toddler to basic science concepts. Water play encourages curiosity, experimentation, and problem-solving skills. It’s also a sneaky way to teach math concepts like volume, measurement, and even counting.
Social and Emotional Growth
Water play is a fantastic opportunity for toddlers to learn social skills. Whether they share toys, take turns, or play cooperatively, they’re practicing important social interactions. Water play also majorly boosts your kiddo’s confidence. Mastering a new skill, like swimming or staying afloat, is a pretty big deal.
Language and Communication
Water play tends to involve a lot of chatting, especially if a bossy older sibling is involved. Kids love describing their actions, asking questions, giving directions, and telling stories. All this self-directed chit-chat helps expand their vocabulary and improve their communication skills. Interactive play with peers or parents also encourages active listening and helps them learn the “rules” of conversation.
Creativity and Imagination
Water is a blank canvas for your child’s imagination. From pretending to be a deep sea diver to creating a mini water park in the backyard, water play sparks creativity. Kids can invent games, build scenarios, and explore their creative sides in a fun, engaging way.
Fun Water Activities to Try with Your Toddler
Homemade Splash Pad
- What You Need: A large tarp, pool noodles, and a garden hose.
- How to Do It: Lay out the tarp and “line” the edges with noodles to create a puddle pool. Turn on the hose to a low flow and let it slowly fill the tarp. Your toddler can splash, sit, and play in the water safely. (All water play should be done under close supervision, of course.)
Water Balloon Pinata
- What You Need: Water balloons, string, and a stick (or bat).
- How to Do It: Fill water balloons and hang them from a tree, swing set, or other sturdy structure. Give your toddler a stick and let them try to burst the balloons. It’s a fun way to beat the heat!
Sponge Water Bombs
- What You Need: Sponges and rubber bands.
- How to Do It: Cut sponges into strips and tie them together in the middle with a rubber band to create a sponge bomb. Soak them in water and have a fun, infinitely re-doable water fight.
Ice Excavation
- What You Need: A large container, small toys, and water.
- How to Do It: Place small toys in the container, fill it with water, and freeze it. Give your toddler tools like spoons or toy hammers to excavate the toys from the ice. It’s a great sensory activity and occupies a lot of time.
Water Painting
- What You Need: Paintbrushes and a bucket of water.
- How to Do It: Let your toddler “paint” on sidewalks, driveways, or fences with water. Watching their artwork disappear as it dries is basically a magic trick.
Toy Wash
- What You Need: Bubble bath solution and toys.
- How to Do It: Add bubble bath to the tub water—don’t be stingy!—and throw in some toys. Let your toddler scrub their dolls, dinosaurs, construction trucks, and action figures squeaky clean.
Floating and Sinking Game
- What You Need: Various household items (some that float and some that sink).
- How to Do It: Gather a collection of items and let your toddler guess which ones will float and which will sink. Test each item and talk about why it floats or sinks.
Block Scooping
- What You Need: Lego or Duplo blocks and a net or fine mesh strainer
- How to Do It: Toss those blocks in the tub and let your toddler “catch” them! This is a great exercise for improving hand-eye coordination.
Color-Changing Bath Tablets
- What You Need: Water-safe color-changing tablets.
- How to Do It: Add color-changing tablets to the bathwater and watch as your toddler is amazed by the changing colors. Mix different colors to create new ones and talk about color mixing. Bonus! It doesn’t require a degree in fine arts.
Bath Crayons
- What You Need: Bath crayons and imagination.
- How to Do It: Encourage your toddler to draw, practice letters, or scribble (there are no rules here!) on the bathtub walls with bath crayons. They can create artwork and easily wash it off when bath time is over. Pro tip: The longer you leave the artwork up, the harder it is to wash off. #lessonslearned
Pouring Station
- What You Need: Cups, bowls, and spoons.
- How to Do It: Give your toddler various containers and let them practice pouring water from one to another. (You probably have everything you need in your kitchen!) It’s a fun way to experiment with cause and effect and practice fine motor skills.
Ocean in the Tub
- What You Need: Blue food coloring, bath toys (boats, fish, etc.), and sea-themed toys.
- How to Do It: Add a drop of blue food coloring to the bathwater and fill the tub with sea-themed toys. Create an ocean adventure for your toddler to explore.
Miniature Water Park
- What You Need: Water table, cups, funnels, and toys.
- How to Do It: Set up a water table with accessories like cups, funnels, and toys. Create flowing water paths with “dams” and experiment with different setups.
Ice Play
- What You Need: Ice cubes (and food coloring if you’re feeling sassy).
- How to Do It: Add ice cubes to the water table for sensory exploration—experimenting with temperature in water will blow your kiddo’s mind. Watch how ice melts and discuss states of matter. It’s Bill Nye approved.
Finding What’s Right for You
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