Water Play to do with Your Toddler Right Now
Don't-Miss Water Fun for Playing with Toddlers:
Water play is one of those things that tops the list of delightful things to do with toddlers. Grab this handful of supplies and head out to the patio to do this easy sensory activity with your toddler today. Go! Right now! It's warm and sunny and so easy to delight your little one.
I bet you have all these things on hand:
- Plastic containers
- Sponges or small rags
- Paint brushes– I buys packs at the dollar store for this kind of play.
- Sidewalk chalk
Usually I like to gradually set out one item after another to extend the play, but sometimes it can be fun to just put out a big collection of interesting items like this and see what your child wants to do with them. As you hand these items to your toddler, they'll know just how to play of course, but you can encourage all sorts of explorations.
Simple Water Play Ideas
- Pour from one container to another.
- Use the sponge or a rag to transfer water from one container to another. This kind of squeezing action is great for developing fine motor skills and is satisfying to little sensory systems.
- Grab a handful of rocks or outdoor toys for your tot to “clean.”
- Toss the sponge at a target (or at nothing at all, it's just fun to toss wet things and see them splat.)
- Step on the wet sponge to feel it squish.
- Paint the sidewalk or the side of the house with water.
- If you have a spare paint roller your child can try that for painting too.
- Step in water and make foot prints.
- Let your child paint your hands or feet.
- Paint your child's feet with water. Oh! That tickles!
- Dip the chalk in water and draw with it.
- Paint over the chalk lines.
- Pour the water on the chalk lines and wipes it away with the sponge.
- Drop chalk pieces in the water and stir them with the paint brush.
- Wrap the chalk in a wet rag and hand it to your toddler to find it.
- Drop rocks into the water container. Splash!
You don't need lots of fancy toys or a water table to enjoy water play with your toddler. Grab these ordinary household items and have fun. For what it's worth, my tot loved doing this, but it still didn't take longer than 10 minutes and we she was on to something else. That's totally normal for this age. Short bursts of interesting activity – we might come back to this later.
I hope you have fun playing in the water with your toddler today!
More Fun for Toddlers can be Found Here:
- More water play: Bath Toys to Get Toddlers to LOVE Bathtime – best bath toys for toddlers
- Get out and play in the snow: Snow Activities Toddlers Can Do – get outdoors this winter!
- Board games toddlers can play! 10+ Great Board Games for Toddlers
Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.