I love to offer simple activities to toddlers that are fun but also support their emerging interests and strengths.
Fine motor muscle strengthening and hand/eye coordination are skills that are important to focus on , especially for toddlers, but that doesn't mean that we as educators and parents need to provide detailed and expensive activities to target these skills…you can always do it through the magic of simple play based learning!
Here's one of the activities that is always very popular with the toddlers and is easily modified to make it a little harder for the preschoolers. Even Miss Teen has been known to have a play with this one but don't tell her I told you!
Here's what you need…
- A few medium wash bowls/tubs or a large water play trough/tub
- Different shaped and sized whisks
- Dishwashing detergent or hand soap
- Warm or cold water
- Paint powder dyes or food colouring (optional)
Here's what you do…..
Half fill your tubs or trough with water, we used warm as it was a cool day and it added to the sensory experience.
Squirt in a little soap or dishwashing liquid
Hand the whisks out and first watch to see what they do. I like to ask a simple question like “How could we make bubbles in the water?” or “What can we do with the whisk?”
There is usually a little experimenting but then bubbles start to appear as they stir faster and then begin whisking and they know what they need to do. It's great watching their eyes light up when they realise what they are achieving!
If you have a very young toddler you can model using the whisk or encourage them to splash and stir with their hands to begin making their bubbles. A little help from you to whisk a few first will keep their focus and interest in the activity.
When they have made some bubbles you can make it a little more interesting by sprinkling on some powder paint dye (I use edicol vegetable dye as it goes a long way and washes out easily!)
I ask the children to mix the colour in with their whisk or hands and watch as the water changes to a bright colour.
Some of the toddlers enjoyed making patterns in their friends tub using the different colours. They were fascinated with the effects they made!
You shouldn't need to keep intervening in this activity, there is no wrong or right way, it's about the process and letting them experiment and problem solve to get the outcome they want. While they are having fun doing this they are of course working those hand and wrist muscles as well as practising their hand eye coordination.
You can talk about the colours they are making and how they could make other colours too.
I find a few separate tubs for a small group works well and really allows them to explore their own creativity and purpose. It is a good exercise in turn taking though if using a larger trough.
When there is a bit of foam and bubble from the whisking I like to introduce a few small sieves to the play as well.
The sieve is good for trying to catch the bubbles and for transferring one foam colour to another colourful tub. They encourage scooping, twisting, spatial awareness and hand control and balance.
Some will also just prefer to use their hands…and this is perfectly fine, it is a wonderful sensory activity especially when you have warm or cold water!
Older children will enjoy trying to take prints of their bubble foam colours. They will need to first whisk up a good froth and then you can support them to lay a piece of white paper over the tub without immersing it. Give it a wiggle and this will take a “print” of their creativity to keep.
I always like to involve toddlers in the packing up/cleaning process as this is also an important skill to learn and one that they usually enjoy as they love to feel useful!
When we were nearly finished I gave them all some pieces of sponge I had cut into shapes from some packaging we received in a box.
We talked about the shapes and how to clean the paint colours from the table. They loved it and were so busy wiping down the tables and then finding the sponges in the bottom of their tubs after dropping them in there!
In reality they did of course make more mess than was originally there but look at that concentration and focus on getting the job done! When they went down for their rest I just came back and hosed the table and sponges and left everything in the sun to dry…easy!
And although the prints look just like water colours they were awfully proud of them and they acted as a conversation prompt when parents picked them up and asked them questions about their day.
What does a child experience with this simple activity?
- A sense of pride and self worth as they explore a new skill.
- They are practising their pre writing skills
- They are expressing themselves creatively
- They are strengthening their fine motor muscles, control and coordination.
- They are learning about cause and effect
- They are using their thinking and reasoning skills to problem solve.
- They are communicating and using descriptive language.
- They are recognising and naming colours
- They are exploring with their senses
- They are happy and HAVING FUN in their own way…but they are learning!
How does your toddler like to play with water? Find more water play ideas HERE.
Why not join our Empowered Educator Facebook Community to connect with educators around the world. Join HERE.
If you enjoyed this post why not PIN IT to Pinterest
A Little About Me
Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.
Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.
This looks like a blast! I will have to see what I can find at Grandma and Grandpa’s house this weekend. 😀
Hello I just wanted to say how much my 2 year old loves all the activities on your fabulous website. It’s great to find simple and cost effective activities for my toddler since his second birthday I found it increasingly difficult to keep busy and also learning at the same time. From one aussie mum to another thank you and keep up the amazing work. Bye
Thanks so much for your feedback Emma! i truly believe play doesn’t need to be expensive or too much work! So glad your 2 yr old is loving the activities, it can be hard to keep 2 year olds busy, they have such short attention spans!
I just wanted to say thank you! I think this is the best website that I have come across! You cover all the bases! As a new dayhome provider, I really appreciate that!!
Rose
Thanks so much Rose, that is wonderful and I’m so glad I can help, hope your daycare journey is going well!