Water play

Many parents know what negative effects electronic devices can do to their little ones. Yet they continue letting their children indulge in playing games and watching videos on the phones/tablets because they ran out of ideas to keep the kids occupied.

Channel News Asia carried an article recently, cautioning parents not to let toddlers below three be too familiar with mobile devices. Instead, parents should allow their children interact with the environment.

Let me suggest an alternative! Allow your toddler have some fun with water! It probably will not replace the time on iPad fully, but it is a much healthier activity.

Water/sand/play dough/bubble play are very common playtime activities in childcare centres. These are the sensory-play. Teachers let the children explore the items with their own creativity.

Water play is good for a child's cognitive and physical growth. The act of pouring, cupping the water and sprinkling will improve his eye-hand coordination and develops his hand muscles. Be surprised by other little things he can learn through a simple activity like this.



Some parents would choose to allow their child soak in the tub while playing. I prefer not, in case he catch a cold.




Here's a short video of Elric's first water play session!







Things to Note:

1. Supervise ALL THE TIME:
Kids are kids. They do not know the danger. Even if the water level is low, drowning can happen. Be cautious all the time.

2. Water temperature:
I prefer keeping the water warm to prevent him from catching a cold. You can always choose to use cold/tap water.

3. Play music:

I personally like to play instrumental music while Elric play with water.
This is especially good to calm the children who tend to be more active.

3. Toys:

Here are a few toys I use to add to the fun.



I love these Munchkin alphabet bath letters! When wet, these letters will stick to the wall. Elric enjoys playing with them while I reinforce to him what the letters are. :)





Yes! This is a sponge! I bought it for washing dishes but decided to modify it for him to play. :P Sponge is a very good play toy during water play. Kids can explore soaking them and squeezing out the water. Elric would lift it up and water the water flow down.





This cute turtle is one of Elric's favourite as it sprays out water!





Finally, these are stackable cups with holes. Your child can scoop up the water and see it flow though the holes. :)


There are many other types of toys you can make use of during water play such as rubber ducky and flowering pot. For older children, you can include bottles and funnels for them to learn pouring.


There are also water play sets available for sale. Some of which combines water with sand play too!


Hope you will find this post useful!
Do let me know if you have other ideas so that I may explore them too!


Cheers,
Kaye