I’m often on a lookout for easy and fast to prepare activities to keep kids occupied in those “Mom, I’m bored!” moments. And the easiest way to get kids excited about something is to suggest a water play! Both of my kids loved playing with water as toddlers AND as they grew up older!
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Gather few things from your kitchen for a simple water play (also doubles as fine motor practice).
Paint with water! Kids can paint the fence or wall outside, or piece of cardboard inside if the weather is bad and you’re stuck inside!
Recycle some plastic bottles to make an easy water wall in your backyard! Kids will love it and use it all over the summer!
Or you can just lay everything on the floor and invite your toddlers to explore water!
Freeze water you previously colored with food coloring and let kids explore color mixing with ice cubes!
You can easily explore color mixing with colored water, if you’re need an activity NOW and can’t wait for the water to freeze.
Everything changes when you put water in a spray bottle! Kids love this new (to them) way to play with water!
You probably have stacking rings around? Why not use them for a simple sink or float experiment? It would be awesome if you could use both plastic
Either in the bathtub (inside) or in the pool (outside), you can add few pieces of pool noodles to make water play more fun!
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You know how toddlers always love to imitate their parents? Set them up with a simple washing station and they will enjoy washing dishes!
And you can always pretend play and give a bath to baby dolls or favorite animals!
You can also add water beads to a bathtub or sensory bin. It’s fun to chase them around!
Toddlers will adore you if you let them help wash the car! Or windows! (You have to know that you will have to do it all over after them, but they get to practice life skills so it’s well worth it!)
Add few balls into water for fun!
Make an easy fishing game for them to play indoors!
Use water-based play to sort animals!
Cut some pipe cleaners in pieces and explore magnetism in water.
Add marble maze to water play! It’s fun to watch water slide over and over again!
Explore music with water! This one is sooo cool!
Blow bubbles inside if you can’t do it outdoors! This simple change makes a huge difference in play!
Super simple science for toddlers – learning about absorption!
Set up glow in the dark bathtime! You’ll have a problem getting them out! 😉
Make water soup! You can do it with items you already have at or around home: buttons, alphabet letters, LEGO bricks, googly eyes, flower petals.
Kids can pretend play car wash.
Or you can just add sponges to water. How simple is that? They get to work on their grasp as they try to squeeze water out!
And you can add oil to a water for a quick color mixing lesson for kids.
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If you’re looking for additional simple to set up activities, you should most surely check the Early Years Activity Set from our friend Jamie from Hands on: as we grow. This set is packed full of super easy and low preparation activities for toddlers and preschoolers. You can pick which one you want, according to your child’s age. She even planned several weeks of activities for you! Or you can use templates she provides and set your own plans for a week of fun discovering, playing, engaging and learning with kids!
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