Knowing the benefits of water play is important as we make teaching opportunities intentional and meaningful for our children.
Here are the top 5 benefits for children’s development:
1. Hand-eye coordination
2. Introduces math and science concepts
3. Enhances concentration and focus
4. Develops motor skills and sensory exploration
5. Builds social and communication skills
Here’s a list of engaging and interactive activities to make water play more fun!
● Physical Development – Gross Motor & Hand/Eye Coordination
○ Water Relay Races (pass the sponge, cup on head, etc. to increase hand/eye
coordination and gross motor skills
○ Limbo w/pool noodle
● Cognition – Building Connections
○ Using a theme & applying it to water play to build connections
(example: ice cream cup instead of buckets)
● Literacy
○ Alphabet Water Activities (add letters to water and fish it out, spray letters on
window, etc. )
● STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
○ Car Wash -= design a car wash using different materials (PVC piping and connectors, dusters, sponges, windsocks, etc.)
○ Build a beach
○ Toy boats-children build boats using various materials such as an avocado shell for
base
○ Lego tower- build the largest tower without it falling down and then spray down
○ Build a DIY water wall
● Math
○ Duck Races (Use rubber duckies in a large plastic bin and students measure how
far it went. They can also make predictions how far they’ll go and which one will
get their the quickest and explain why)
● Science
○ Erupting Ice Chalk
○ Sink or Float Experiment
○ More science experiments with water!
● Art
○ Paint dyed water
