Messy play – bubbles and water play at home

‘Water Mumma!’ ‘Bubbles Daddy!’

Daisy very clearly asks for different play each morning and she frequently asks for water play; she is content to play with water in a variety of ways. None of the water play ideas needs any special equipment and can be set up indoors or outside. They all provide more messy play activities where Daisy can continue to develop physical skills and her co -ordination.

‘All Gone’

A brightly coloured bowl of warm water and a new chunky decorating paint brush or a pastry brush is fun outside where the paved patio can be painted and decorated with the brush and water. There’s very little clearing up with this water play which usually ends when the water has all gone!

More Water

Another favourite place for water play is at the kitchen sink, sitting on the worktop with toes dangling in the bubbles. This spot is great for practising gripping and holding different containers and developing pouring skills. The water is warm and we add a gentle bubble bath mix in the water. Occasionally we colour the water with a small amount of food colouring and the containers can be varied daily, including some transparent ones so that Daisy can see and watch the water moving inside the containers.

Bubbles squeeze

The builder’s tray provides a secure messy play area for water activities when Daisy is in other rooms. A transparent shallow container containing a small amount of water and plenty of foaming bubbles, some shaped sponges and some of her small world animals and then Daisy is happy to wash and clean her toys, squ-ee-ze the sponges and investigate the foam of bubbles. Other times Daisy chooses her teaset along with her animals and she likes to investigate the foam and scoop up the bubbles around her animals.

The variations of water play are only limited by the availability of toys and containers.

Oh Dear

It was only six months ago that I wrote a blog when we noticed Daisy was baby signing ‘Eat’ to tell us that she was hungry. Now Daisy has progressed through imitating sounds and saying her first few words onto copying those familiar expressions she’s heard ‘Oh No’ and ‘Oh Dear’ to now putting two words together in sentences and asking simple questions ‘Where ball?’

Using a combination of signing, gestures and words, Daisy is able to successfully communicate with us.

By repeating Daisy’s sentences and adding another word we can show her how to make bigger sentences -‘Where’s blue ball’. We can read a story book which links to the play and which includes new vocabulary, helping Daisy to build on her vocabulary. ‘Bing’ board books are popular with Daisy so after messy play with foaming bubbles we might read the Bubbles book where Bing and friends are blowing bubbles.

Granny Smith says

Whenever preparing to do some messy water play with toddlers, make sure that you have a towel (and mop) nearby so that you never have to leave a toddler alone with water.