Bath Time Learning

Aside from cleaning your toddler, bath time (or tubby time as we called it in our house!) can provide so many great opportunities for learning, sensory play, communication and bonding.  Take advantage of this uninterrupted time you have with your toddler.  Because of safety reasons, you have to be with your child so resist attending to a phone call or preparing  dinner while in the bathroom!  Tubby time is such a great opportunity for you and your little one to play together without the draw of outside distractions, so take advantage of it!

• Do you have special toys that you set aside for bath time?  In addition to those, think about bringing items from the kitchen to play with in the tub as well! Try to grab items that do different things such as a whisk, a funnel, a turkey baster, a few plastic cups and bowls and a ladle are a few ideas. Dump them in the tub and let your toddler use her creativity and experiment how to use each item, what the items can do and how he can manipulate the water using the different kitchen utensils. There is no need to buy special bath toys if you have a house full of other fun items that can be used in the bath!

• On another night have items that will sink to the bottom of the tub and items that will float on top of the water. These items could range from wine cork, plastic spoon, wood block, legos, cars, a leaf and a small ball.  Do you see the science connections you are making with your two year old?  After a night or two of playing with these toys have your child choose toys to add to the bath to see if they float or sink.

• Provide bath times when there are just cups and bowls with items to fill them up with too. While he is taking his bath,  spend some time asking questions and directing him on how to manipulate the toys to critically think about what is going on. Make sure the conversations will introduce to him words such as  sink, float, volume, weight, amount, pour, splash and squirt.  Pretend he is on a tropical island with a large waterfall splashing into the tub as you pour a large bowl of water from high above his head!  The opportunities are endless!                                                                                                                                                      

Bath time can provide all sorts of learning opportunities and don’t forget to also use the time to talk about the importance of cleaning our bodies and how to clean ourselves.  Have fun!