Materials:

• Tubs of water
• Measuring cups
• Containers that can hold water
• Toys that can get wet (especially toys that float)
• Water
• Towels

Skills:

• Gross motor skills
• Fine motor skills
• Scientific reasoning
• Spatial skills

Age: 2 and up

I attribute this one to my good friend Jackie.  I would never have come up with it because it meant my little guy got REALLY WET, but once I saw how much fun he was having (and how much learning was happening at the same time… Shhhhhh!), I didn’t care a bit that he was getting wet.  We were at her house on the 4th of July and my little almost-two-year-old was getting a little restless.  The big kids had found some fun things to do and none of them involved the only little guy around.  Jackie noticed his restlessness, and his interest in the tub of water that had been holding water balloons, and in seconds she invented an activity that kept him busy for the remainder of the afternoon!

How to play:  Fill a small tub (like a dish tub), or several small tubs, partially full with water.  Give your child different objects to try in the water, including things that float, things that sink, and things that can hold water.  Let his imagination go wild!