11 super fun bath activities for kids

In our home, bathtime has always been a fun and active learning experience. My kiddos are fascinated by water and love developing skills using their senses in the bath. From fine motor skills, to early writing and math readiness, bath time is jam packed with many learning opportunities. I thought it would be helpful to share some of the toys and activities that we use to make bathtime developmentally beneficial.

1. Glow bath: Turn the lights off and use glow sticks to create an underwater glow party. Make way for a sensory overload that will cure any bath time blues.
2. Gone fishing: Place ice and/or other objects in the bathtub and let your kiddos catch them in a cup and/or net. The fishing bath toy I included has a magnetic bobber to help develop hand-eye coordination.
3. Picasso: This one speaks for itself, let the kiddos use crayons, markers, or paint to create their own masterpieces. DIY bathtub paint: mix paint and shaving cream (or cool whip to make it edible) to create your own bath paint. Store in muffin tins for easy use in the bath.
4. Alphabet & Number Soup: Use foam letters to learn the alphabet and/or create words. Also, use numbers to learn number order and create numbers sentences.
5. Foam Bath: Create your own non-toxic foam bath science experiment with soap, water and bubble bath whisk.
6. Sink or Float: Use items in the bath to ignite a conversation about sinking and floating. Ask your “lifeguard(s)” to retrieve the items that sink.
7. Set the scene: Design a scene using bath tub stickables (i.e. construction site, ocean, forest, etc.) encouraging fine motor and language development.
8. Name that tune: Fill the flutes with water to the different levels for a different note. The flutes help with hand-eye coordination, develop creativity, and foster logical thinking.
9. Design a track: Manipulate gears, roll tracks and/or pipes to invent your own track for water and/or other toys. This STEM activity encourages independent play and engineering exploration.
10. Ring toss: Toss rings on the polar bear’s legs or belly for endless fun. Also, great for discussing body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, feet, toes, etc.) and colors.
11. Make it rain: Fill stackable cups with water and watch the water drip out at different speeds. This activity allows your child to begin to understand the cause and effect process.

Other activities: read books, use kitchen utensils, squirt water guns, explore with goggles, blow water with straws, sculpt shampooed hair, explore faces with a mirror, stack cups, wash cars, create foam block designs, and so many more. Keep in mind all of these amazing activities can be done in a water table or kiddie pool for extra summer fun!