Tip—Playing in water is a great sensory experience for your child; this kind of touch helps the brain develop in important ways.

Most children love their baths. Even if they don’t, chances are, they still like to play with water. With June upon us, it’s warm enough in many states to play with water outside. You can fill up a small tub and put it in the grass or use a small toddler pool. If it’s still chilly where you are, you can let your child play inside with a little preparation. The bathtub is a classic place—have your child wear his swimsuit for a fun twist. Or, you can let your child play with water in a small tub in the open door of the dishwasher; that way most of the water goes into the dishwasher and not onto the floor.

Whenever children are around water, there you should be as well. Supervise carefully.

Tools—Sandi Dexter, preschool teacher and author of Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends, has a multitude of ideas for safe water play.

• Put a drop of blue food coloring into a pan of water. Your child can pretend it’s a lake or an ocean and sail toy boats on it.

• Measuring cups and spoons are ideal for water play. They vary in size and there are enough of them for the child to stay interested—filling and emptying each one many times.

  

• Funnels are great fun for toddlers. They are fascinated to see the water come pouring out the bottom. Funnels can be used to help fill cups and bottles.

• Small plastic bottles are good for water play. It doesn’t take much to fill them (and therefore reduces the amount of spilling). As your toddler gets older, use a permanent marker and draw lines at various levels on the outside of the bottles. Show your toddler how to fill the bottle to the water line. This teaches good eye-hand coordination and encourages problem solving.

• Collect some sponges for water play. Show your toddler how a sponge changes when it goes in the water. The color darkens and the sponge grows larger. Show him how to squeeze the water out (over the tub).

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends by Sandi Dexter.

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