At St Nicholas Early Education, we encourage sensory activities like water play to promote learning in engaging and joyful ways. Here are five creative water play ideas your child will love:

 

1. Sink or Float?

This simple science experience encourages curiosity and critical thinking. Gather a variety of small objects (e.g. spoons, sponges, toy cars, and leaves) and ask your child to predict if each item will sink or float in a tub of water.

What they’ll learn: Basic physics concepts, hypothesis testing, and vocabulary development.

 

2. Ice Cube Rescue

Freeze small toys or items in ice cubes or larger ice blocks. Provide your child with tools like a spray bottle of warm water, spoons, or even salt to “rescue” the frozen objects.

What they’ll learn: Problem-solving, fine motor skills, and early scientific exploration of melting and temperature.

 

3. Coloured Water Exploration

Add a few drops of food colouring or non-toxic paint to cups of water and give your child a set of pipettes or small containers to mix colours.

What they’ll learn: Colour recognition, mixing concepts, and creativity.

 

 

4. Homemade Water Wall

Create a water wall using recycled materials like plastic bottles, funnels, and tubes mounted to a fence or wall. Pour water at the top and watch it flow through the various paths.

What they’ll learn: Cause and effect, hand-eye coordination, and engineering concepts.

 

5. Nature Soup

Head outdoors with a bucket of water and collect leaves, petals, and small sticks. Encourage your child to mix them together to create their own “nature soup.” Add cups, ladles, or spoons for an extra layer of fun.

What they’ll learn: Sensory exploration, creativity, and engagement with the natural world.