Most babies and young children love playing in water. They become accustomed to it from the earliest time when they share baths with siblings or parents. So, water play can be an enjoyable and stimulating part of daycare provision for very young children.
Those babies who may be fearful of water usually learn their fear from the adults who care for them, who may unwittingly transfer anxiety to their children. Or, in some cases, adults may overwhelm children by using water in a frightening way, such as throwing it at them.
Early years practitioners should be mindful of these contrasting responses that water may generate in young children. When gathering initial information about new children, you should find out how they feel about bath time and whether they like water play.
Parents and carers need to know that you intend to offer experiences that involve water in your early years setting, and you should explain confidently that you supervise it at all times and provide dry clothes for children who need them. It makes sense to help parents initiate exciting water play at home. Emphasise how much young children enjoy playing with water and suggest they collect objects and toys that will enhance learning as well as physical skills.
Eight to 18 months Babies need time to accustom themselves to new routines both at home and in daycare. Begin to introduce babies to water play when they can sit up on their own and are better able to explore their environment. Also, by eight to ten months, babies have longer periods of wakefulness and respond positively to new experiences and chances to test new skills of picking up and letting go objects.
Washing-up bowls
For this age range, provide plastic washing-up bowls placed on the floor or on a protective plastic sheet. Sit babies by the bowls and offer a range of interesting objects to dip in and out of the water.
Also provide items with which they can fill or empty the bowls. For this, collect an assortment of household equipment and toys that will interest them, such as spoons, cups, jugs, empty and clean plastic shampoo and washing-up bottles, stacking cups, sponges, mixing bowls and funnels.
Ensure that the water is warm and that the babies are dressed suitably - a nappy and a short-sleeved T-shirt is usually sufficient. Sit close to the babies and initiate play that they can imitate.
Adults should respond with excitement to the efforts that they make to fill containers and pour water, and encourage them to handle the equipment with growing confidence. Verbalise your interest in what they do and reinforce their knowledge and understanding by naming the objects they use and commenting on how cleverly they manipulate them. Your facial expressions should convey interest and reassurance so that the babies learn to play confidently and take pleasure in surprising you with what they can do.
Bottle play
This age range will also enjoy playing with water in other ways. Fill a number of large and small plastic bottles with water, add food colouring, and in each bottle drop in a selection of small objects. Then screw the top on and seal with tape. Babies will enjoy picking up and shaking the bottles, watching the objects in the coloured water slowly drifting up and down.
Examples of objects that you could seal in the bottles are: large sequins, cut coloured plastic straws, plastic beads, little toy people, shells, marbles, feathers, curled wood shavings, gravel, dried peas or plastic teaspoons.
Place the bottles within reach on the floor or lay them in a treasure basket to be picked up and investigated. Point out and name the objects in each of the bottles. Allow time for the children to handle the bottles and perceive how the objects glide up and down, and how they remain untouchable within the container.
Fish tank
Small, freshwater goldfish or tiny, ornamental, tropical fish are one sort of nursery pet that very young children can safely observe and enjoy. But remember that looking after fish in captivity needs consistent effort and commitment from members of staff. Fish are calming as they appear to be in perpetual motion and they exist in a miniature world that provides a stark contrast to the plastic and wooden toys that children are accustomed to playing with.
18 months to three years
Older children will enjoy all the experiences recommended for the younger ones as well as many more that enable them to develop increasingly sophisticated skills and ideas. Always ensure that you model language and vocabulary to help children appreciate the variety within the natural world.
Rainwater
Make good use of poor weather conditions to take toddlers and young children outside to play in the puddles. If parents know that the setting values this play, you can ask them to ensure that they provide children with waterproof coats and Wellington boots. You can then offer children the following activities:
* it is thrilling for children to stamp in puddles and create large splashes with the water they displace
* it is also good fun to go for walks and play outside in the rain
* children love to watch the rain drops falling around them and landing on the surfaces of familiar objects. It is like being in an enchanted world in which nobody, not even adults, has control over what happens
* support them to understand how the rain feeds the trees, plants and flowers
* place a mat on the ground in the rain and encourage children to look for worms that like to shelter under it
* attract children's attention to leaves and cobwebs that glisten with raindrops after rain.
Outdoor options
* Place bird baths in view so that children can watch birds use them to wash and preen their feathers.
* In your digging area, leave out bowls full of water to attract frogs and toads. Check them early in the morning and last thing in the evening during summer and early autumn for signs of life.
* On sunny days give children buckets of clean water and brushes with which to paint external walls and fences. It is great fun to see how quickly the water evaporates from the surfaces.
* Provide buckets of water, sponges, brushes and washing-up liquid for children to wash the bikes, trikes, trucks and climbing structures.
* Allow children to use water with teasets for pretend picnics and in the outdoor home corner area.
* Create exciting water play using lengths of house guttering, hose pipes, washing-up bowls and funnels.
* In summer, offer children paddling pools to play in together.
* Provide play baths to wash dolls and dolls' clothes, and encourage children to peg the small garments out to dry on washing lines.
* It is great fun to create mud baths with soil and water. Children should be permitted to get as messy as they like outside.
* Encourage children to fill watering cans at an outdoor tap and to water flowers and vegetables that they have planted with you.
* Place shallow trays of water on a paved surface so that children in Wellington boots can step through the water and then create footprints on the ground.
* Show the children that clay mixed with water creates a very silky liquid and is smooth to the touch.
Be creative
There are endless ways to use water to excite children's interest and attention. It is a wonderfully versatile, natural and cheap material that is always on tap. Be adventurous, use your initiative, and ensure that you are close by to supervise children and to stimulate their imagination and creativity.
* Always have fresh water accessible so children can help themselves to a drink when they are thirsty.
* Include children in the experience of washing and preparing fresh food and drinks.
* Encourage children to participate in setting up equipment for play and to help tidy up and clean surfaces afterwards.
* Teach children to turn off taps.
* Make children aware of the dangers of water at the seaside, in rivers, canals and swimming pools.
* Help children understand how water is used in the home.
* Teach children about boats and other means of water transport.
* Read stories and sing songs about water.
* Always encourage children's independence when they handle water and you will soon see how maturely they respond to your expectations. NW