Most babies love bathing. At first, it reminds them those tender nine months in their mommy’s tummy, later it gives them calmness and relaxation, and finally it amuses them as it’s just a great fun to play with water!
Do you have a big adult tub or a whirlpool? Do you use a small baby tub or even a basin? Do you prefer to wash your baby with a shower? Whatever bathtub you chose, you can turn your baby bathing into a fun educational gameplay.
Do you think you always need numerous toys for bathing your little one to keep him busy while you wash his head? Of course, not! You can use your imagination and offer your lovely baby to play…with water. Yes, you definitely have some of it on hand.
Here are some games with water for your baby. Please note that all of them are suitable for babies who can sit by themselves, usually of age 6+ months. The games will help your child to study the water physics. What do we know about water? It is transparent, liquid, tasteless and odorless, and the light objects can float, while the heavy ones drown.
“Gurgle-gurgle!” This is the simplest game as all you need for it is to pour water into a bathtub which already has water in it. Pouring water makes a gurgling sound when it hits the water in the tub. Draw baby’s attention to what is happening. Tell him that you can pour the water and demonstrate how to do it. Help your child to do it by himself. You can also use a plastic glass or a long-handled cup. Make an experiment of how the gurgling sound increases when you lift a glass higher and higher. When you pour water say “Gurgle-gurgle”. This will help your baby develop his talking skills.
“Plop-plop!” This game is usually babies’ most favorite. Dropping things into the water or simply clapping it makes an extremely pleasant plopping sound. Kids are usually thrilled by it, so why not to please them? Try dropping both light and heavy objects and explain your child why it is different. For babies just say it and for older kids add some useful and more specific information about the material of the item you are dropping. If you let your baby simply hit the water with his palms it will be good for his motoric skills development and therefore for his brain.
“Drowns or floats?” This game is very educational and it develops your baby’s logic skills. The aim of the game is to guess and then to check if an object will float or will drown in the water. At first, especially with small babies you simply demonstrate that some things stay floating on the water while the others drown. Tell your little baby that light items stay on the surface and heavy ones go to the bottom. The older kids should first try to guess if whatever you have in your hands will float and only after their answer to check if they are right.
Play with water, study the physics and enjoy the precious time you spend with your lovely baby. Although make sure that your kid is having a good time during a game. Please don’t put any pressure and don’t force him to play. Better to do it some other day than to make him hate these games and bathing. But how to find out if your baby likes it? If he laughs he loves the game!
