Low-Tech Toys: Get Wet

Cleaning toys is an excellent activity for young toddlers. Use a sink, bathtub, or a pan on the kitchen floor, and your child can wash, pour, and splash his toys clean. This activity is featured on the Mister Roger's Neighbourhood web site at http://www.pbs.org/rogers/R_house/sink.h...

Zerotothree.org provides parents, child care workers and health care workers with information on this critical period of development. They suggest that water play helps toddlers improve fine motor control and coordination:

"The more that toddlers practice these skills, the better tuned the motor circuits in their brain will become. Provide opportunities to grasp, hold, pour, scoop, squeeze, and otherwise manipulate a variety of materials that can be safely handled and put in the mouth."

For more information on brain development in toddlers, visit the Zero to Three site: http://www.zerotothree.org/parent.html?L...

2 to 3 years

For older toddlers, a water table is a way to incorporate water play into the day's activities. Set up a tub of water on a low table; provide spoons, cups, sponges, and measuring tools. This type of play provides a good opportunity to stimulate fantasy play--the more you 'pretend' with your toddler, the more she will use her imagination.

A fantastic article on the educational benefits of water play can be found on the web site for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): http://www.naeyc.org/resources/eyly/1997...

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