Water play allows your tamaiti | child to explore scientific and mathematical concepts, work on their gross and fine motor skills, learn new language and work with and alongside others.
Tips for playing with water at home#
Water play works well outside, on a sheltered deck or on a porch. Placing it near a sandpit can make things more interesting for tamariki.
A raised trough is ideal as it allows several tamariki to play together at the same time and stops them from climbing in. If you do not have a trough, try using baby baths, storage cubes, or plastic containers.
Plastic aprons with sleeves can help your tamaiti to stay dry.
Tip
Ideas for water play equipment
You could use:
- a water trough, tub, or other container to hold water
- plastic, wood, or metal items that will not break or rust
- cups, spoons, bottles, colanders, sieves and funnels
- sponges, waterwheels and watering cans
- squeezy bottles such as shampoo bottles (rinsed well)
- natural materials like shells, stones, seaweed and driftwood.
Learning with water play#
Water play can help your tamaiti to:
- explore different sensory information like water temperature, texture, and weight, and hearing the sounds water makes when pouring or splashing
- understand mathematical concepts such as measurement, capacity, and volume
- understand concepts like heavy and light, float and sink, full and empty, and shallow and deep
- use scientific thinking like guessing, testing ideas and repeating what they find out
- learn to concentrate, persist, and solve problems
- learn to share and cooperate with others
- respect water as a taonga with spiritual qualities
- learn the importance of conserving water.
Support your tamaiti#
You can support your tamaiti by:
- talking with them about what is happening and how they are feeling
- encouraging them to ask questions, try out their ideas and explore with water
- creating an awareness of water as a taonga and our role as kaitiaki
- making sure they are safe
- protecting them from the sun with hats and sunscreen when they are playing with water outside
- adding warm water on cold days.
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