By Amy Vickrey, MSE

As summer is in full swing, we start thinking about water fun and water activities. But what if we are in an area with limited water resources or, like my family, limited financial resources? There are many options to incorporate water play both indoors and out no matter what resources, or lack thereof, you have to pull from. 

Ideas for Incorporating Water Play into Your Summer:

• Use a bucket or Rubbermaid tub to create your own “water table”
• Use plastic cups, funnels, bath squirter toys, etc. to work on pouring from one container to another (great for building writing muscles)
• Add hand soap, gentle dish soap, or food coloring for additional fun
• Add letters or numbers to your “water table” for letter identification or spelling activities
• Write words, letters, numbers (or anything else!) on the bottom of rubber duckies or other floating toys for water learning
• Do a “car wash” and wash bikes and other ride-on toys
• Use spray bottles or squirters with colored water to “draw” or “write” spelling words, letters, or numbers
• Add food coloring to a bottle of bubbles and blow bubbles on paper for beautiful, creative art work
• Cut sponges into strips and tie them together with string to create “balls” that can be used for fun water play games. Use a bucket to hold the water for your game
• If outdoor is not an option, you can add letters and numbers to bath time and allow for additional time to play games with them in the bathtub
• Water bag pinata – fill the bag (a grocery bag if you want to reuse/recycle) with water and enjoy the shower it gives when it breaks!
• Water balloon ___________ (fill in the blank with your favorite sport). I’ve seen baseball, volleyball (with hands or with sheets), and tennis, but you could do any sport you wanted.
• Play in the rain (make sure there is no lightning or thunder in the area to stay safe)
• Go kayaking or canoeing
• Visit the local swimming pool or splash pad
• Make your own rain with the hose or sprinkler (follow any water restrictions for your area)

I hope you enjoy some fun in the sun this summer (or just some water play indoors) and remember play is an essential part of learning!! Have a great summer and pass the sunscreen!

 Check out our Summer Pinterest board or these other resource links for more ideas:

• Toddler Water Activities
• 25 Water Play Ideas for the Backyard
• More Than 75 Water Play Activities