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Importance Of Water Play In Early Childhood – We often tell families about the importance and outcomes of the game. However, have you ever seriously considered and reflected on children’s play and the opportunities it offers to achieve these results.
We usually only provide this type of exploratory and sensory play in the warmer months, however water play should really be part of our daily experiences.
Importance Of Water Play In Early Childhood
You often find children “playing” with the taps and water in the bathroom or carefully watching the water dripping from their bottles or perhaps sneaking water into the corner of the house or sandbox to create more realistic experiences. Over the years, I’ve observed many of these behaviors and I started wondering why water games were only available in the summer. Why can’t we provide these wonderful experiences any time of year, if not daily?
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So I started doing this by adding hot water to the trough, allowing the kids to use the water in their dramatic play for “cooking purposes” and of course for that awesome cup of tea! We have also encouraged the exploration of water and its many purposes, such as measuring rain that has fallen, creating a water wall fountain, water wheels, water in the sandpit, water with clay, bath dolls, cooking experiences, gardening and, of course, for hygienic and drinking purposes. Water has become part of our daily curriculum and its importance has often been debated.
However during this transition phase we also noticed something else…. children appeared more settled and engaged, the wall of water became a space where children relaxed and self-regulated and discussed its flow and movement while supporting different vocabulary and thinking.
So while we enjoy playing with water in these warmer months, think about how water can become part of your daily practices as it not only has an invaluable value for life and existence, but also offers kids learning experiences like no other!
My name is Kirsty Fantini and I am the Director of Training and Counseling for Early Years (RTO #91839). My qualifications include a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood, Dep. Prof Counseling and Cert IV Training & Assessor (TAA).
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I have been in the childcare industry for over 20 years in both the private and non-profit sectors. After years of teaching children and running childcare centres, I then moved into the VET sector and became a trainer and training manager and it was then that I discovered the need for high quality qualified staff and a better customer service and student support for those who study.
Early Years Training & Consultancy is a nationally accredited training organization (RTO No. 91839) providing qualifications for early childhood services. Not only will you receive the highest quality education as you complete your Certificate III and/or Diploma with us, you will feel inspired and… Read moreThe benefits of early childhood water play – Babies love to play with the water. Whether it’s in the bathtub at home, at the beach, by the pool or in an early childhood environment. Kids love water games! It’s a fun and relaxing sensory activity that will provide them with lots of entertainment. Besides that, the good news is that water play also has many learning and developmental benefits.
The simple definition of water play is simply playing with water using a variety of tools such as buckets, funnels, water wheels and pumps to name a few. In early childhood settings, you can usually find large troughs used mostly for water play. They are usually large enough for several children to stand and scoop, splash and pour.
Just like sand, water is another natural resource that is great for focused play. Also, just like sand play, water play has many important educational benefits. Some of these are
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Playing water involves a lot of scooping, pouring, squeezing and filling. These actions are very helpful for developing hand and eye coordination and sharpening fine motor skills.
Kids will give their big muscles a great workout when they play with water in swimming pools, at the beach or when running through a sprinkler.
When children play with water around a watering hole, they are usually chatting with their friends, taking turns, or negotiating with their peers.
Playing with water is a great opportunity for children to interact with each other and work together. During water games, you will often observe children helping each other to achieve a common goal. For example, lifting a heavy bucket of water and pouring it over a water wheel is hard work. There is a lot of coordination and strength required for this simple activity. Children quickly learn that activities like this are best accomplished when one makes the pour and the other holds the water wheel in place. Great teamwork practice!
Water Play: Let’s Get Talking
The water game encourages children to use definitive words that are used for complex concepts. For example, sink and float. Tools used in water games such as funnels and sieves are also probably words that children don’t normally encounter at an early age.
Children love to chat with their friends, parents or carers while playing. So you might look for opportunities to ask your child intentional questions that get them thinking, verbalizing what they’re doing, and predicting what might happen next during their play.
Water play is more than just a fun activity. It also offers many valuable opportunities to enrich and extend children’s thinking and vocabulary.
The water game is perfect for introducing children to many science and math concepts. Children can learn things like capacity, volume and movement. Terms such as full/empty, more/less, shallow/profound can also be introduced.
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Playing water can also encourage the development of scientific research because it fosters children’s curiosity. It will stimulate their thinking by prompting them to ask questions like “What if?”
Playing with water is a perfect activity that will build a child’s creativity depending on the toys or tools she has to play with. Water play doesn’t have to be limited to buckets, cups, and water wheels. There are so many other fun things you can use. As parents and guardians, you are really only limited by your imagination in what you offer your children.
Playing with water is such a wonderful open-ended activity with so many amazing learning benefits that kids will enjoy. Here are some ideas and suggestions for things you could provide for your kids the next time they enjoy a fun and refreshing water game!
The benefits of early childhood water play are so extensive. It’s such a simple and fun activity that kids enjoy in preschools and early learning centers. But it doesn’t have to happen only there. Playing with water is something that could just as easily be done at home in a safe, controlled environment. Playing with water can be immensely fun for children, but at the same time it has a huge impact on communication and language development. We know that the focus on this area of development is particularly important following the publication of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) magazine.
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When children play with water, it is truly a social experience – just think of how children gravitate towards water play activities. This gives children the opportunity to experience taking turns, sharing, collaborating, taking on others’ ideas, and learning through imitation. Alongside that, there’s the chatter we hear when babies splash, pour, mix, and carry. Wherever there is water play, there is playfulness, engagement and children connected in that moment.
As educators, we can improve our environment and practice making the most of the water feature as a stimulating space where communication and language take place. We can inspire children to speak, listen and understand in a fun and practical way, just as learning should be in the early years.
Water is an open-ended resource, so there is no right or wrong way for children to play. This adds to the magic of the water supply as children are motivated to explore and investigate, enabling us to facilitate rich language opportunities.
A first step in assessing whether your water toy supply allows children to talk and listen is to conduct observations. Think about….
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Your observations will give you an insight into how the area and water resources are currently being used and thus give you the opportunity to further improve this arrangement. Sometimes, it’s as simple as changing the area around which it can inspire further interest and conversation!
The adults in the setting can create an environment where water play is fun and promotes language development. Inspire children to play and interact through the resources they are able to select. By igniting their curiosity and imagination, as well as encouraging them to think and explore, we encourage dialogue. Some ideas for resources to include in your water feature area to promote play and conversation are:
Think about large-scale and small-scale water play—kids will engage differently with both. Small-scale play might involve floating and sinking activities in a bowl, while large-scale activities might see you climbing and heading outdoors with powerful water, brushes and paints!
The adult’s role is to shape play and language. However, take a step back and observe the game initially
