Object inquiry skills
Toddlers explore what happens to water when they put their foot in a small water puddle and pour water from a small pail.
Be Prepared: This is an outdoor activity for warm weather. Toddlers will get wet during the activity. If outdoor play is not an option, create an indoor water activity by adding water to the sensory table or putting trays on a low surface with one-half cup of water in each to create small puddles. Arrange for another adult to help with the activity.
[Make sure the widest available walkway in your outdoor space is clean. Turn the water hose on very low and run water onto the walkway. The water will create small puddles for toddler exploration. Maintain your firm hold on the hose at all times during the activity.
Invite toddlers to do some fun things with the water.]
The water makes little puddles for our hands and feet. We can walk through a puddle and look at what happens to the water when we step on it.
[If a child is concerned about clothing, assure him/her it is okay to get wet.]
[Encourage toddlers to notice how the water looks on the walkway, especially when the sun is shining on it.
Invite toddlers to put a foot in the water or walk in the water and notice what happens to the water. Explain that the water moves when we step on it. Putting our foot into the water can make a little (or big!) splash.
After several minutes of exploring the water on the walkway, introduce small pails that toddlers may wish to use. Put a small amount of water in each pail for toddlers to carry around and pour. Invite toddlers to pour the water from their pail onto the walkway or another hard surface. Encourage toddlers to watch the water as it hits the walkway or other hard surface. Explain that the water makes a splash when it hits the walkway.
Explain that toddlers can come to you (or the other adult) if they want more water in their pail. Emphasize the word more.
Add language to the task of providing more water for a toddler’s pail. If a toddler simply holds out his/her pail, verbalize the non-verbal request. Example: “Lucy, I see you are holding your pail for more water.” Emphasize more water. As you add water to a toddler’s pail, say “This is more water for Lucy’s pail.”
Describe toddlers’ actions and the results, especially how water moves when they step in a puddle and how water can make a splash when it is poured out of a pail.
Respond to all verbal requests. Example: If a toddler requests more water, ask “Do you want a little bit of water or a lot of water?” Emphasize little and a lot.
If a child wishes to touch the water, it is fine for him/her to put hands into the slowly flowing water from the hose in your hand. Discourage toddlers from drinking the water from the hose or any other source. Do not spray water on children, even if they ask.
Provide a five-minute warning before water exploration ends.
At the conclusion of the activity, encourage toddlers to put away the pails.]
[Offer highlights of how toddlers explored the water. Example: “The water made little puddles on our walkway. The water puddles looked pretty in the sunshine. The water moved when we stepped in it. The water made a splash. What did the water do when we poured it out of our pails?”]
The water play may consist of touching the water, pouring water from the pail, and/or stepping in the water. Some toddlers will really enjoy the sensory experience of splashing and getting wet, whereas other children wish to touch the water with their hands only. Allow each toddler to manage his/her experience, and avoid showing more enthusiasm for one type of approach to the water than others. Also, positively acknowledge a toddler who wishes to observe rather than touch or play in the water. Example: “I think you are having fun watching our friends play in the water.” You might offer a toddler who prefers to watch the water and opportunity to play with a pail with a small amount of water plus a scoop for manipulating the water in ways he/she wishes.
Look for opportunities to help toddlers notice how the water moves when we step into a puddle of water. Emphasize the word splash when toddlers walk through a puddle and when water hits a hard surface. Toddlers may explore how stepping softly versus stomping their foot in a puddle of water will produce bigger and smaller splashes. Point out big and small splashes without suggesting that a big splash is more interesting than a small splash. Some toddlers may want to explore bigger and smaller splashes by varying the speed with which they pour water from a pail. (See Enrichment tip.) Pouring water at different speeds (quickly or slowly) taps motor control skills that are likely to vary considerably among toddlers in your group.
Some toddlers may wish to put the water into the sand area. If you want the sand to stay dry, provide the water activity away from the sand, or tell and show the toddlers a specific place to pour the water.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
A toddler explores what happens to water when different small animal figures are dropped into water and water is poured into a tub of water.
Put a few inches of warm water into the sensory table or tub. Invite a toddler to join you in seeing what happens to water when different things are dropped into the water. Kneel or sit next to the toddler so you can easily see the water exploration and talk with the toddler about what happens. Give the toddler one animal figure and encourage him/her to drop it into the water. Draw attention to what happens to the water. Explain that the water moves when the toy animal hits the water. The water makes a little splash. Invite the toddler to repeat this action with the same or a different animal figure. Continue to draw attention to how the water moves, how the water splashes. Encourage the toddler to describe what happens to the water. Example: In one or more of the repeated dropping actions, invite the toddler to tell what will happen to the water when our animal hits it.
If the toddler shows interest in the splash, invite him/her to hold the animal figure higher above the water and see what happens to the water. Other possibilities are to drop two animal figures at the same time or drop animal figures of different weight (one at a time) and watch how the water moves. Point out how we can do different things to make a bigger or smaller splash.
Introduce the cup and invite the toddler to scoop up water and then pour it back into the sensory table. Draw attention to how the water in the table moves when other water hits it. Depending on the toddler’s interests, you may wish to encourage the toddler to pour water slowly and then quickly from the cup to see what happens. A slow trickle of water from the cup and a quick “dump” of water from the cup offer high contrasts for the toddler to explore.
Conclude the activity by describing what the toddler did. Emphasize that water in our table moved when the toddler dropped animal figures into the water and when the toddler poured water from a cup. Describe what happened to make the water splash.
This activity provides an individualized approach to exploring how water moves and splashes when things are dropped or poured into the water. A toddler benefits by your staying present and talking about what the toddler does and how the water reacts. At this age, it is not appropriate to formally teach cause and effect relations or expect a toddler to understand differences in height and weight in relation to water movement. Still, an early awareness of cause and effect can be promoted by simply describing what happens (water moves or splashes) when a specific action occurs (dropping an animal figure into water). Of course, older infants and toddlers commonly explore water splashes with their hands or kicking feet during a bath. This activity plan provides some words for what happens (moves, splash) and may help a toddler become aware of differences in the amount of water movement or splash when different actions occur, such as pouring water slowly versus quickly. Pay close attention to whether a toddler seems interested in and ready for exploring this level of attention to water actions.
Actively support a toddler’s interests in exploring the water with the animal figures and cup. Refrain from doing actions with the water that a toddler watches, except as a possible demonstration. (see Extra Support tip)
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
Toddlers begin washing dolls.
Invite toddlers to wash baby dolls in warm water. Toddlers can relate to bathing and getting their hair washed and will enjoy washing dolls. Kneel or sit next to the water table and talk with each toddler about the water and baby dolls. Draw attention to how the water moves when a doll is put in the water and when a toddler moves his/her hand in the water with a cloth or sponge. The water may make a little splash when a baby doll is put in the water. Point out how water is in the cloth or sponge.
Playfully encourage toddlers to point to the doll’s arms, legs, head, eyes, etc., and say the names of body parts. Repeat words a toddler says and extend the word(s) into sentences. Example: If a toddler says “baby clean,” respond by saying “Yes, you are getting your baby clean. You washed the baby’s face and the baby’s hair.”
The activity promotes awareness of what happens to water when it is manipulated or things are put into it. It also supports toddlers’ understanding of body parts. Toddlers are generally interested in naming parts of their body. Naming (and pointing to, if appropriate) body parts on the baby doll fosters vocabulary knowledge.
If a toddler is new to water play, simple sensory experiences may be more interesting than washing a doll. Each toddler may focus on a different element of the activity, such as touching or moving the water around, or squeezing the cloth or sponge. Talk with each toddler about how he/she is using the water. Some toddlers may engage for a few minutes and others may remain at the water tub for as long as possible.
If a toddler wishes to carry the wet baby doll to another area, encourage him/ her to exchange the wet doll for one that is dry.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials: 2–3 tubs, 2–3 dolls, washcloths, sponges
Invite several toddlers to pretend to wash a baby doll without water. Provide each interested toddler with one doll and one tub (without water) with a cloth and sponge. This activity will be more meaningful to toddlers who have used water to wash a baby doll (such as Option 3) because it highlights the absence of water. Remind toddlers of the parts of a baby doll that can be washed (toes, ears, fingers, tummy, etc.) and suggest that toddlers pretend to squeeze water from a cloth or sponge. Talk with toddlers about what it’s like to pretend to wash a baby doll without water.
Materials Needed: Max’s Bath by Rosemary Wells, When Your Lion Needs a Bath by Susanna Leonard Hill, Bath Time! by Sandra Boynton
As a supplement to Option 2 or 3, share one or more of the listed books with toddlers. Older children also will enjoy the books and may also like to participate in any of the three options.
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