Social interaction skills
Toddlers participate in open-ended water play with opportunities to notice what peers are doing.
Be Prepared: Put 2–3 inches of warm water in the sensory table. Gather toys like cups, funnels, sea animal figures, a waterwheel– and place them in the water.
[Invite several toddlers to join you at the water table.]
We can play together with toys in the water table today! Here are smocks for us to wear. The smocks will keep us dry.
[Help each toddler put on a water smock.]
How could we play with some of the toys in the water table?
[Follow-up prompt, if needed: “How could we play with this toy?”]
[Invite toddlers to play with the water toys in their own way. Use strategies, such as the following, to support toddlers’ play and create awareness of what others are doing:
[Describe the time together, focusing on specific ways toddlers played together. Example: “We had fun playing together with toys in the water! We watched what our friends did with the toys. Luciana and Sam scooped and poured water with cups. Ella gave the shark to David to play with.”]
Playing side by side with fun and engaging materials encourages toddlers to watch what others are doing and to sometimes initiate interactions with peers. This activity combines a sensory experience with opportunities for social interaction. Describe each toddler’s actions during the activity. Point out instances of imitating and/or sharing toys. Example: “David is swimming his shark under the water. Now Ella is swimming her dolphin under the water too! Ella is doing the same as David.” Support toddlers in leading the play while also facilitating positive social interactions. At this age, toddlers are not expected to know how to share toys, including how to ask to use a toy.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers work together to wash dirty toys in the water table, with opportunities to share items.
Be Prepared: Put 2–3 inches of warm water in the sensory table with a few drops of tear-free soap or shampoo to create bubbles. Add the sponges and washcloths to the soapy water. Limit the number of sponges and washcloths so toddlers have an opportunity to share these items. Place the assortment of water-safe vehicles on a tray nearby. Keep the small towels nearby for toddlers who want to dry the vehicles.
Invite up to three toddlers to work at the sensory table, washing toys that are dirty. Demonstrate washing a vehicle with a washcloth or sponge. Example: “This car is really dirty. I am going to use a washcloth to get it clean. Michael, would you please hand me a washcloth?” Describe how you wash the toy. Draw attention to using your fingers to move the washcloth or sponge on smaller parts of the toy, such as the wheels.
Invite each toddler to select a vehicle to wash. Encourage toddlers to wash their vehicles using the sponges and washcloths. Encourage toddlers to share the cleaning materials by taking turns with the sponges and washcloths. Ensure each toddler has one cleaning item to use during the activity. Toddlers may want to dry their vehicles with the small towels when they are done at the sensory table.
Help toddlers become aware of what a peer is doing by describing toddlers’ actions. Examples: “Joaquin is scrubbing his truck with a sponge.” “Michael is putting water on the car to rinse off all the bubbles.”
Describe positive social interactions that you observe. Example: “Joaquin gave Avery a sponge. Avery needed a sponge to clean her bus. Now Avery’s bus will be clean!”
This option offers more possibilities for sharing and taking turns than Option 1 by focusing on a specific task and offering a limited number of items (sponges and washcloths) for the task. While some toddlers will fully engage in the purpose of the activity (washing dirty toys), others may want to engage in water play only. Emphasize social interactions more than the act of getting toys properly washed.
Pay attention to your contributions to the activity. Most toddlers will interact with you and other caregivers before they confidently engage with peers. Model positive social interactions while also encouraging toddlers to play near and with one another. At this age, toddlers may have play ideas they are unable to express with words. This situation provides opportunities for you to provide verbal support, such as coaching a toddler on how to communicate interest in playing with an item. Example: “Joaquin, I see you are looking at the sponge that is next to Michael. Would you like to use the sponge to clean your car? You can ask Michael to please hand the sponge to you. You can say ‘sponge, please’ to Michael.” Remember that toddlers will be affected by your tone of voice and the caring manner in which you speak.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers engage in open-ended conversations with play telephones.
Be Prepared: Place several toy telephones in the housekeeping area.
Invite several toddlers to play together with toy telephones in the housekeeping area. Initiate a pretend phone conversation by using another telephone. Support communication and language by sitting or kneeling on the floor so you are positioned at eye level with the toddlers. Select a topic that is familiar to toddlers, such as cooking/eating, morning routine of getting ready for work, or bedtime routine with a baby. Some toddlers may use the phone to talk with an imaginary person or a parent (who is not present). Give your phone to another toddler to join in. Encourage toddlers to take turns using a telephone. The phone talk is likely to move into another activity related to items in the housekeeping area, such as dishes or baby dolls.
Describe toddlers’ actions as they interact with the phones. Example: “Emilia and Jacob are talking about what they like to eat. Emilia said ‘cake’ and Jacob said ‘spaghetti!’” Recognize and acknowledge positive social interactions. Example: “Your friend looked happy when you asked her to play! Now you are having fun cooking together.” Suggest ways toddlers could initiate play. Example: “Kyra, Jacob is watching you cook. Maybe you would like to ask him to help you cook. Here is another big spoon Jacob could use.” Conclude the activity by affirming toddlers’ efforts to play together. Example: “We had fun playing together today. We took turns using the telephones. We talked about what we like to eat!”
Pay attention to how toddlers use the telephones and offer topic suggestions, if necessary. The telephones are a springboard to peer interactions that eventually may lead to activities or exchanges that do not involve the telephones. Pretend play in a group can be particularly challenging for some toddlers. Help toddlers understand the intentions of other children and repeat what toddlers say as they play. Toddlers may imitate their parents, who they frequently observe, while talking on the phone. Toddlers may repeat words or use a pretend but enthusiastic “babble” as if they are talking like an adult. Some toddlers may prefer to sit nearby and watch. Acknowledge each type of participation in the activity.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: sensory table with water; assortment of toys to wash; water smock for each child; tear-free shampoo; several kitchen sponges, washcloths, and small towels
Invite several toddlers at a time to wash new toys at the sensory table. Encourage the toddlers to work together to wash and then dry the clean toys. Toddlers may have ideas of other items or toys to wash. Talk with toddlers about their actions with the materials. Recognize and acknowledge positive social interactions.
Materials Needed: sensory table with water; assortment of kitchen items to wash, such as plates, cups, pots and pans; water smock—1 per child; tear-free shampoo; several kitchen sponges, washcloths, and small towels
Children of all ages enjoy sensory play with water. Preschool-age children may enjoy washing toy dishes while pretending to work at a restaurant. The pretend restaurant theme can be extended to older children who are beginning to write. They may want to write menus on paper attached to clipboards. Toddlers will enjoy interacting with older children during pretend restaurant play. Babies may like to play with a damp washcloth and toy cup or dish during the activity.
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