12 Water Play Ideas To Kick Off Memorial Day Weekend With Kids
Get ready to whet your kids’ appetites for outdoor summer fun.
Whether it’s scorching hot in your part of the country or still on-and-off spring weather like it is where I live in the Northeast, Memorial Day Weekend can only mean one thing: summer is coming, folks!
And though we’re still a few weeks away from the dog days of summer, MDW is a great time to prepare for summertime; and since you’re a parent, that means whipping out the sprinklers and water toys. Not only will these cool kids down, but water play is great for childhood development; it can improve fine motor skills, sensory development, cognitive development, creativity, and social skills.
Here are a few ways to get creative with those water toys outside this season:
Make a water sensory bin out of household items you already have at home, like kitchen ladles and plastic balls
Alternatively, set up a pouring station outside with cups, bowls, tupperware, and pitches of various shapes and sizes
Play water balloon volleyball using a towel to volley the balloons back and forth over the net
Dip paint brushes in water for mess-free painting on concrete, stones, and other outdoor surfaces
Freeze washable paint into ice cubes and put a popsicle stick in each cube; the next day, you’ll have an easy painting with ice activity
Set up a toy wash in a basin or tub filled with plastic trucks, dolls, and/or animal figurines
Challenge your kiddo to a friendly game of sink or float (just don’t tell them they’re learning science while they’re at it)
Fill up spray bottles with cold water and play a few rounds of water bottle freeze tag
Get creative by dropping paint into a bucket of water using syringes and squirters
Put a toy marble run on a water table or in an inflatable pool to give the classic play thing a fun, wet twist
Add plastic toys and water to a plastic bowl, freeze it, and use child-appropriate hammers and tools to chip away at the block of ice for a game of ice excavation
Play “dunk dunk goose,” like the traditional duck duck goose game but the ‘goose’ dumps a big bucket of water on the head of their next chosen ‘duck’
What’s your favorite way to water play?
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