Summer Parent-Child Activity: Water Play

What is summer without water play?  It’s probably one of the, if not the most, loved parent-child summer activity.  What better way to slake the sizzling heat than to douse yourself with cool water?  Most children love to play in the water—in the tub, at the pool, or beach.  My girl, Andi, loves her baths.  It usually takes quite a bit of coaxing and talent to get her out of her tub.

You have to admit that water play is always fun—for both parents and kids.  You get to revisit your youth and feel the energy and happiness of being a child when you share this moment with them. It makes it even more special.  The important thing is that your children will always have these memories with them as they grow into the complicated world of adulthood.
 
Bath Tub (or Inflatable Pool) Water Play
 
There are several ways (and definitely not limited to) of doing water play. You can start out simple, like for instance, in your child’s bathtub or an inflatable pool. Put in some toys or get a squirt gun and let the fun begin as you soap up and shampoo your little one. You can even do without the tub.  All you need is imagination.  Encourage pretend play and let your imaginations run away as pirates try to take over the ship or as you both sail into the Caribbean. You can let your child take the lead in starting out the story, then jump in to thicken the plot.  That’s the great thing about pretend play: the list just goes on, limitless and full of fun possibilities.
 
Water Play in the Garden
 
We all know that the Earth has finite resources and that we all should do our part in helping to conserve Mother Earth. So you can hit two birds with one stone by watering the plants in the garden while having a bit of water fun.  Your toddlers are eager helpers in just about anything.  They can help you water the plants in their colorful swimsuits or pretend to be busy gardeners or brave firefighters as they hose down the plants and grass all around.  A bit of imaginative storytelling can be injected to hone their conversational and oratorical skills.  It’s also a good opportunity to teach your children on big and small ways of helping the crusade to save the environment. 

Nothing is too big or too small for your kids.  They look at you with adoring and admiring eyes.  As you do them.  Being young only comes once.  Make the most of it for your children.  And best of all, time spent with them is always time well spent. So go ahead and book your calendar with parent-child summer activities with your kids. They need not be classes or workshops. They can just be time set aside for some good old fun like water play.