Materials
A water table (a large, shallow plastic container placed on the floor or on a low table)
3–4 inches of water
Small plastic cups, measuring cups, funnels, basters, large spoons, jars, sieves, etc.
Towels
Adult supervision
Directions
Water play for preschoolers is great fun—ask any three-year-old! But in addition to being fun, it’s a great way for children to improve hand-eye coordination, dexterity, precision; experiment with basic math concepts, including volume, fractions, (half-full, quarter-full) more/less; science concepts, as they determine why some things sink while other things float; social skills as they talk with others about what they’re experiencing and learn to share the water toys.
For blue week, we tried adding blue food coloring to the water. We used only blue cups, funnels, etc. We even used a blue water table! Children love experiencing water play, and the benefits of such an activity are far-reaching, and well worth the occasional spills!