Toy washing activity
What I love about this activity
- Playing with water and bubbles
- It develops fine motor skills –
- Imaginary play – this invited a lot of make believe/pretend play
Children can splash, watch things float, make patterns with the soapy water. It develops vocabulary (squirt, spray, full, empty, cold, soapy etc.)
Life skills (washing and drying)
Independent play.
Social skills
- What skills can children develop from washing toys?
- They are playing with concepts like empty and full, cause and reaction, wet and dry. They are using their developing muscles to work up a lather and fine motor skills to fill and pour.
- They will inevitably spill and be given the opportunity to wipe up after themselves in a no-pressure situation. Sometimes a big spill during dinner-time can feel overwhelming and upsetting. Letting them clean up these smaller spills allows for the opportunity to practice and master the skill of mopping up on their own terms.
- Private Speech: When your child is engaged in this washing station, you will likely hear them chatting away with themselves. Why does this matter? Private speech is an indicator of cognitive development. It is so important for language development, self-regulation and problem solving.
- Children and even adults learn best and retain the most information when they engage their senses.
- What is sensory play?
Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore. The sensory activities allow children to refine their thresholds for different sensory information helping their brain to create stronger connections to process and respond to sensory information.
- Other reasons why sensory play is beneficial to children include:
- Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
- Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills and social interaction.
- This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory
- Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child
- This helps children learn sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry)
Children enhance their gross motor skills, coordination and physical fitness through lifting, pouring, carrying, running and splashing, while actions such as squeezing help to develop the small muscles in a child’s hands
- What is fun Laundry Preschool Activity?
Fun Laundry activity is a great practical life skill job that your preschooler can do while practicing fine motor skills
- Squeezing and wringing out a wash cloth requires strength and co-ordination.
