Set up a washing station for your toddler to wash their favorite (water safe) toys. This is a great outdoor activity for hot summer days as it allows your toddler to get messy with the water without soaking your floors. Might as well let them have fun!
This is a great pre-cooking activity for our littlest toddlers, between 12-18 months, who may not be ready to start cooking yet.
Fine Motor Skills:
- Scooping and pouring
- Tool use
- Grasp on tools
- Hand eye coordination
Related Cooking Skills:
- Measuring ingredients
- Pouring ingredients
- Tool use
Supplies:
- 2 Plastic bins/tub
- Water
- Liquid dish soap
- Cups, Measuring cups, Measuring spoons
- Water safe toys
Activity Instructions: Pour liquid dish soap into one plastic tub and fill with water. Make sure the water is nice and soapy – add more soap if needed. Place cups, measuring cups, measuring spoons into the bin, and place your toddler’s favorite water safe toys into the other tub for washing!
Toddler Instructions By Age: click on age range below for more details (#’s related to activity instructions)
1-2 year olds:
Show your little toddler how to scoop the water from one tub and pour it over their toys in the other tub. Then, let your little toddler free play and have fun! You can show additional demonstrations as they are playing. It’s okay if they don’t scoop much water at once and if most of their pouring misses the other container. These skills are just starting to form and take time and practice to develop.
2-3 year olds:
Show your toddler how to scoop the water from one tub and pour it over their toys in the other tub. Encourage them to fully scoop water and then try to accurately pour the water over the toy to wash it.
3+ year olds:
For our older toddlers, add in additional containers/cups to the toy side. Place small toys inside of these cups to be washed and have them pour into the smaller containers. This increases the challenge for hand eye coordination and accuracy of pouring.