[Nursery/Kindergarten] Water play ideas that kids will love
Water play is essential in the hot summer!
Many children are probably looking forward to touching water or getting into the pool.
Through water play, we want them to grow familiar with water and fully enjoy themselves while feeling the coolness and texture on their skin.
So this time, we’re introducing water play ideas that kids will love.
We’ve gathered plenty of activities to spark their excitement: not only games you can play in the water, but also DIY water toys made from recycled materials, and sensory play using bubbles and colored water.
Since some children may feel fear or resistance toward water, please choose activities that everyone can enjoy, and adapt them to each child’s pace!
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[Nursery/Kindergarten] Water play ideas that children will love (21–30)
Pool stick fountain & shower
Here’s a fun water play idea for hot summer days using a pool noodle! Secure one end of the noodle tightly to a garden hose with tape, and poke several small holes in the other end.
When you turn on the water, it sprays out of the noodle like a fountain.
Kids will have a blast chasing the spray and running through it! They can also run around, try to catch the water with their hands, and enjoy the sensory experience.
Be sure an adult supervises at all times and that you play on a non-slip surface for safety.
It’s like a little shower—highly recommended as a super fun summer activity!
The Ferris wheel spinning round and round
@sayacky_be.child Here are the materials and tips▼ (Follow before you forget ▶︎ @sayacky_be.child) [Materials] ● Milk carton ● Pool noodle (from Seria) ● Plastic spoon ● Round wooden chopsticks ● Gacha capsule container Handy tools when making it ● Scissors ● Utility knife ● Cutting mat ● Hot glue gun ● Empty Chip Star can Points ▶︎ When we tried it in the bath, the play got a bit wild and the spoon came off a few times 😂 Since it’s just inserted, it’s easy to fix, but if that bothers you, securing it with hot glue in the hole might help❣️ ▶︎ With lots of use, the milk carton might get soft 👻 Doubling the layers or using chopsticks as pillars should make it last longer 😉 ▶︎ I’ll share tips in Stories on how to make it easily and neatly 🥰 Everyone, great job as always! Wishing you bright, cheerful days… 🎧𓈒𓏸 Nice to meet you! I’m Sayacky, a nursery teacher and mom of two who loves play that lets adults be kids too! 🥰 I share play ideas that connect, brighten, and nurture hearts—for both grown-ups and kids❣️ Please follow me 💓 @sayacky_be.child ▲ See other posts here ໒꒱#Sayakki-WorldNursery teacher / Childcare worker#NurseryTeacherMom#HandmadeToys#Childcare CraftingCraft Play#Childcare topic#AtHomePlay#StayHomeTime#100-yen shop DIY
♪ Original Song – Sayakki | Preschool Crafts, Handmade Toys, Educational Play – Sayakki’s Play Atelier
Let me introduce a water-play friendly, spinning Ferris wheel craft.
Gather pool noodles, a milk carton, wooden chopsticks, plastic spoons, and a utility knife, and let’s make it.
First, cut the milk carton to create the base on which the Ferris wheel will rotate.
Next, take a piece of cut pool noodle and make six evenly spaced slits along its side.
Insert plastic spoons into the slits with the handles pointing inward.
Thread a chopstick through the center, set it onto the milk carton base, and it’s complete.
Attach gashapon capsules to the plastic spoons to transform it into a Ferris wheel.
By keeping the balance even, the Ferris wheel will spin smoothly.
Bubble play with soap
Did you know that if you shave a bar of soap, add water, and mix it, you can make foam like a cream? It takes a little time to mix, but that time can be a fun activity for kids.
Let them whisk it hard with an egg beater.
Once the foam is ready, pour it into cups and decorate with leaves and flowers to make “smoothies,” or touch it with your hands and enjoy the texture.
Soap isn’t good to ingest, so be sure to play within an adult’s supervision.
It might also be fun to add paint to give it some color!
Water play & mud play
Summer-only fun! Let’s enjoy water play and mud play.
Many kids are usually told to avoid touching mud, but feeling the texture of mud and making mud dumplings is so much fun, isn’t it? After getting muddy, rinse off with water play to get clean—it’s fun, refreshing, and kills two birds with one stone.
You can make a big puddle in the sandbox, build waterways to play with, or fill a tub with water and enjoy some fishing.
Have fun exploring different stations and free play areas!
So cold! Sensory play
Cool sensory play is a summertime classic.
When you touch something cold, the summer heat won’t bother you as much.
Speaking of sensory play, slime is a staple, but there’s also moon sand play and making pretend ice treats from ice.
Don’t just enjoy the finished results—take the opportunity to have fun with the making process, too.
For slime, gradually mix borax solution into liquid laundry glue.
To make moon sand, combine flour with baby oil.
For the ice treats, prepare colored water in various hues, insert popsicle sticks, and freeze them.
Colored water & ice play
Playing with colored water can involve using paint or plants and flowers, but this time let’s try using tissue paper.
Tear the tissue paper into small pieces, put them in a clear paper cup, and pour in water.
Then, mix it with a spoon, kneading it gently to make colored water.
Prepare tissue paper in various colors and enjoy each color on its own or the shades you get by mixing them.
Once your colored water is ready, how about everyone playing juice shop together? You’ll surely have a beautiful lineup of colorful “juices.”
Turtle’s plastic bottle bucket
Here’s an idea for a turtle-themed bucket made from a plastic bottle that kids can use to fill with water or scoop and play.
First, cut off the bottle’s mouth and protect the cut edge with tape.
Design a turtle on the side of the bottle using tape, then draw the face with a permanent marker.
Punch holes on both sides of the bottle’s rim, thread through suzuran tape (polypropylene ribbon) that has a 2 cm-wide piece of straw cut and slipped over it, and attach it as a handle to finish.
Using straws in several colors makes it bright and cute.