I am so excited about our week ahead! And it has been a little while since I have felt that way, if I am being honest. Lately, with being home (and ONLY home) all day every day, our days and weeks have started to meld into one.
But this week I decided we would do a fun learning series here on the blog. A different theme each day!
Since we are all at home right now and not suppose to be out and about, these learning themes each focus on a different at-home material kids can learn with.
Today I bring you …
3 Ways to Learn in the Kitchen Sink!
Kitchen sink play is absolutely a staple around here. A friend of mine once told me, “When little ones are crabby, just add water”. Water play ideas have gotten me through many, many crabby toddler moments.
The kitchen sink is wonderful for relaxing warm water play ideas, fun sensory bubble play, and loads of learning too. Here are our 3 favourite ways to learn in the Kitchen Sink.
But just before I share with you the first idea, if you are enjoying this 3 Ways to Play and Learn series you are going to adore Play into Kindergarten Readiness! It includes your Day-by-Day preschool plan with a simple, play-based activity every day that covers all preschool core skills. AND you also get more 3 Ways to Play and Learn ideas!
Check out Play into Kindergarten Readiness right here!
Alright, now let’s get to that kitchen sink play.
Colouring Mixing with Ice Cubes.
For this learning activity we freeze water in containers of all different sizes. The bigger the container, the longer the ice will take to melt in the sink, so (depending what’s in my freezer that particular day) we try to go really big. Water play is always a big hit, so the longer it last the better!
We stir in some primary colours to some of the containers holding water. Usually two with yellow, two with blue, and two with red. I just add about 3 drops of each food colouring and have never had trouble with staining.
Sometimes we add some toys in to be frozen as well – Fisher Price little people or animals work really well.
Then, we fill up the sink with a little bit of water and pop the ice cubes in. This learning idea for toddlers and preschoolers is FULL. Children can explore different vocabulary words as they discuss with you how “freezing cold”, “chilly”, “frigid”, or “icy” the ice is. They will learn all about melting and temperature changes as well. AND since we put primary colours in the ice, children can learn about colour mixing as well.
You might like to first add the yellow ice cube to the water (it is best to start with the lightest colour). Once that has melted, you can add the blue! Watch as a brand new colour appears!
You can then drain that water play idea and start fresh creating more and more secondary colours.
Yellow + Blue = Green
Yellow + Red = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple
This one is so much fun.
Water Play Measuring Fun
A second learning idea is nice and simple – add in some measuring cups, teaspoons, and syringes or a turkey baster. These tools are fun for little ones to play with and explore in the kitchen sink. We like to put towels around the side of the sink for this one, as sometimes cups can get poured out of the sink.
Toddlers and preschoolers can work on fine motor skills by using the syringe, and strengthen little hands by using the turkey baster. They can practice counting to see how many syringe fills are needed to fill a measuring cup as well.
Add in measuring cups is a great way for foundational math skills to begin developing. Children will be playing with the 1/4 cup measure and learning that it takes 4 fills to fill the 1 cup measure. They will be working on fractions so when presented with this math down the road, they will have PLAY to draw on making it a much deeper understanding.
Sink or Float Water Play in the Kitchen Sink
Finally, a good old fashioned Sink or Float is perfect for the kitchen sink. Children can walk around collecting some objects and then bring them to the filled sink to see if they float or if they sink.
Children will be learning all about buoyancy and weight with this game. It is often very interesting for toddlers and preschoolers to learn that sometimes really big objects (like a plastic doll) float, while very little objects (like a coin) sink.
There you have it friends! Our 3 ways to play in the kitchen sink. Since the kitchen sink play is such a staple in our home I had a very hard time keeping this list to only 3 ways to play. I just HAVE to mention two more little ideas:
- add in some bubbles and toys so little ones can wash and clean
- Freeze a snack! Throw in some grapes or fruit and freeze it up.
- make some really thick bubbles to play in by adding 1/4 cup of water into the blended with a tablespoon of dishsoap. This mixture is so luxurious and creamy to play in!
Okay, now I am really done. I hope these ideas are fun for your Monday! A Monday spent playing in the kitchen sink is a good day.
I will be back tomorrow sharing 3 ways to play with a balloon. Can’t wait!
Thank you so much for reading,
xo
Sarah
You might also like:
10 Easy Peasy Water Play Ideas
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