10 Easy Kids Water Activities

Little Kid FreshSplash/E+/Getty Images Because sometimes, you just need a minute without all the ruckus. by Ashley Jones March 3, 2021

AleksandarNakic/E+/Getty Images Playing in and around the water can be calming and soothing for kids. Take advantage of that with these water-based activities the next time you need some peace and quiet.

Fill a bin with water and let kids play scientist as they test whether small toys sink or float. LEGOs, Hot Wheels, and other tiny figurines are great for this experiment.

Gather sponges of different shapes and sizes to add to a sink full of water. Let kids explore the ways that different sponges absorb the water and how they can squeeze the water out. Dougal Waters/DigitalVision/Getty Images

Sommai Larkjit / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images Freeze water with a few drops of food coloring in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out and let kids add to a bin of room temperature water to swirl and mix the different colors.

Westend61/Westend61/Getty Images Cups, utensils, and food storage containers of different shapes and sizes make the perfect water toys for kids to experiment with in a bin or sink full of water. They can dip, pour, scoop, and splash the day away, while honing in on their problem-solving skills.

Dip paintbrushes into water and let kids use the water to “paint” water art onto dry stones or bricks outside.

Fuse/Corbis/Getty Images Place foam alphabet letters into a bin of water and let kids scoop the letters out with a plastic shovel to form different words, spell their name, and more.

© Santiago Urquijo/Moment/Getty Images Frozen water balloons in a bin of warm water can create a fun sensory experience for little ones. As the frozen balloons thaw, they'll be able to mush the icy interiors of the balloons and swirl them around in the water.

Washing toys in a bin with some soapy, sudsy bubbles can keep your kiddos occupied for quite a while. It's amazing how much fun they can have cleaning their toys outside of the tub. Mladen_Kostic/E+/Getty Images

Ashley Cooper/Corbis/Getty Images Make a water-based seek and find by using food coloring to make the water in a bin dark purple, blue, or green. Add in a layer or rice or lentils that will "hide" small toys under the dark water and let your kids use a scoop to find buried treasure at the bottom of the bin.

Jessica Peterson/Tetra images/Getty Images If the sun is out and all water play ideas fail to keep your kid quiet and occupied, head outside to the water table and a hose and let them have at it.

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