Water lessons

theSun, Tue, 27 Jul 2010

CHILDREN simply love to play with water, don’t they? I remember enjoying it myself when I was a child. I ‘swam’ in the bath tub, played with live tadpoles in it (yes, I really did), washed my dolly’s clothes in a basin, and ‘shot’ at my brother with a water pistol.
Water play is a fun and educational way to keep our children cool on hot days, and occupied those boring hours in a stimulating manner. It’s also a clever way to get those who refuse a bath to step into the tub (and later, to refuse to step out!).

Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, water play helps children, from infants and toddlers to school-age ones, develop skills and learn something from it.

By filling and carrying a bucket, pouring a cup of ‘tea’ and stirring, or scooping water from one bowl into another, children are actually developing their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Water is a sensory-play material that is beneficial for children, similar to other sensory-play materials such as sand and play dough. Their senses are stimulated when they feel water run through their body and fingers, when playing with ice cubes and experiencing them melting, and when splashing and kicking about in a tub or pool.

They learn the difference between wet and dry, solid and liquid, for example. They improve their vocabulary with words such as heavy, light, sink, float, shallow, deep, empty and full.

They learn math and science concepts such as mass and volume. They learn how to measure and see how a liquid changes ‘shape’ when poured into containers of different shapes and sizes.

And when they mix water with materials such as salt, sugar, coffee or food colouring, they learn how water can change in terms of taste and colour, what’s soluble and insoluble.

Water play provides the opportunity for free and creative play. Imagination is given free reign when you throw a few simple things into the bathwater – plastic bowls, cups, drinking straws, and funnel, for example. And animal bath toys, sponges, plastic or paper boats could turn the bathtub into adventureland.

While water play could be fun and beneficial in the overall physical, mental, emotional and social development of a child, we need to be mindful of potential dangers as well.

Always supervise your child when she is playing with water. Never leave a child alone in the tub or swimming pool for even a split second to answer the phone in the next room, for example. Inconvenient as it is, take her with you.

Little ones can drown in less than an inch of water. Like us adults, they could also slip and fall on wet floors.

Do not leave buckets filled with water lying around where children can easily reach them. Empty them after use.

Childproofing bathroom doors to prevent young children from entering them unsupervised is a good idea. Drain paddling pools after use, and erect enclosures or cover the swimming pool to prevent children from accidentally falling into the water.

Learn how to swim as a family. It is a good skill to have besides giving you good exercise. Ensure you have proper flotation devices for your children (and yourself) when you indulge in water activities such as swimming in the pool, lake or sea, or going on a boat ride.