It can be hard to convince your toddler or preschooler to head for their bath or shower when they’re immersed in playing. Or watching TV (Oddbods, perhaps?) But with some invitations to play in the bath, your child might be more willing to make the transition to bath time.
Here are 6 engaging activities to set up for your child and make bath time extra delightful! And remember—never leave your child unattended in the bath.
1. Let Them Paint
Introduce colours to bath time to make it more enticing! Let your child paint in the toilet with watercolour paint, special bath crayons, or homemade foam paint.
To make your own foam paint, simply squirt shaving cream into a muffin tray. Then mix some gel food colouring into each section. Hand over the tray to your child together with paintbrushes, and let them go wild. The paint is easy to wash and as a bonus, exposes your child to sensory play.
Let your child paint in the shower for some colourful sensory fun! Photo by Phil Hearing .
Another way to add a splash of colour into bath time is to colour the bathwater. You can use Crayola bath drops or food colouring, depending on your comfort. To play up the theme, throw in plastic toys of the same colour for some colour coordinated fun. Or if you’ll be using blue or green water, make an ocean-themed bath with toy boats and marine life-related toys. Give your child some time to lose themselves in their imagination while always keeping a close eye on them.
For toddlers, sensory play develops their thinking abilities and encourages their independence whilst for preschoolers, it helps them build fine motor skills and further develops their language skills.
2. Make Bath Bombs For Your Child
Fizzy bath bombs can give a visual treat, plus a sensory one if they contain fragrant essential oils. Bath bombs don’t necessarily have to be perfect-looking or fancy like the ones in stores. Homemade ones by parents can be just as joyful, if not more.
To pique your child’s curiosity, you can plant a toy in the middle of the bath bombs for your child to discover when the bath bomb has almost completely dissolved.
To make your own Oddbod bath bombs, you will need:
-
1 cup citric acid
-
1½ cups baking soda
-
½ cup almond oil, coconut oil, or baby oil
-
8-10 drops essential oils (try lavender for extra calming properties)
-
A mold such as regular or mini-muffin tins, or you can use your hands
-
Optional: Oddbod figurines to plant inside for a little surprise
Directions
-
Whisk together citric acid and baking soda in a bowl. Add in the oil and essential oils, and mix with a spoon or a spatula. The resulting mixture should be able to hold together when pressed between your fingers.
-
Press the mixture into your molds to pack it firmly. Alternatively, coat your chosen toys or figurines with the mixture and pack it firmly into an egg shape.
-
Let your bath bombs dry for 24 hours before using them.
Note: You may be able to find citric acid in your pharmacy or grocery store in the canning aisle. Don’t skip it, or your bath bombs won’t be fizzy.
3. Let Toys Join The Bath
One way to spice up bath time without the need for crafting is to simply bring toys into the bath. You can let your child role-play as a caregiver by allowing them to bathe their dolls. This is especially great if your child has been observing you bathe their baby sibling.
Occasionally, let toys join in the bath especially if it makes your little one look forward to bath time. Photo by Nathan Dumlao.
Another option is to let them bring their Lego or other plastic, waterproof blocks (such as the Oddbods Eco Blocks) into the bath. It’s fun for your child to watch the blocks float or dance in the waves of the water. It’s also a win-win because the toys get washed at the same time!
4. Bring Kitchen Utensils Into The Bath
Another way to make bath time more interesting is to let your children play with everyday kitchen tools and utensils, such as colanders, sieves, measuring cups and spoons, empty milk cartons, and clean yogurt cups.
P.S. Avoid sharp objects at all costs. Plastic-based or silicone-based materials are the safest bet!
Sometimes a container that holds water (or not!) can provide endless fun. Photo by Lubomirkin.
Children love water play and the opportunity to scoop and pour water freely without consequences. Using available kitchen utensils is a great way to make bath time fun without spending extra money.
5. Sing Songs With Your Child
You can make bath time—and the associated memories—more joyful by singing songs with your child in the bath. Many of us are guilty of seeing bath time as a chore in our endless to-do list. Instead, take bath time as an opportunity to connect and indulge in your child.
Simple song suggestions for toddlers include Row Row Row Your Boat, Incy Wincy Spider, and Rain Rain Go Away. It’s a bonus if you have bath toys as props. Whether it’s a sailboat or a colander to make it rain, a little creativity goes a long way.
The Oddbods Hooded Towel is the perfect accompaniment after you make a splash during bath time. It’s highly absorbent and gets your little Oddstar dried up quickly from head to toe!
6. Play With Foam Letters or Foam Crafts
Alphabet foam letters are versatile toys that can be played in and out of the bath. In the bath or the shower, they stick to the walls easily without leaving any damage. Your child can have fun pasting them on the walls while you rinse and soap them.
Foam alphabets add colourful, educational fun during bath time. Photo by Halacious .
If you’re feeling creative, you can also buy coloured foam sheets from your craft store and make props such as roads, trees, and buildings for your child to design their own landscape or run their toy cars along.
For early readers, you can cut up foam sheets into smaller shapes and write sight words with a Sharpie for your child to practice reading. Make it sufficiently challenging for your child and they might just enjoy the brain stimulation during their bath routine!
Another option is to slice up cheap pool noodles and let them float in the bathwater like a faux flower bath. Your child can swish the pool noodle bits around or stack them up like blocks—the possibilities are endless.
Above All, Remember To Relax!
Bath time is a great way to bond with our children while teaching them the importance of hygiene and keeping ourselves clean. Treat this time with your child as sacred and try your best to relax and keep things light-hearted.
If you find yourself getting frustrated at your child’s constant resistance towards their bath time, try planning any of the above bath time activities to change the mood. And if they’re a fan of Oddbods, you can thrill them with their very own Oddbods hooded towel.
Have fun splashing away!
