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This toy bathtub is extra fun because it pumps out real water! It can be a great choice to help young children work on their pretend play skills, but it also works for children at all levels of play. A variety of play ideas are listed below as well as language you can say along with them.
Simple Play:
Have your child help pour water into the tub. (Water. We’re pouring the water The water is in the tub.)
Push the pump down and watch the water come out. (I pushed it. The water came out.)
Splash in the water. (We’re splashing.)
And then wipe down any drips that came out. (My hand is wet. Now, my hand is dry.)
Combination Play:
Put plastic animals in the bathtub and squirt water onto them. (The tiger is in the bathtub. He got wet!)
Drop items into the water so they make a big splash. (The elephant jumped in. He splashed the water. It came out of the tub!)
You don’t just have to fill the sink with water. Try dumping small blocks or beans in there, scoop them with a cup or pour between cups, and then dump them back out. (The tub is full. You poured the beans. They’re in the cup.)
Pre-Symbolic Play:
Fill a cup with the water from the shower and have an animal pretend to drink. (The lion is drinking.)
Wet a sponge and pretend to wash a plastic doll or animal. (The sponge is wet. We’re washing the dog. He’s clean!)
Wet the animals in the shower and then dry them off with a washcloth. (The giraffe is in the shower. Here’s a towel. He’s dry!)
Symbolic:
Work on imaginary play by pretending to wet and dry the animals or splash in the water when there’s no water in the tub.
Pretend the doll is doing their own actions by making the doll’s arm splash in the water or push the water out of the shower head.
Act out a whole bath time routine with a doll. Take their clothes off, pour water into the bath, have them climb in, shower them by pumping out water, wash them with a sponge, and then dry them off with a towel.
Make the bath routine more fun by adding shaving cream and pretending it’s soap! Careful, make sure it doesn’t get in the doll’s eyes!
As they act out a bath routine with a doll incorporate aspects of the child’s own routine. Sing your favorite bath time song or add in bath toys!
Get the toy here.
