Tub Time Activities
I am so excited to share some really fun ideas to do in the Bath Tub! I'm looking forward to trying all of the following bath activities with my boys:
1) Glow Bath & Painting: This was one of the best activities we've ever done! I found this idea on Fun at home with Kids. Here's what you need:
Black Light
B Vitamin (makes the tub water glow)
Washable Fluorescent Paint
Shaving Cream (I bought ours from the Dollar Store)
Bowls
Paintbrushes
1. Mix the contents of two B Vitamin capsules in a glass with 1 Cup of warm water. Stir it around until the vitamin dissolves. The water will look orangish-yellow. When you are ready, fill up the tub as normal and add the vitamin water. Mix it around until all the tub water is yellow.
2. In small bowls, Mix 1 Cup of shaving cream with 1 Tablespoon (or more depending on how bright you'd like the paint) of Fluorescent Paint. We used four bowls - each containing a cup of shaving cream and one color of paint. Mix until combined. Place a paint brush in each bowl.
3. Turn off the lights and turn on the black light. The water will glow yellow and the paint will glow its color! Bring the kids in!
3) Colored Shaving Cream: Mix washable Liquid Water Colors and Shaving Cream together to make Colored Shaving Cream. Use a finger to finger paint or a paintbrush to paint the walls of the tub/shower. Bowls and measuring cups would be fun to add as well.
4) Alphabet Soup: I love themed tubs! Use play kitchen pots & pans, play kitchen items (whisk, spatula, funnel, measuring cups, bowls, spoons, etc.) and plastic letters (I bought ours at the Dollar Store) and make Alphabet Soup. I supervised my toddler and 8 month old in the alphabet tub and they were both in heaven! This is also a great letter review activity.
5) Dinosaur Bath Bombs from Fun at Home with Kids:
6) Watercolor Painting from Tinkerlab: Bring a set of watercolors and a paintbrush in the tub.
7) Spray Paint Bubble Bath from mamapapabubba:
8) Colored Ice Cube Bath from learnplayimagine: Use Liquid Water Colors to make colored ice cubes and play with them in the tub.
9) Birthday Bath - Balloons in the Tub from growing a jeweled rose:
10) Pool Noodle Play/Noodle Wall from the TheJennyEvolution:
11) Ocean Theme from growing a jeweled rose:
12) Glow Sticks/Glow Balloon Bath: Buy a set of glow sticks at the Dollar Store and use them in the bath! Easton and his cousins really enjoyed this (first picture)! I also like the idea from sayyes of putting glow sticks inside balloons for a sensory bath (second picture)!
13) Water Beads Bath: Water beads are amazing! We recently used them in a Rainforest Sensory Bin and Easton played with them for over two hours. It was me who ended the play, because we were way past our lunch and nap time. The beads are safe to play with, although they shouldn't be ingested. The beads start fairly small, but when placed in water, they expand 5-6 times their size. They're squishy, colorful and can bounce! Add them to a tub for a fun sensory activity! It would be fun to add bowls and play kitchen items (measuring spoons, measuring cups, funnels, etc.) as well.
14) Foam Bath Letters: I bought a set of Foam Bath Letters as an alphabet review while playing in the tub. I usually bring out 6-8 letters at a time, so it's not overwhelming. Add shaving cream to make this activity even more fun!
15) Polka Dot Bath: I found the picture below on Pinterest and wasn't able to be directed to the original blog post - it looks like the idea is from Play Create Explore. I found these pre-cut circle foam shapes on Amazon to use for a polka dot bath. It would be fun to use star foam shapes for a bath or these red, white and blue foam stars for a Fourth of July themed bath.
16) Colored Bath Tablets: This is another very simple idea and Easton LOVES the Colored Bath Tablets. When we have them, he is constantly requesting them. Once a tablet is in the water, it fizzes and turns the tub water its color. You can mix colors together to make other colors - blue and yellow will make green. Add plastic bowls/cups, water beads (mentioned above), foam bath letters (mentioned above), or toy animals to enhance this sensory activity!
17) Toy Animals Tub: Easton LOVES playing with plastic toy animals - especially in the tub. He loves watching them splash, swim, jump into the water, etc. Make any type of tub theme with ocean animals, zoo animals, jungle animals, or whatever you have on hand. Easton would love this set of mom/dad and baby animals for the tub (see picture below)!
18) Valentine's Tub: For our Valentine's Bath, I added a few squirts of red watercolors to make the water pink. I put white shaving cream in one bowl and pink shaving cream in another (white shaving cream mixed with a squirt of red watercolor). Easton started painting with shaving cream the second he got in the tub! We also used: foam hearts (stick to the side of the tub), a red strainer, large red bowl, red measuring cups and spoons, heart slinkies, and Valentine's cups - all from the Dollar Store.
