The children in Toddler 1 have shown a continued interest in all things race cars. From driving them around the classroom to racing them down the ramps, and taking the larger cars/bikes for a ride, the toddlers have been having lots of race car fun! In order to expand on this interest in a new and engaging way, the educators repurposed some materials around the classroom to create a car wash sensory activity. The tuff tray included materials like water, bubbles, brushes, water droppers, spray bottles, race cars, and of course a car wash! Using a large box and red streamers the educators created a car wash tunnel for the children to drive the cars in and out of. The children seemed very excited to explore the car wash and the bubbles! Many started to squish the bubbles with their hands and mixed the bubbles and water together with the brushes. Some of the children used the brushes to scrub the cars with the soapy water, while others used the water droppers to rinse off the soapy cars. While some children were engaged in washing the race cars, others were investigating the water spray bottles. Using their problem-solving and hand-eye coordination skills, the children explored how they could pull the lever back on the bottle to spray the water out onto the tray! Several of the children enjoyed spraying the car wash, watching the pattern of the water spray appear on the box as they sprayed more water. Throughout the experience several children asked for, “more bubbles! More bubbles!”. One child lined up several of the cars so they could clean multiple at once with the paint bush, afterwards they would take a bowl full of water and dump it on the cars to get all the soap off!
Water sensory play offers numerous benefits for toddlers by enhancing their thinking, creativity, and physical developmental skills. It encourages problem solving and critical thinking through cause-and-effect exploration, while fostering imaginative play! This car wash sensory experience offered opportunities for the children to practice their fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills through pouring and grasping materials like the water droppers, brushes and spray bottles. Overall, this activity was a wonderful way to support the children’s on-interest of race cars in a fun and engaging way for the toddlers to learn and grow!
