We've been combining our love of water play and role play in this activity just perfect for toddler outdoor fun! Easy to set up and they will even help to clean up!
Bubble Whisking & Washing Dishes
The toddler twosome have been showing a lot of interest in the jobs Mummy has to do around the house lately so I have been trying to incorporate more ‘real life' activities. This has been a favourite as the girls just love water!
I set up our spool tables outside with some basins….added a little squirt of washing liquid and handed them each a whisk so they could make their own bubbles!
They really enjoyed stirring, mixing and whisking to make the bubbles appear and become frothy….it was a great lesson in cause and effect as well as for those fine motor skills!
I also set up some of their favourite items from their play kitchen, an old dish drainer and gave them some washcloths…
These little teapots from the thrift shop have been an absolute winner!
Straight away they got to washing their dishes and placing them in the rack to dry…just like Mummy (who seems to do it at least 10 times a day surely!)
Periodically they did a little more whisking to get the bubbles going again…
Then back to the important business of washing and stacking….we also had a little chat about why we need to wash the dishes….
This activity was pure toddler fun and by having a tub of water each it lessened arguments and they could each play and ‘work' in the way they wanted too! Busy toddlers means happy toddlers!
The whisking proved a big hit too and I think we might have some fun in the bath with them tonight!
Tara was particularly interested in the bubbles captured within the whisk and she enjoyed pulling the bubbles back out!
I think even young toddlers would find this activity easy and enjoyable and it takes very little time to set up and pack away….after all, the dishes are all washed so no mess to clean up!
This leaves a bit of time at the end of the morning for a nice cup of tea…..
You can see more fun and easy ideas with water on my Pinterest board A Toddler's World !
I'd love to pin one of your favourite water activities so do let me know what yours is!
Jode, another fantastic idea. Off to set this up for Ginger. As I can hear her stirring and Tom Kitten has only just gone down for his nap:)
I hope Ginger enjoys it…the girls played with it for ages! So nice of Ginger to wake as Tom is going down for his nap *sigh*…feel your pain x
What a brilliant idea and so simpleto set up! Your photos are gorgeous Jode, the twins looked like they had soooo much fun!
Thanks Janice! I always take way too many photos but i love how they tell the story of an activity!
mmm yummy detergent tea………..my mum had a habit of not rinsing our cups out properly growing up ..and I had many a frothy drink over the years…………for real…ugh….
Oh dear….you know i vaugely recall something similar in my household….
More messy outdoor fun! I love your simple setups! The best thing about your posts is that I can do it straight away. I never really have to go and buy anything!
That’s wonderful to hear Penny! I’m too busy for elaborate set ups at the moment but the girls have just a smuch fun i think! Enjoy x
What a wonderful way to pretend play and explore water!
Oh, fun! My daughter loves whisking when we’re cooking.. we should totally do it with bubbles. She’d love it 🙂
Thanks Deb…yep the bubbles add that extra dimension of fun!
Ruby has just the biggest smile on her face, it looks like a big winner for your girls and perfect for this warm weather we are having. Even my Miss 8 loves to give things a clean and will spend ages washing up her cubby house things, I love activities that keep them immersed. x
She had such fun Catherine! Water and bubbles are two of her favourite things x
I love this! My kids play with their toy cups, plates, pots, pans, silverware (you get the gist) so much that they end up get a little dirty looking. I never thought about letting them wash it themselves like that!
They will wash it every day if you let them Kendall (although you will be sick of it lol)! Have fun with it and thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
How cute are they washing up 🙂 Dino Boy loves washing up too, there is just something about water isn’t there! And thanks so much for linking to our mud kitchen xx
My daughter loves ‘washing up”, but I think she’d have so much more fun if we took the activity outside. Thanks for sharing.
Looks like so much fun! I LOVE your spool tables. 🙂
thanks for adding this to the outdoor play link up, looks like they had great fun, there is something quite relaxing about water play, Kierna
Cute little teapots. Such a lovely warm weather activity! 🙂
We can’t get enough water play here when the weather is warm. I love the addition of soap and whisks! I’m putting this on our must-do list for next Spring! Thanks so much for linking up to the Outdoor Play Party this week!
Water, bubbles and kids, a winning combination every time