Shaving Cream Creations
Just before bathtime, put your child in their high chair (you’ll probably want to have them only in their diaper so it is easier to clean them off). Put some shaving cream on their tray and show them how they can manipulate it. Squeeze it, use a finger to draw a picture or write a name. Let them play and encourage them to be creative in what they do. Talk to them about what they are making or doing.
This activity is beneficial in many ways. It is tactile stimulation, which is very good if you have a child like mine who has a hard time dealing with weird textures or doesn’t like getting things on their hands. Eventually the fun of playing with the shaving cream overcame the initial discomfort. This also encourages conversation and creative play. During creative play a child learns to distinguish between reality and imagination. They learn that they can make something look like something else, for example they can draw a picture of a flower in the shaving cream but the shaving cream is still shaving cream.
As an added bonus shaving cream is a great cleaner, so when you wipe off their tray it has been sanitized and cleaned ![]()
Water Wonder
Get a small clean sponge, put a small amount of water in a plastic bowl and give them to your child. They will have fun watching the water move up the sponge. Show them how to squeeze out the sponge and soak up the water again. A little water will probably get on the counter and your child’s clothes, but the activity is sure to keep them entertained for a while. It is a perfect thing to have your child do in their high chair while you do something that you can only do when they aren’t around such as cleaning or cooking.
Playing with water like this has many benefits. To adults it may seem like your child is just making a mess, but playing with water stimulates the senses and helps develop motors skills.This particular activity helps them learn how to squeeze. It also helps a child
understand spatial concepts. A bowl filled with water helps them understand volume. Water drips and splashes help a child make connections about natural laws like gravity
You can do a variation of this activity by offering small plastic items such as a tupperware lid or a spoon and showing your child how to clean them. Put them someplace where they can watch you wash dishes as well. This is imitative play; all children love imitative play especially at this age. They learn what is considered good and bad and how to act through imitation of those they see everyday (usually you, the parent). Give your child a dry towel and show them how to dry off the items they have “washed”.
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