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Benefits of Water Play

Benefits of Water Play - Te tākaro ki te wai

Water play allows tamariki opportunities to explore scientific and mathematical concepts, hone gross and fine motor skills, promote language learning and work with and alongside others. Simple things like watching objects sink or float develops problem solving skills as children begin to learn why and how things happen. Discovering different temperatures such as warm or cold, or observing water absorption or evaporation are also part of learning early science concepts. Water is versatile, easy to set up and can provide a range of experiences for tamariki, from calm and soothing to active and energising.

A small trough of water can be calming for children to swirl with their hands, and by adding just a few small accessories such as measuring cups or sponges, can enhance the sensory experience, develop fine motor skills, and support learning about mathematical and scientific concepts. Small water activities can be relaxing and soothing for tamariki as they might choose to engage individually rather than as a larger group.

Having a more physical water activity such as a sprinkler, water slide, or visiting a water park enables children to engage their physical skills to participate. Using gross motor skills, children can run, jump or hop in, around, over or under the water. This type of activity often enables a group of children to engage and therefore social interactions and awareness of others is also promoted.

Water play can help tamariki to:

• integrate sensory information e.g. feeling water temperature, texture, and weight, and hearing the sounds it makes when pouring or splashing
• understand mathematical concepts such as measurement, capacity, and volume
• understand concepts like heavy/light, float/sink, full/empty, and shallow/deep
• use scientific thinking e.g. guessing, testing ideas and repeating what they find out
• learn to concentrate, persist, and solve problems › learn to share and cooperate with others
• respect water as a taonga with spiritual qualities
• learn the importance of conserving water.

To enjoy water play, don’t forget to check if there’s any water restrictions in your area, practise sun safety, and don’t forget that tamariki need active supervision at all times in and around water.

Information from Ministry of Education He Kohinga Tākaro Mō Te Ako | Play Ideas For Learning