Summer Fun: Water Fun
Playing in the water in the summer can not only help your child beat the heat, but also work on their social and language skills! Water activities are also a way to help your child meet their sensory needs!

Here are a few fun and easy water activities:

Water Tables

Water tables are a great way to work on a variety of skills!

If your child is non-verbal, here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Have your water table or bin already filled with water. Pick out a few toys. If you have too many toys out this will be too overwhelming for your child and you will most likely not be able to facilitate a good interaction. Take out about four to five water toys. Place two to three in the table and hold on to the others for later.

Playing: While you are playing, decide on a few single words that you want to focus on such as: “in, out, water, splash, boat, wheel, turn, etc.” Then play with your child focusing on those words while you play. Now with the other toys that you are not yet using, bring them out and allow your child to make choices between them “red boat” or “blue boat.” Yhe goal here is for your child to look at each boat, point/grab the boat they want and then look at you.

Change it up: The water table is a fun activity that you can do every day! Change it up by changing up the toys you play in the table either every day or every other day.

How to make this social: Once your child begins to interact more with you while you are playing, it is time to make it more social! Make this social by adding another child to your interaction. Playing with the same objects in the same area as another child without getting upset is a huge social step!

If your child is using one to two-word utterances, here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Have your water table or bin already filled with water. Pick out a few toys. If you have too many toys out this will be too overwhelming for your child and you will most likely not be able to facilitate a good interaction. Take out about four to five water toys. Place two to three in the table and hold on to the others for later.

Playing: While you are playing, decide on a few single words that you want to focus on with single-word utterances such as: “in, out, water, splash, boat, wheel, turn, etc.” and within two-word utterances: “blue boat”, “boat splash”, “look boat”, etc. When focusing on two words, try to pick words that your child is already using. This will make the production and understanding of two-word utterances easier. Then play with your child focusing on those words while you play. Now with the other toys that you are not yet using, bring them out and allow your child to make choices between them “red boat” or “blue boat” the goal here is for your child to look at each boat, use one to two words to tell you which boat they want and then look at you.

Change it up: The Water table is a fun activity that you can do every day! Change it up by changing up the toys you play in the table either every day or every other day. You can also change it up by focusing on three words. Pick a fun little plastic toy like their favorite cartoon character: Mickey Mouse, Big Bird, Sponge Bob, etc. and hide in the water table. You can work on “Where is Big Bird?” “Big Bird on boat”. Or “look on boat”. This is a fun way to work on three words as well as prepositions.

How to make this social: Once your child begins to interact with you more within the water table, then it is time to make it more social. Here are three ways to make this social:
1) Allow a child to join you at the water table
2) Work on taking turns looking for the bird bird “Amy’s turn” and “Laura’s turn”
3) Work on taking turns playing with the boat and water wheel. Start with each child having a toy, then model it is “Amy’s turn for boat” and “Laura’s turn for the water wheel.” Then after a few minutes, switch “Laura’s turn for boat” and “Amy’s turn for water wheel”. This is a great way to introduce turn taking.

If your child is using three or more words and is working on increasing their social skills here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Each day do something different! One day have the water table or bin all set up ready to go and have a few toys out and ready. On the next day have the water table empty so that your child has to problem solve finding the water hose and filling the table, “Oh no….there is no water!” On the next day hide all the toys so that you have to find them, “Oh no where are the toys?” The more you change it up each day, the more language your child will learn and the more dynamic they will become in their thoughts and actions!

Play: Within play, focus on pretend play and playing together rather than playing beside each other. So if you are playing with boats, then the boats can follow the leader, go to the boat shop for gas, crash into each other and more. The key within this play is that you are playing together where each person is allowed a turn to control the interaction (the adult and the child).

How to make this social: Once your child begins to interact with you more within the water table, then it is time to make it more social. Allow another child to join your interaction:
1) Allow them to first play beside each other
2) Work on taking turns
3) Last work on them playing together while focusing on each person controlling the interaction and following their peer’s lead.

If your child is working on higher level social skills here are a few ideas:

Prepare: You want to do the same preparation as before, but now you want your child and their friend(s) to plan it together:
1) You can split up the duties: one person gets the hose and one person gets the water toys or
2) You can work on them doing it each step together.

Play: The main goal here is that they are playing together! You want them to focus on pretend play as well as just fun water table play but together.

Here are a few sites that you can find water tables for $30 and up.
www.target.com
www.activitytableshop.com
www.toysrus.com

Water Sprinklers

Water sprinklers are another great way to stay cool and work on a variety of skills!

If your child is non-verbal, here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Have your water sprinkler already hooked up, on and ready to go.

Playing: Remember some children may love the water and getting wet and others may not. For the child that doesn’t, they may need to sit and watch Mommy and Daddy play in the water sprinkler for a while before they want to join. For this child, you want to work on “Ready set go” or “One two three go” and then run through the sprinklers! Then you can work on “more” and then do it again!

Change it up: Once your child has “Ready set go” down, then it is time to change it up by focusing on an action such as ”run.” So now focus on “Ready set run.”

How to make this social: Once your child begins to understand and use both routines, it is time to make it more social! Make this social by adding another child to your interaction. Hold each child’s hand and do “Ready set run/go” all together.

If your child is using one to two-word utterances, here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Have your water sprinkler already hooked up, on and ready to go.

Playing: Remember some children may love the water and getting wet and others may not. For the child that doesn’t, they may need to sit and watch Mommy and Daddy play in the water sprinkler for a while before they want to join. For this child, you want to work on “Ready Set Go” or “One Two Three Go” and then run through the sprinklers! Then you can work on “more” and then do it again.

Change it up: Once your child has “Ready set go” down, then it is time to change it up by focusing on an action such as ”run”. So now focus on “Ready set run…dance…skip…twirl” and much more.

How to make this social: Once your child begins to understand and use both routines, it is time to make it more social! Make this social by adding another child to your interaction. Hold each child’s hand and do “Ready set run/go” all together. Next focus on taking turns such as ”Amy’s turn, ready set dance.”

If your child is using three or more words and is working on increasing their social skills here are a few ideas:

Prepare: Each day do something different! One day have the water sprinkler all set up and ready to go. On the next day, have the water sprinkler out but the hose is missing, ”Oh no…where is the hose?” On the next day, have each item out but not hooked up and work on “Help mommy.” The more you change it up each day the more language your child will learn and the more dynamic they will become in their thoughts and actions.

Play: Within play focus, on listening skills and social games. You can play Simon Says, Ring Around the Rosy and other fun games in the sprinkler. You can play the action game where Mommy tells you what action to do in the sprinkler like “dance, twist, jump, etc. (similar to Simon Says).

How to make this social: When your child is ready, add a peer! Work on taking turns, working on “watch me” and then have them do a trick (jumping, spinning, dancing, etc.). Work on them doing all the fun social games and listening games together. Then add another peer and another peer!

If your child is working on higher level social skills here are a few ideas:

Prepare: You want to do the same preparation as before, but now you want your child and their friend(s) to plan it together:
1) You can split up the duties: one person gets the hose and one person gets the sprinkler or
2) You can work on them doing it each step together.

Play: The main goal here is that they are playing together! You want them to focus on pretend play as well as just fun sprinkler play but together where they have to listen and watch their peers such as: Simon Says, Duck Duck Goose, Freeze Tag, racing through the water sprinklers, etc.

Here are a few sites that you can find children’s water sprinklers for $30 and up:

www.target.com
http://www.squidoo.com/the-best-water-sprinklers-for-kids
www.amazon.com

Music

Remember when you are playing, that all children love music! So most likely the more you sing, the more they will attend and participate at all ages and levels. Songs will help our little ones increase their interaction time and songs will help our big kids with that first step of being social. Here are a few fun songs to sing while playing in water (some you can even act out):

Little White Duck
There’s a little white duck sitting in the water
A little white duck doing what he ought-er
He took a bite of the lily pad,
He flapped his wings and he said, “I’m glad
I’m a little white duck sitting in the water,
quack, quack, quack.”

There’s a little green frog jumping in the water
A little green frog doing what he ought-er
He took a bite of the lily pad,
He flapped his wings and he said, “I’m glad
I’m a little green frog jumping in the water
glug, glug, glug”

There’s a little black bug floating on the water,
A little black bug doing what he oughter.
He tickled the frog on the lily pad
That the little duck bit, and he said, “I’m glad
I’m a little black bug floating on the water
buzz, buzz, buzz”

There’s a little red snake playing in the water,
A little red snake doing what he oughter.
He frightened the duck and frog so bad,
He ate the little bug, and he said, “I’m glad
I’m a little red snake playing in the water
Hiss, hiss, hiss.”

Now there’s nobody left sitting in the water,
Nobody left doing what they oughter.
There’s nothing left but the lily pad,
The duck and the frog ran away—“I’m sad
‘Cause there’s nobody left sitting in the water
Boo, hoo, hoo.”

Timmy Turtle
I had a little turtle,
his name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub,
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap.
And now he's home sick in bed,
with bubbles in his throat.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub,
but it wouldn't fit down his throat.

Five Little Fishies
Five little fishies swimming in a pool,
(wiggle fingers)

First one said, "The pool is cool."
(one finger up, wrap arms around body)

Second one said, "The pool is deep."
(two fingers up, measure deep)

Third one said, "I want to sleep."
(three fingers up, rest head on hands)

Fourth one said, "Let's dive and dip."
(four fingers up, hand dives and dips)

Fifth one said, "I spy a ship."
(five fingers up, peer out under hand)

Fisherman's boat comes,
(fingers form a V and move away from body)

Line goes ker-splash,
(pantomime throwing fishing line)

Away the five little fishies dash.
(wiggle five fingers away)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain,
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun,
And dried up all the rain.
Then the itsy bitsy spider,
Climbed up the spout again

Waddle, Waddle, Waddle
Waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle,
Quack, quack, quack,
Feathers on my tummy,
and feathers on my back.
I'm a DUCK
Quack, Quack, Quack
I'm a DUCK.
Ribbit, Hop, Green/Bumps, Frog
Slither, Hiss, Scales/Stripes, Snake
Flap, Chirp, Feathers, Bird
Scurry, Squeak, Fur, Mouse
Run, Bark, Fur, Dog
Pounce, Meow, Fur, Cat
Swish, Swim, Scales/Fins, Fish

We hope that your summer is filled with water fun this year!

~Amanda & Laura
KidSpeak, LLC
www.kidspeakdallas.com