What toddlers learn from water play

It's no secret that toddlers love to play with water. Here's why the lessons learned are worth the mess.

Look at that busy little guy, pouring water from yogurt container to funnel to yogurt container... to floor. He's learning about cause and effect, about warm and cool, about floating and sinking. He's calming himself after a

hard day of being small in a big world. He's learning new words, and thinking about the wetness of the water and the bubbliness of the bubbles.

And you thought he was just flooding the bathroom?

What if there was a clean, creative, natural play material that was piped right into your house, 24 hours a day, every day? You guessed? It's water. Along with the wonderful bright (expensive) toys that Grandma buys, and the paints and play dough and other neat craft stuff you provide, don't forget about water. Pamela Taylor, early childhood development instructor at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, says, "Young children are drawn to water. They're curious about it. It's a universally appealing play material with unlimited possibilities."

What are some of the possibilities? What does a toddler get from playing with water, besides wet?

Read more..

// Originally published in Today's Parent May 2001