Everything a preschooler does is teaching them something new about the world around them. Bath time is more than just about getting clean. It provides a great time to interact with your child and teach him things while you are bathing him or her. Language skills, fine motor skills, and even music can become a fun part of your child’s bathtime routine.
Vocabulary development
Did you know that children are beginning to have less of a vocabulary than they developed at the same age ten years ago? Screen exposure to words and sounds is not processed by the brain as effectively as face-to-face conversations with an adult. It is true!
When bathing a preschooler, talk to them about their toys, their toes- anything! It is the face to face, back and forth discussion that develops language structure and increases vocabulary.
If you have plastic barnyard animals, put them in the tub to name and describe. Where is the pink pig? The rubber duck is yellow. That blue shark has big teeth! The conversation builds a child’s confidence along with their number of words he or she understands.
Build fine motor skills
Fine motor skills mean being able to manipulate objects with the fingers and small hand muscles. It is different than running, jumping, or throwing a ball, which takes larger muscles and more strength.
Giving children bath toys while bathing them in the tub gives them the opportunity to feel their texture, manipulate any moving parts (a doll’s arms, a boat’s sail, etc.), and pick them up.
Fine motor skills are necessary for a preschool child to learn how to feed themselves, dress themselves, hold things in their hands, and write in school.
Singing and rhymes
Singing makes a child look forward to bath time. There are many songs that preschoolers can learn to sing. The acoustics of the bathtub is perfect for “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat,” “You are my Sunshine” and other preschool favorites.
Here is a list of childhood songs we know your children will enjoy:
- The ABCs
- The Ants Go Marching
- London Bridge is Falling
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
- She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain
- This Land Is Your Land
- Hokey Pokey
- Wheels on the Bus
- You are my Sunshine
- If You are Happy and You Know It
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- I’m a Little Teacup
- 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed
- I went to the Animal Fair
- The Farmer in the Dell
- Marry had a Little Lamb
- The Muffin Man
- Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
You can even ask Alexa to play favorite children’s songs if you can’t remember the lyrics.
Final words
Bathing a preschooler is a valuable and wonderful time to play with your child and incorporate some fun learning into the experience of being in the water. Making a game of it makes taking a bath less of a chore and more of a joy for both you and your child to look forward to.