Photo by Henley Design Studio on Unsplash
Bath time is a fun part of many toddlers’ routines. And since a bathtub can all be sprayed down while your child is taking a bath anyway, it is a great place to do some fun sensory and art activities that you may be uncomfortable with in other rooms of your home. You can make your own bath paints to save money and help your child practice, shapes, letters, and more while they express themselves.
What You Need:
- 1 cup Kid soap
- 1 cup Corn starch
- Water
- Food coloring
- Containers or muffin tin to hold the paint
- Paint brush (optional)
What To Do:
Combine soap and cornstarch and mix. Add 2 tbsp water and mix gently so it doesn’t get foamy. Check with your paint brush or finger, if it is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time until it feels like a good texture for pain. If it gets too watery add a bit more cornstarch to thicken it up. Divide your mixture into 1-4 containers depending on how many colors you want to make. Add just a few drops of food coloring to make your colors.
Let your child paint on the side or bottom of the tub. Younger kids may just want to squish colors together and in their hands. Older children can try making shapes, or even letters with their pictures. Always supervise children while in the bathtub and help ensure they do not eat soap.
Clean Up:
Rinse the tub clean when you are done. If there is any paint left over you can store it in plastic containers if you want to save it.
It’s True, Your Child is Actually Learning!
This painting in the tub activity includes all the learning goals of sensory play and art, body awareness, movement, self-regulation, and spatial awareness. Depending on what your challenge your child to create, you can also help to teach math  skills like shapes, colors, and literacy skills by practicing letters. Mixing colors and experimenting teaches basic science. Even holding and controlling a paint brush builds fine motor skills needed for writing.
