April showers bring… being stuck inside! While we’re all about getting outside no matter the weather, we often end up trapped inside in the spring. So we’ve got an awesome indoor activity for YOU! Bust through that boredom and encourage play with your kids! Can we tell you our favorite thing about this activity? It helps develop muscular strength that in turn advances speech development.
We got this idea from our friend Brittany with @CraftMonsterz over on Instagram. It’s sure to be a family favorite in your home! Here’s how to play:
Materials:
Plastic tub (large and shallow is best)
water (add blue food coloring if wanted)
Towels (always good to have on hand for any activity involving water and kids!)
Straws
Bottle caps (modela bottle caps work great!)
Playdoh
Toothpicks
Leaves
Another thing we love about this activity is it uses every day items. You more than likely have all these supplies sitting around the house.
Play:
- First, Fill the plastic tub/tote with water and add food coloring to make it blue and to give the effect of water.
- Next, “Build” your boats- If your kids are old enough, definitely include them in this part of the process: push a small piece of playdoh into the inside of the bottle cap/lid, stick the toothpick in pointing upright and then poke your leaf onto the top of the toothpick to make a sail for your little boat!
- Then, Do a test run- make sure your boats float. Adjust leaves and playdoh weight so it’ll go when you blow on it with a straw.
- Finally, Line up your boats on one end of the plastic tub and have your kids blow through the straws on them- race across the water to see who wins or just have fun with making the boats float around in different directions.
This activity is sure to be a hit with your kids and family! Remember, using a straw (sucking and blowing) is a great way for children to strengthen the muscles in their jaw and mouth which in turn helps with speech! Check it out on our Instagram here and if you ever give any of our crafts and activities a try, be sure to tag us.
