splish! splash! this week's summer spotlight!
- Jul 27
- 12 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Monday, July 27, 2026
Summer is certainly in full gear!
Woohoo!
We’ve both been savoring family time these past few weeks
with our Middles and our Littles!
the Fourth of July, special birthdays and family gatherings
have all been celebrated in our worlds
and while we are a bit weary, we’ve cherished each moment!
In fact, as we’d shared in our last post,
we'd meant to be back with a new post (or two) last week,
BUT
we got so busy making summer memories that blogging simply had to wait!
Now that we’ve caught our breath (and maybe enjoyed a little nap here or there)
we’re ready to turn our attention to the summer days still to come!
Many GRANDS like us may find themselves caring for the Littles in their lives
during the next several weeks
and we all are looking for simple, fun and engaging activities
to keep them entertained… and cool!
As a reminder, here are the topics we’ve covered so far this summer
as part of our This Week’s Summer Spotlight series!
Today, we're excited to share our SPLISH! SPLASH! post with you all,
filled with simple water activities, plenty of giggles,
and easy ways to help your Littles cool off while making the most
of a sunny summer day!
Water play is the perfect way to celebrate summer with Littles… of all ages!
Usually, when we think of water and summer,
we think of time spent at the pool or the beach!
While these are, of course, wonderful adventures to share with our Littles,
it’s not always practical to drop everything and head that way!
Our Littles can, however, have just as much fun with
water sensory play activities that can easily be incorporated
with a few buckets, large plastic containers, a kiddie pool or a water table -
right in your own backyard!
With the weather heating up, it’s the perfect opportunity to spend time outside
with your Littles and there’s nothing more refreshing
than splashing in water on a hot humid day!
What are the benefits of water play?
There are SO many! Here’s a few we find worth mentioning!
Check out our WET and wild water-themed activities below…
scroll through for ideas that will work for your Little’s age, abilities and interests!
Water Play with Younger Littles!
Infants are often introduced to water play while in the bath tub! But, during the summer, it’s time to think beyond the tub and head outside for some wet play with your Little one! Whether your Little is working on tummy time, sitting, scooting or already crawling the activities below will provide loads of fun!
JUST REMEMBER….
adult supervision is required at all times!
Your Little will need physical support from you in order to explore water safely!
AND…
be sure that your littlest Little is adequately protected
with clothing/sun hat and sunscreen before heading outside, too!
Don’t forget that you’ll probably get wet, too…
After all, no one is safe in a SPLISH-SPLASH zone!
😅
Here are some fun ways to incorporate water play
when spending time with your infant Littles!
INFANT FUN! (3-6 months and older)
🩷 Place infant Littles in a baby bathtub, but do so outside on the grass! Be sure to add warm water BUT don’t fill it too much - a few inches will be perfect!! Your Little will have the support he/she needs and then you can put a moist towel on the tummy or head, you can gently pour (or sprinkle) some water over your Little’s arm or leg and you can splash them slowly. Fill a washcloth with water and let your Little hold it, if able! Be sure to watch your Little carefully - for safety, but also to be sure he/she is enjoying the experience, and adapt as needed!! NOTE: You can also put your Little in a small bin or wash basin for this activity, especially if he/she is able to sit up independently!
🩷 Add some small toys to the water (even ones, like a rubber duck, that you can later squirt from) Use words like water, splash, pour, drip, wet, as you play with your Little. Help your Little kick his/her feet to make splashes, too!
🩷 Sponges are such fun so soak it all up! Show your Little how to fill the sponge with water and then how you squeeze the water out - on your Little or on toys around him/her! Your Little may also want to put the sponge in the mouth (imagine that?!?) so be sure you start with a clean one!
🩷 If your Little still enjoys tummy time, add a half inch of warm water to a sheet pan and place it on a big towel on the grass. Put your Little on the towel and let him/her explore the water… add one or two small balls to the tray, too! As your Little moves the water around and begins to discover the cause/effect of splashing, giggles may ensue!
🩷 Bring your Little’s high chair outside and fill the tray with water - a half-inch will do! Your Little will be able to sit up and splash in the water! Add a few toys (maybe even a small boat) for your Little to explore!
🩷 Scooping up water is another fun option for Littles who are able to sit up independently. Put your Little on a big towel in the grass and add a big bowl, filled part way with water. Then add a few plastic spoons and smaller scoops. Your Little will love filling and emptying the containers!
TODDLER FUN!
As your Littles grow older and become stronger and more independent, the water play options are endless! Here’s some of our favorites!
Water Play with Scoops, Funnels, Fly Swatters & More!
This activity was super easy to set up and provided some quality play time as well as lots of pouring practice! When Little L was a toddler, Laura filled a tub half full of water and then gave Little L some utensils she’d found around the kitchen - several sizes of scoops or measuring cups, a funnel, measuring spoons, a strainer and a whisk!
Later, we even added a fly swatter (one we’d cleaned ahead of time 😉) and splashed away!
Pipecleaner Fish!
For this activity, Laura bent and twisted pipe cleaners to fashion colorful fish! We put the “fish” in a tub of water and added a strainer to the tub. Laura’s great niece, Little M caught the fish, one by one! Since Little M was three years old at the time, Laura challenged her by asking her to catch the blue fish, then the pink one, then 2 fish, and so on!
NOTE: Do you see the rocks in the tub, too? Before we started catching pipe cleaner fish, we went looking for rocks and washed them in the water! EASY & FUN!
Washing Toys!
Well, this was fun and another super easy activity to set up! Littles love returning to this activity, especially if you change out what is washed… we washed toy fruits and veggies, a baby doll and favorite farm animals! We used a sponge to wash our toys but you could use a washcloth or a brush! Use what you have! 😍
NOTE: You can also use a slotted spoon or spatula and transfer your toys from the tub of water to another container! This would be an excellent activity to support hand-eye development and challenge older Littles!
Cookie Cutter Fishing!
When we spend time at the lake during the summer months, fishing is definitely on our minds! So, here’s another fun fishing activity! Use some playdough cookie cutters (or even real ones work!) and make a “fish hook” out of a pipe cleaner. Time to go fishing!! Younger Littles will have fun simply hooking the cookie cutters and bringing them out of the water. Older Littles will love the challenge of trying to catch specific fish you name - catch the fish shaped like a bear or like a circle or like a duck!
Painting with Water!
How simple is this one? We’ve been known to keep our Littles busy painting rocks, the plants, the sidewalk and even themselves! All they need is a paint brush and a cup of… water! Refreshing pay at its best with simple prep and clean up! What could be better?
Water Play with Older Littles!
As Littles get older, water play gets even more exciting!
Check out these tried and true ideas!
Soak It and Go… A Sponge Race!
The Sponge Race is a classic outdoor game where players (or relay teams) compete to transfer as much water as possible from a full container of water to an empty one using only a sponge to do so. The first player/team to fill their empty container wins!
This was a brand new favorite this year during Laura’s recent Cousin Weekend at the lake! We did not have enough players to compete as relay teams, but three of our Littles had such fun racing each other and the set up couldn’t have been simpler!
As you can see, the set up was super simple - a large bin of water at one end of the playing area and smaller individual empty containers at the other end. (We put a colored ring around each container - you could also use different colored containers, although none of these options are necessary… They just made it easier for our young Littles to identify their own container.)
Each player/team has a sponge and when “GO” is signaled, the players run to the bin of water and soak their sponge in the water and then run to their empty containers and squeeze the water from the sponge into them..
This process is repeated multiple times.
The first person to fill their container to the top with water is the winner!
Listen to Little L’s reaction as she runs!
You may recall from past posts,
my GRAND name is “Bacco” and you may hear it said a time or two! 🩷
At the Car Wash!
This is an oldie but a goodie and is such a fun activity for preschoolers who love to play with cars!. Laurie first set this out a few years ago for her great nephew! She included a “driveway” (bin lid), a bin with soapy water, a wire basket (so the water could flow through), and a scrubby brush.
Laurie’s Little lined up his play vehicles on the “driveway”. Then, one at a time, he drove them into the soapy bin where he scrubbed each with a brush. (This was a new toilet bowl brush from the Dollar Store. A sponge or washcloth would work just as well.)
Next the car moved into the rinsing station! Each car was rinsed with a sprinkler attachment on a hose. You could also use a watering can or spray bottle.
Lastly, Laurie’s Little lined the cars up on the drying station. (the black table).
Don’t you wish you enjoyed washing your cars this much??
Sponge Ball Fun!
Laurie’s kindergarten colleagues would make these sponge balls for the kids to play with during the last week of school each year! (Tap on the link for directions to make them.) The Sponge Ball games made for some fun, silly outdoor water time together! If you don’t care to make them, you could always use a plain sponge. The great thing about sponges is they pack a WET punch! There are so many things you can do with them!
NOTE: While the activities below were played with full kindergarten classes, they would be equally fun to play with your Little(s) or as a multi-age activity during a family celebration or reunion!
Partner Toss!
Stand very close to your partner with a very wet Sponge Ball. “Toss” it to your partner. Then both partners take a step back. Toss again. Keep tossing and moving backwards to see how far apart you can be while still throwing the Sponge Ball successfully!
Toss-a-Roo!
For this game, all you will need is a big wall, a tree or a fence. How high can the Littles/players throw the WET Sponge Ball?
Laurie’s class did lose one on top of the roof one year!
Watch for that kid in the major leagues!
Drench the Teacher! (or the Grand!)
Laurie started far away and the kids stood behind a line and threw the balls at her! After each throw, Laurie took a step closer and closer. The students were so thrilled when they could “hit” Laurie! (Sponge Balls do not hurt - they are just very wet!)
These next games work best for whole families to play together!
Freeze Tag!
For this game, one person is it. He/she has the Sponge Ball. When a player is hit by the ball, the player is frozen until someone crawls through his/her legs and unfreezes the player. When the Sponge Ball is no longer wet, you start a new game with a new tagger!
Duck Duck, All Wet!
This game is played just like Duck, Duck Gray Duck, but the player who is “It” has a Sponge Ball (or a cup of water works well, too) “It” goes around the circle, placing the sponge (or cup of water) over each person’s head. When “It” decides to tag someone, he/she yells “All Wet!” and squeeze the Sponge Ball over that person’s head (or dumping the cup of water).. The wet player chases “It” around the circle and tries to catch “It” before he/she sits down!
Water Balloons Galore!
Who doesn’t remember playing with water balloons as a kid? Of course there are the classic ways of playing with them… having a water balloon fight OR tossing a water balloon back and forth as you try to keep it from breaking (think “egg toss game”).
Here’s two more fun ideas to add to your water balloon repertoire!
A Water Balloon Yo-Yo!
These water balloon yo-yos are so easy to make and Littles will be fascinated that you’ve actually made a yo-yo out of a balloon! Watch your Little spin and bounce their yo-yos all around! If you’re like us, you’ll want to make one for yourself, too!
Here’s how we made ours:
1. Fill up a water balloon and tie it off, as usual.
2. Loop a rubber band around the tied end of the balloon as shown. This will provide a finger hold so that your Little can bounce the water balloon up and down or spin it all around!
But Beware…
These yo-yos can also surprise your Littles with an unexpected pop!
We suggest having extras on hand
so you (and they) are prepared for all the wet fun that's bound to take place!
Water Balloon Parachute!
This game involved teamwork and it’s super fun… especially for older Littles and adults to play together! Players work as partners and need a beach or bath towel to play and you’ll want to have extra water balloons ready before the fun begins!.. Each partner holds the two corners at the short end of a towel to form a “bed” for the balloon. Working together, partners will use the towel to launch the balloon into the air and will then try to catch the water balloon in the same towel without breaking it. See how many times you and your partner can launch and catch your water balloon without it breaking!
Want to make the game more challenging and entertaining? Turn it into a volleyball game where you launch and catch with another set of partners!
Whether your day includes sprinklers in the backyard,
a splash pad at the park, or a simple bucket of water on the patio,
we hope our ideas have inspired you to beat the heat this summer
with some cool down Splish! Splash! fun of your own!
We’d love to have you share your ideas, too!
Please share your comments at the end of this post!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by!!
Be sure to check out
during the coming week!
We’ll be highlighting more summer fun there!
You can also find us on Pinterest where we’ve linked
many of the summer activities we’ve featured on our blog!
We’ll be back later this week with our next post,
Fun with Spray Bottles!
Summer Play the GRAND Way!
Should be a fun one!
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Before long, the towels will be folded away, swimsuits tucked into storage, and another summer will become a treasured memory.
So dive in, make a splash,
and soak up every giggle, every wet footprint,
and every joyful moment along the way.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
Crazy Little Lovebirds from Crazy Little Lovebirds
Thursday Favorite Things from Katherine's Corner
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we've just had the watering cans and the paddling pools filled sited where there is shade in the garden. One paddling pool under the patio table to put out feet in, it's not all about the kids you know lol and head various plastic pots out and jsut let the grandkids play under supervision, that way we've had the plants and on occassion the carpets watered when we've not been quick enough to chase the almost 2 year old inside the house with his jug.
Thanks for joining in with #pocolo
Aw, we loved water play so much when my girls were a bit younger. Fun + learning is always wonderful. Honestly, we still do! Running through a sprinkler or a water park still sounds like a lot of fun. Featuring your post tomorrow.
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
My Littles loved water play back in the day. These are great ideas--I especially like the cookie cutter fishing and the fun yoyo idea! :) Thank you for sharing this with us at the Will Blog for Comments #89 linkup! Looking forward to seeing what more you'll share at WBfC #90, which opens Monday.
Lovely post. Summer fun makes memories!
Such fun water play ideas!