Looking for some great indoor water play ideas? You don’t have to wait for it to be hot for water play. Kids of all ages can benefit, learn, and have so much fun with these indoor water play ideas. From painting, to activities, crafts, and sensory fun and everything in-between, we have all sorts of great indoor water play ideas. These water play ideas can be done at home or in the classroom.
Water Play Ideas
You don’t have to wait for summer to enjoy water play. We’re showing you how to splash around inside! Grab a few towels and get ready for your kids eyes to light up when you tell them they get to play with water somewhere besides the bathtub.
Creative Indoor Water Play Ideas
1. Make A Sail Boat
Make a sailboat out of a small foam base, a toothpick and a square of paper. Float it around in the sink or a pan of water!
2. Transfer Water Activity
Set out two containers, one with water, one empty. Let your kids use an eyedropper to transfer the water from one container to the other.
3. Water Fountain Game
Simulate a water fountain indoors and toss change in! We also show you how to make it into a game.
4. Frozen Water Play
Let’s play with frozen water! Ice cubes. We are playing with different colored ice cubes and exploring colors.
5. Mini Water Blob
Make a mini water blob for babies and toddlers. This is a great way to play with water and learn in a mess-free way.
6. Thin Ice Play
Create thin ice in a pan to replicate how the top of a lake freezes in winter. It’s fun to break it!
7. Paint With The Rain
Paint with the rain by coloring on paper and leaving it outside in the rain to smear!
8. Ice Digging Game
Freeze tiny dinosaur figurines in ice and let your kids use small plastic tools to drive and break them out.
9. Blowing Water Science Activity
Blowing water in drops along waxed paper is a simple, fun way to demonstrate water science with kids.
10. Bathtub I-Spy Game
Make bath time fun! Let’s play bathtub I-spy using bath time toys like rubber duckies, balls, and foam toys.
11. Bath Time Bubbles
Teach them how to make bath bubbles with a plastic container for extra bath time fun.
12. Ice Fishing Game
Try ice fishing by freezing some small toys in a plastic container. When you put it in the bath, the ice slowly melts to release the toys!
13. Float Or Sink Game
Experiment and chart which items in your home will float or sink if they are submerged in water.
14. Pouring Water Practice
Let the little ones practice transferring by pouring water to and from different size containers.
15. Mixing Paint and Water
You can paint inside with chalk and water mixed together. Two fun summer activities mixed into one!
16. Ocean In A Bottle
Make an ocean in a bottle that they can explore and carry around with them. You don’t have to live near an ocean to explore it!
17. Indoor Car Wash
Let them have an indoor car wash by simply filling a pan or tray with warm soapy water and let them scrub their toy cars clean.
18. Salt Water Experiment
With this project, run an experiment to explore what happens when you place items in salt water rather than fresh water. Examine ocean water vs. fresh water.
19. DIY Ocean Sensory Bag
Look at the sparkly ocean water full of sea animals. This ocean sensory bag is a great way for water play and learning.
20. Fun Ocean Activities
Explore the ocean with these water activities and pretend water activities. Kids of all ages will love these fun ocean activities.
More Water Play Fun From Kids Activities Blog
- We have 20 more easy toddler water play ideas.
- Have you seen these 5 fun water play activities for kids?
- Here are more than 75 water play activities.
- Looking for more water play activities for kids?
- Leprechauns and water play? That sounds like fun!
- Take a look at these ways to play with water this summer.
- I love these 11 fun ideas for playing with water.
- How fun is this DIY water wall?
- Need something dry? Try an escape room for kids
- You can get a water slide you fill with water balloons and my kids need one!
Which water play ideas are your favorite? Which ones have you tried? I think my kids would love to try the indoor car wash!
Love it! You can even add food colouring with the droppers to the water and experiment with colour.