Bathtub Literacy Fun

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I love to nurture literacy development every opportunity I can get.   Not too long ago, I shared some ideas for developing literacy while spending time in the kitchen.  Today, we look at literacy opportunities in the bathtub!

Storytelling

With a few simple foam shape props, your little one is set to tell a story while splishing and splashing in the tub.  All you need are some colored foam sheets, a pair of scissors and permanent markers.  Create a set of storytelling props.  Suggestions include: houses and buildings, people, animals, the sun and moon, trees and flowers, vehicles, and a road.  As your child uses the props to create a tale, encourage their story to have a beginning, middle and end.

Theme Baths

I recently read a post called 15 Fun Baths For Kids at the Growing A Jewled Rose blog.  The author of the blog creates themed baths for her kids once a week.  The ideas are super clever and look like so much fun.  Keep checking her blog because she will be adding new theme baths soon.  I thought you could also tie in a fun story with each of the themes.   Read the story before or after the bath!  Here are some book ideas for each of her themes.

Birthday:  Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss or Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom

Outer Space:  I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton or Blast Off!  A Space Counting Book by Norma Cole

Bubbles:  Bubble Riding: A Relaxation Story by Lori Lite or Pop! A Book About Bubbles by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Paint:  Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh or Elephants Can Paint Too! by Katya Arnold

Rainbow:  A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman or Maisy’s Rainbow Dream by Lucy Cousins

Princess:  The Princess and the Pea by Harriet Ziefert or The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch

Rain Forest: The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan Mitchell or The Umbrella by Jan Brett

Ocean: The Ocean Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta or Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae

Colors:  Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neil or The Big Orange Splot by D. Manus Pinkwater

St. Patrick’s Day: The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing or The Leprechaun Trap by David Clinch

Easter: The Easter Egg Artists by Adrienne Adams or Happy Easter Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

Glow in the Dark:  Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe or Lights Out, Nights Out by William Boniface

Love: Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton or Plant a Kiss by Amy Krause Rosenthal

Go Fish

Cut out 10-16 fish from color foam sheets.  On each fish write a letter or sight word your child is learning.  Attach a paperclip to each cut-out so that it becomes magnetic.  Next, you will need a magnetic fishing pole made from a wooden dowel, string and a donut hole shaped magnet.  Your little one is now ready to fish!  As each fish is caught, have the child name the letter or read the word on each one.  Your child can also sort the letters or words on the bathtub wall.

Read in the Tub

Read in the bathtub?  Oh no you say.  The books will get wet!  Well, there are actually books made just for the bathtub for little ones!  There are an assortment of vinyl books that are just begging to get wet.  Our favorite is Bath Time by Sandra Boynton.

Writing in the Tub

Yep, you can write in the tub too!  Thanks to Pinterest, there are all sorts of bathtub crayon and paint recipes to utilize in your child’s next bath.  Practice making letters, spelling words, and sight words with your finger or a paint brush.  Head over to my bathtub fun Pinterest board for all the recipes and even more ideas!

How do you incorporate literacy into your child’s bath?  Please leave a comment and share your idea.

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