Language Fun in the Bath!

Bubbles and rubber ducks are bath time favourites. Did you know that you could use these and many other toys to work on language? Below are some things you can try next time your child takes a bath.

 

Label objects and use action words:

• Name the item you’re playing with (e.g. boat, duck) and what it’s doing (e.g. “The duck is swimming“, “The frog is jumping“).
• You can also talk about what is happening (e.g. “splash, splash” or “let’s wash your knees/nose/toes”).

 

Expand what your child says:

• Adjectives: If your child says “boat”, you can add one or two words to it e.g. “red boat” or “big, red boat” or ask them/describe how things feel – hot, cold, soft, tickly.
• If your child is just beginning to talk, you can also provide a little extra to what they are saying, e.g. “da” when they see the duck, reply with “It’s a duck” or “duck swimming”

 

Talk about where things are:

• Use prepositions such as ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘under’ to talk about where the toys are. For example, “the fish is under the water”, “the man is in the boat”.

 

Sing fun songs:

• ‘Row, row, row your boat’, ‘This is the way’ or ‘Five little speckled frogs’ are great songs to sing in the bath. Pair these which some gestures and remember to sing slowly!

 

Play simple repetitive games:

• Hold a toy underwater and say “ready, steady……..GO” then let the toy jump out of the water. If they think this is fun, begin to pause before you say “go” to give them a chance to join in.
• If you have toy boats, you could also push them back-and-forth with your child.

 

Find out about your child’s day:

• Bath time can be a good time to chat about the day. Specific questions such as “what did you eat for lunch today?” can be better than general ones such as “what did you do at school?”.

 

Bath time is great for building language and developing the parent-child bond. Have fun and most importantly, enjoy this time with your child.