This post is part of the Childhood 101 We Play linkup. We are huge fans of homemade toys, although that doesn’t stop us having far too many of the shop bought ones as well! And the simpler the toy, the more kids get to think about what to do with it, rather than doing what it tells them to. For the last week our best bath toys were a packet of ping pong balls and an old bottle.
The girls have been having a great time with the balls, watching them float, moving the water to move the balls in the current, pulling them under then letting them bob back up and throwing them down into the water. They remembered some of the games from playing in the pool earlier in the year and had fun trying them again inside.
And then the old bottle wasn’t just a bottle with the top cut off – it also had holes punched in the bottom!
And did you know ping pong balls are exactly the right size
to fit in your mouth
and shoot! Their aim is actually quite good.
What sort of simple toys do you make at home?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Princess loves to see what is going to float and what will sink when she is in the bath and will keep experimenting with things – putting the soap on top, filling bottles and emptying them – but her favourite bath toy at the moment is still the straw. Farty noises all the way for my Princess! LOL
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We did straws with detergent in a little container, great fun!
I would never have thought to put ping pong balls in the bath. Great fun.
We played with a pie tin (from a bought pie that we had for dinner!) for ages on Friday afternoon, balancing it on our heads, balancing it on a toy golf club and of course as a frisbee. It provided some great spontaneous fun!
Looks like your girls are having a great time!
What a fun idea. Those shower caps are cracking me up!
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They’re brilliant! Unfortunately they seem to be for midget babies, but the girls still insist on using them.
A great game for the bath(I wish we had a bath, we only have a shower). Maybe you could add a water pistol to shoot them with (might make for a wet bathroom though)?
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The bathroom is our ‘wet play’ area, we don’t really mind water in there! I don’t think we have a water pistol, but old detergent bottles and sauce squeezy bottles are very popular.
This looks like great fun! Right now my six month old is also experimenting with floating and sinking, just at a different level. Those pesky rubber ducks evade her grasp every time! Toys act differently in water to carpet
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It’s lovely when you can revisit things at so many different ages. Makes the world interesting
I’m off to put ping-pong balls on my shopping list. My kids will just love this. We have all sorts of containers, bowls, spoons, funnels, bottles and plastic animals in our bath. Every night at bath time I’m asked “Can we have a quick play tonight?”
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Great post! I am Digging those bathing caps. Our Fall pre-school programs are about to begin and floating ping pong ball in a sensory tub is a wonderful idea. I also clicked on your post 13 things that change. This would be a great unit for science for several months. Thanks for the post and very simple, low maintenance ideas. I am always interested in activities that require little prep and less clean up.
Things changing is a huge concept. As adults, we know it happens and don’t even notice, but for little kids it’s really big.
what a great idea! my kids will LOVE this. Thanks for the inspiration!
We often have similar size balls in the bath and shower. One of the most fascinating aspect is watching them spin around the drain when you pull the plug out or when you’re in the shower.