Now that the warmer weather is here again, it is an ideal time for water play at Playgroup (or at home). It’s a simple, inexpensive activity that is enjoyed by all young children, from the baby who splashes in the bath to the pre-schooler who makes dams and rivers in the dirt.

BENEFITS OF WATER PLAY
* It is soothing and stimulating — it can calm the active child and give confidence to the shy child
* can be used in many ways so that it appeals to all children of all ages (including those who are way past childhood!).
* It encourages language development as the children talk about what they are doing. Parents can also increase the child’s vocabulary by using words such as trickle, splash, squelch, sprinkle, gurgle, drip, froth, foam and many more.
* Children can learn basic scientific concepts through water play – floating and sinking, freezing and melting, pouring, dissolving, absorption, etc.
* It makes no demands on children, allowing them to play with water in their own way, without fear of skills being criticised. They can practice pouring and measuring and no-one will complain about the mess.
In summary, water play provides opportunities for children to socialise, relax, extend their concentration span and develop confidence in their own abilities as they learn new concepts.

EQUIPMENT FOR WATER PLAY
* You can use an old baby’s bath, a wading pool or any large plastic container. Adult supervision is essential though, as young children can drown in a surprisingly small amount of water.
* Alternatively, let the children play under the sprinkler or with the garden hose while you are watering the garden.
* Equipment you may like to provide (but not all at once) can include funnels, sieves, plastic containers, sponges, corks, plastic tubing, squeeze bottles, an egg beater or whisk, rubber gloves and floating toys.
* If your Playgroup can afford it, a plastic water wheel is a great investment. The children are fascinated by the wheel spinning around as they pour water through the spout.
* Water play does not need to be restricted to the sunnier months. You can keep children amused for hours in the cooler weather by giving them a container of warm soapy water to play with or filling up the sink or laundry trough.

ACTIVITIES INVOLVING WATER PLAY
* Add a block of coloured ice to a container of water and let children watch the colour diffuse as it melts.
* Peg an old sheet to the fence and give the children spray bottles of coloured water to spray paint the sheet.
* Use a large ice cream container and make small holes .in each side. Insert long pieces of plastic tubing (available at crafts shops) into the holes. Add some detergent and warm water, then let the children blow bubbles together. This is great fun to do out-doors on a windy day, but make sure the children know the difference between blowing and sucking. 
* Give the children small buckets of water with a paint brush so they can paint the fence or footpath.
* Put hands and feet in water and make prints on the concrete.
* Put a small piece of foam sponge in a bowl. Whisk up a concentrated solution of Lux flakes and water. Add the foam and let the children squeeze the soapy lather. It feels great when you walk on it with bare feet too!
* Children love to do their own washing, either plastic dishes, dolls or dolls clothes.
* Make simple boats out of polystyrene meat tray with paddle-pop sticks masts and paper sails.
* Play water table tennis using a polystyrene ball and straws to blow from one end of the bath to the other.
* Go for a walk in the rain and look at the colours in puddles, water washing down the gutters and raindrops on leaves and flowers.

WATER PLAY

When we are working with pre-school children it is important to realise that they do not think in the same way as adults. Children often think literally and try to fit information into their frame of reference.  Psychologists often categorise thought processes into different types such as physical, social, mental and emotional.  Below some mental characteristics are identified and a comment is made as to how this characteristic might be taken into account by adults.

Children love music. Even young babies respond to music and music is a good tool to use to emphasize listening skills with children from an early age. Music is fun. It enables children not only to sing but also to move and dance or even create music with various instruments. Try to include music in as many activities as you can at playgroup or you can have a special time for music in your program.

If there is a parent that can play a musical instrument, invite them to share their talent at playgroup. If no one feels confident enough to play, use suitable CDs so that children can enjoy music.

Get the children to make music by providing simple instruments such as tambourines, shakers, drums, whistles, triangles, bells, etc. There are many percussion instruments that can be utilised to make music. Don’t be afraid to make your own instruments too.

Dancing is another activity that can be done with music. Movement/dance helps with their gross motor skills and co-ordination. Try dancing with scarves or use hand actions to songs.

If you are not sure of what songs to sing, start with the classic ones like “Twinkle twinkle”. There are so many suitable children’s CDs available; you will soon have a favourite collection.

Don’t worry about how well you sing, children will always enjoy the opportunity to sing, dance and join in. The most important thing is to enjoy the music.

Although Playgroup seems to be for children, it is also an opportunity to minister to parents as well. Parents need the gospel as well as children. The goal for all ministry is to bring children and their families into the church so they can have a living relationship with Christ.

Playgroup provides a wonderful opportunity to create links to parents. Some ideas to encourage those links are:

• Ask non-Christian parents to be helpers eg morning tea preparation. This gives opportunities for building rapport and enabling them to become familiar with the church grounds.
• Have extra leaders at playgroup whose ministry is especially to minister to parents.
• Send parents a newsletter every term with a fun church letterhead, providing dates of playgroup events happening and how they could join in to these events.
• Invite playgroup families to whole church family events such as Carols by Candlelight, Palm Sunday, Easter, Church picnics or Special anniversaries.
• Try to be aware of what is happening in playgroup families’ lives. Be compassionate if they are struggling with an issue such as an illness. Possibly make hospital visits or provide a meal for the family at these times.
• Don’t forget to follow-up once you have connected. Relationships take time.
• This is not to be done solely by the playgroup leader.  It needs a whole church to link with families.
• Finally don’t forget to ask your church for prayer support. Remember all Christians are in ministry and all ministries are linked.

Ideas for activities should be based on the observed interests and development abilities of the children. Children sometimes like to do the same activity week after week building their understanding of concepts and skills over time. Some children need encouragement to try different things and you need to have a good understanding of their interests. Not all children are interested in the same thing (like adults). Below are some suggestions of themes you could try in your playgroup.