Looking for ideas to keep your active kids cool in Singapore’s scorching hot weather, but are wary of crowded public water play areas?

Set up your own little space at home for junior to slosh around in! Water play need not be very messy. Bathrooms, bathtubs or balconies work beautifully for this purpose. Simply hose the area down after play and finish it off with a shower for the kids. If you have a toddler, just make sure to keep an eye on him or her to be safe.

Here are some splashin’ great ideas to try out:

Sensory play

Sprinkle it, soak in it, run their hands though it – kids are obsessed with water! Simply fill plastic tubs or basins with water and let the young ‘uns scoop, mix and pour. Raise the fun factor by adding plastic sea creatures, shiny pebbles and even Lego bricks for them to build their own little sea kingdom. You can also freeze some of these objects into ice blocks and add them into the mix for the kids to explore.

Water science experiments

Investigate the unique properties of water by conducting mini-experiments with your mini-me! Get your child to gather up different objects from around the house – a leaf, used bottles and cans, or dad’s coffee mug – and run buoyancy tests on them in a tub of water. Ask him or her to guess whether they’ll sink or float and write down the predictions before testing them out. Let your child come to his or her own conclusions about what makes an object buoyant. Older kids can explore more advanced science concepts like water displacement, water refraction and surface tension.

Paint with water

You’ll need a sunny spot in the house, a small bucket of water and a paint brush for this. Your child will be fascinated watching how their “water paintings” on the balcony floor tiles magically evaporate.

For more colourful art, stick the little ones in the shower with some washable paint and let them go wild on the shower screen. Pass them the shower hose to clean up after, and watch them gleefully spray off their masterpiece!

Scrub-a-dub-dub

If you’ve an eager little helper who loves to help with chores around the house, here’s the perfect water activity – washing up! Get him to give his favourite action figure or doll a bath. All he needs is a basin, some soap and a washcloth or toothbrush.

If junior can’t get enough, how about letting him/her to do his/her own (toy) dishes or some simple laundry items? Squeeze in a little bubble bath soap for extra frothy fun!