This post looks at seven simple ways to support squeezing during water play using simple materials. But first, we need to consider why squeezing is vital in the early years.

Why Encourage Squeezing?

• Enhancing Hand Strength and Control–Squeezing improves grip strength and hand control, essential for manipulating objects effectively and performing everyday tasks. This development is crucial for writing, drawing, and using tools.
• Sensory Integration–Squeezing materials with different textures provides sensory feedback, allowing children to explore and understand their environment through touch. Squeezing also hones both the tactile and proprioceptive systems. 
• Promoting Emotional Regulation--Squeezing can be a calming and soothing activity for children, helping them release tension and manage stress, contributing to emotional regulation.
• Developing Hand-Eye Coordination–Squeezing improves hand-eye coordination, as children coordinate their hand movements with what they see.

Do you need another reason to offer up squeezable items for water play? How about this: it will save glue. Gallons and gallons of glue are wasted in early learning settings each day by young children attempting to satiate the developmental drive to squeeze. Squeezing meets a developmental need that “dot…dot…not a lot” does not.

Let’s move on to the ideas.

Washcloths

Any washcloths you have available will do the job. Back in our family child care days, my wife, Tasha, crocheted child-sized washcloths.

They were about 5 inches square and used in water play, dramatic play, and when the kids wanted to help tidy up.

Sponges

I always preferred sponges with the little scouring pads attached because they provided multiple textures. We usually pick them up at a dollar store,  where, surprisingly, a package cost a dollar.

Spray Bottles

You can buy new spray bottles or recycle the ones you already have. Ensure that any recycled spray bottles are cleaned well before handing them to children for play.

Squeeze Bottles

You can also purchase new squeeze bottles, but you probably already have access to various options that could be recycled as water play squeeze toys. For example, ketchup, mustard, grape jelly, chocolate sauce, or glue bottles would all work well in water play.

Basters

If you don’t already have them lying around, you can also pick them up at a dollar store.

Eye Droppers

If you think about it, eye droppers are basically baby turkey basters. Again, you likely already have some on hand, but if not, Amazon is probably the place to shop. You can use my affiliate link when you do so if you want to help support this site.

Bulb Pumps

Water moves through these pumps when the ball is squeezed and released. This is kind of a specialty item you likely don’t have on hand. The best option for buying one is probably Amazon or a similar online retailer. You can pick one up for about $10 (affiliate link). These things are also a great way to support STEM learning and exploration.

Support Squeezing During Water Play Wrap-Up

That’s it: six very basic items and one slightly unique item add up to seven ways to easily support children in attaining a variety of developmental benefits. I’ll leave you with a couple grip related resources that may be of interest:

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