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Home › Articles › Development › Beyond the Bubbles

Beyond the Bubbles

Bath Time Makes Learning Fun

By Laura Cone

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When it comes to bath time, Kim Gegan of Tampa, Fla., does not have a problem getting her 2-year-old daughter, Siona, to take the plunge. Gegan uses the time not just to play, share and bond, but to teach her daughter how to speak English and Spanish as well as other basic skills such as color recognition.

Gegan says her 7-year-old son, Trent, also liked to bathe when he was a toddler. "My kids have had an affinity to water," Gegan says. "At bath time, she has a lot of toys she plays with in the tub. We have superheroes that adhere to the wall. We also play with colors in the bathtubs."

Gegan uses finger paint products especially made for the bathtub. Her daughter learns to mix up the colors to make other colors. She uses the paint on the walls of the tub and on her skin.

"I talk to her about the colors and what they are," Gegan says. "She is still learning her colors and how colors are made from combining two."

Let's Talk Bath Time

While with her doll in the bathtub, Siona uses her imagination to play "mommy" and cleans her dolls. By communicating with her dolls, Siona is developing her speech. Experts say playing with dolls helps girls become more articulate as they communicate with their "babies."

Encouraging boys to play with superheroes, as Gegan did with her son, is also a good idea. Boys are more inclined to make their superhero toys talk as opposed to plastic bath ducks, which only make the "quack quack" sound.

Some parents are able to teach their toddler more than one language. If you don't know a foreign language, consider playing tapes. "[My daughter] is growing up bilingual," Gegan says. "I speak Spanish to her. Whenever we do any activities I use both languages. For example, I reinforce colors so she recognizes words in English and Spanish." And she has her undivided attention in the tub!


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