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Water Play with Eye Droppers

Water play with eye droppers encourages pincer grasp by learning 4 kids

Water Play with Eye Droppers is a colourful and fun activity that encourages development of the pincer grasp. The pincer grasp enables a child to pick up small items using the thumb and index finger and is important for tasks such as holding writing implements and manipulating items such as zippers, buttons and shoes laces.

Water Play with Eye Droppers involves collecting water in the eye dropper from a bowl and transferring the water into plastic bottle top lids. This activity provides an opportunity to explore creatively and promotes the development of coordination and concentration.

What you will need?

what you will need for water play with eye droppers

You will need various sized bottle top lids, a large tray, eye droppers, teaspoons, water and a small shallow bowl.

Let’s Play

Activity ideas for children of a range of ages - water play with eye droppers

Water Play with Eye Droppers is an activity that can be completed in small groups or independently. The activity is opened-ended which is great for playgroups or day cares that have a small group of children of various ages and development. All children can attempt to complete this activity at whatever skill or development level.

Some Ideas:

  • Set motivating challenges such as, fill only the blue lids with water first.
  • Count how many drops it takes to fill a bottle top lid.
  • Fill a large bottle top lid and then transfer water from this lid to a smaller one. Talk about what happens.
  • Transfer water from a small lid to a larger lid. How many small lids fit into one larger lid? How many more drops do you need to finish filling up the large lid.
Transferring water using a spoon in water play

If you find your child is having some trouble using the eye dropper, introduce a small tea spoon for scooping and transferring the water to the bottle tops.

Once the use of the eye dropper is demonstrated, children should be provided with the opportunity to practise this skill and problem solve as they grasp the concept.

Play Creatively

Creative Play with bottle tops, water and eye droppers

Building, constructing, lining the bottle tops up in order, sorting in size, colours… the ideas are endless for playing creatively and imaginatively.

Let’s Learn

bottle tops + water + eye droppers = play and fun by learning 4 kids

A bit of science fun: Set a challenge to try and make the bottle top over flow. Watch how the water forms a kind of bubble shape above the rim of the bottle top lid before it over flows.

Let’s Learn

Activity to encourage the development of the pincer grasp by learning 4 kids

The pincer grasp enables a child to pick up small items using the thumb and index finger and is important for tasks such as holding writing implements and manipulating items such as zippers, buttons and shoes laces. The pincer grasp enables young children to complete everyday activities such as picking up small bits of food and place it into their mouths with ease.

The pincer grasp allows for a more refined and neater way to complete tasks with ease. Prior to this, a child will pick up a small objects such as food in a raked like scoop action into the palm by the fingers.

Learning Opportunities

  • Fine Motor Development – pincer grasp
  • Hand-Eye Coordination and Control
  • Concentration
  • Language development – describing what is happening
  • Mathematics – counting, volume and capacity
  • Creativity and imagination

Click here for more BOTTLE TOP activities & play ideas

Click here for more FINE MOTOR activities & play ideas

3 thoughts on “Water Play with Eye Droppers”

  1. Love your work
    Just about to finish my diploma of Early childhood education.
    Your sight is so handy for fantastic ideas
    Thankyou very much.💚
    Have a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year filled with Good Health and Happiness. 🎄🎄🎄

    1. Thank you Pammie for your gorgeous comment. Congratulations on finishing your diploma and wish you all the very best with your career in early childhood education.
      Merry Christmas and wishing you a beautiful New Year.

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Hi and welcome to Learning 4 Kids!

Hi and welcome to Learning 4 Kids!

My name is Janice and I am an Early Childhood Teacher in Australia.

I have a strong passion and love for teaching and creating meaningful learning experiences for my students. What I love most is watching children discover in those amazing light bulb moments. I hope Learning4kids brings you some useful ideas.

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