What you will need
- Two basins big enough to fit most of the toys your child owns
- A small bottle with non-toxic, child-friendly washing liquid or powder
- A small sized mug
- A small sized bucket
- A thick towel to wipe hands
- Another towel/napkin to wipe the wet toy
- Child-sized apron
- A small nail brush (optional)
- A washable toy
Set up
- Always set up activities on a child sized table or on the floor
- Set up the activity in this way
- Ask your child to wear their apron
- Show your child how to fill up water in the mug and pour it into both basins (this may involve two trips to the water source)
- In basin 1, show your child how to dissolve the soap – basin 2 will have clean water
- Dunk the toy into the soapy water in basin 1 and scrub with the nail brush id needed (make sure to take turns and involve your child in every step)
- Dunk the toy into clean water to rinse all the soap off
- Place the toy on the towel and dry it by enveloping it with the towel
- Your child can wash a few more toys till the water in the basins is usable
- Once the water gets dirty, show your child how to pour out the water from the basins into the bucket
- Show your child how to carry the bucket to a drain on the floor level and empty it out
- If your child still shows interest, show them how to wind up the activity by wiping the basins and mug and putting things away.
