Picture by - Flickr: KellyB

By the time, your child reaches the preschool years, he may actually enjoy the prospect of bath time, and all those screaming sessions of his infancy and toddlerhood should have ended. Use this time to teach about the body, cleanliness and hygiene. With all that water and soap suds around, there’s plenty of opportunity for fun too!

1. While you’re getting the bath ready, plug up the sink, set her on a steady stool, give her some bowls and ladles, and let her splash about.
2. Bring on the gang - the bath tub is a great place to explore imaginative scenarios, so bring in the toy ducks (why is the duck paddling close the edge of the lake? Because somebody is waiting there with some bread crumbs for her…?), the little boats (the boys are always game for a war scene) or little plastic fish.
3. Blow bubbles. Check here for a bubble solution recipe and also one for bath salts. More fun in the bath!
4. Teach her the proper routine to wash herself - her hair, face, and so on…
5. Take the chance to reinforce and expand her knowledge of body parts. She’s familiar with her legs, hands and knees, what about her neck, back…?
6. Sing “This is the way we wash our hands…” to the tune of “Here we go around the mulberry bush.
7. Introduce some dolls, and let her wash them while you wash her.
8. Use cookie cutters to make fun sponge shapes, and let her use these to wash herself.
9. Make beards and mustaches, pointy cats’ ears, pirate’s hats, bracelets and necklaces on her face and body from soapy lather. Show her the results on a mirror.
10. Paint on the sides of the bath tub - use shaving foam, bath tub crayons.
11. Buy a small toy fishing net, or use a mesh bag attached to a stick to fish out her toys from the water.
12. Add novelty to the bath experience. Freeze one of her bath toys (put some water and the toy in an empty carton and freeze. Later, simply peel off the carton), and let her thaw out the toy in the tub.
13. While she’s splashing about, use the time you have to do a quick clean up of the bathroom. So it’s not fun for her, but you’ll get something else done on the side!
14. Add more novelty. If the weather is great, fill up the kiddie pool with water and lots of bubbles, and let her have her bath out in the yard.
15. If the mirror is still fogged up, write her name on it.
16. Warm up thick towels in the dryer, and finish your bath with these as a special treat - wrap her up tight in them when she steps out,and have a cuddle session right in the bathroom.

Enjoy!