Washing the car
Children love copying the things that adults usually do – especially if it involves water, foam, and sploshing about!
Things to try
Firstly, make sure they understand that they need to get dressed for washing the car, that there will be lots of water and soap, and their clothes may get wet. Have some dry clothes ready to change into when you’re both finished.
Gather all the things you’ll need to wash the car:
- a bucket of warm, soapy water
- sponges
- a hose or bucket of clean water
- cloths to dry the car.
Give them their own sponge, and teach them about the parts of the car that need to be cleaned, such as the doors, hubcaps and bumpers.
Then give them their own parts of the car to clean. Show them how to use a soapy sponge, and how the clean water rinses away the suds.
Get them to check that all windows and mirrors are clean by making a game of it: try pulling funny faces at reflective surfaces.
Give them lots of praise them for a job well done, then get changed into those dry clothes.
What they’ll learn
- Using words like ‘full’, ‘empty’, and ‘heavy’ to describe the bucket helps to develop their maths skills.
- Carrying the bucket and using sponges and cloths helps their physical development.
- Pulling funny faces allows them to explore their expressive side.