In ChildFriendly Pro's July 2026 ECE Learning Lab, child care operator Krystal Churcher explained that educators turn water play into documented learning through three low-cost invitations (a Weather Investigation Station, a Water & Weather Art Studio and a Water Works Challenge), each adapted for children aged 12 to 18 months, 19 to 36 months and 3 to 4 years, and reported to families by the skills children showed rather than as "we had water play."
What the session covered
Churcher described water as one of the richest learning materials an early learning program can offer, supporting curiosity, scientific thinking, language, problem solving and fine motor development. She said an often overlooked benefit is self-regulation: in her view, the repetitive scooping, pouring and moving involved in water play provides calming sensory input that helps many children regulate emotions and organize their thinking, and she noted that occupational therapists often use sensory experiences such as water to support self-regulation and attention. A water table can therefore help a child who is overwhelmed or having a difficult morning become calm enough to learn. The Learning Lab followed the series' Explore, Create and Build structure: Explore encourages children to investigate and ask questions, Create encourages them to express ideas with materials, and Build asks them to solve problems and test ideas like engineers. Churcher stressed that the activity is only the invitation; the learning happens through the conversations, discoveries and observations educators make while children are engaged, using materials most centers already have.
How should educators set up a water investigation for each age group?
Churcher identified offering too many materials, instructions and expectations as a common mistake. She recommended starting with a few items already in the center, such as funnels, clear containers, measuring cups, sponges, natural materials and a few objects that float or sink, and keeping towels nearby because spilled water is a slipping hazard. For 12 to 18 month olds, exploration is entirely sensory: she suggested a shallow container or tough tray with one or two items (a sponge, a floating toy, a small cup), sitting beside the child, narrating with words such as cold, wet and splash, and allowing repetition. For 19 to 36 month olds, who are in a "what happens if" stage, she added funnels, ice cubes, spray bottles and droppers, prediction questions such as which object will float, and the advice to resist explaining and say "let's see." For 3 to 4 year olds, who begin asking why, she proposed an investigation station with magnifying glasses, clipboards, a weather chart, rain gauges and real weather pictures, followed by a few seconds of silence after each question.
How can water art and engineering challenges be adapted for young children?
For the Create invitation, Churcher recommended open-ended materials rather than a finished product, contrasting "I wonder what we could create with these materials today" with "today we're going to be making a rainbow." Infants can use large brushes, colored ice or plain water on concrete after one demonstration; toddlers respond to spray bottles, colored ice and watercolor paint with salt, with questions such as "How did you make this color?"; preschoolers can work from weather pictures with smaller brushes and plan what they want to create. For the Build invitation, she suggested recycled materials, funnels, flexible tubing, buckets and PVC pipes. She described a center where children moved water by cup between two buckets at opposite ends of a play space, staying engaged for hours. Infants pour between cups and through funnels, toddlers change height and speed and connect tubes into water walls, and preschoolers work in small teams to move water across a space without carrying it, repeating a build, test, observe and adjust cycle. Where moving water is impractical, she suggested a sink or float prediction activity.
How should educators describe water play to families?
Churcher urged educators to stop telling parents "We had water play today" and instead name what children did, for example that children investigated how water moved through different materials, or predicted, tested and solved problems. She said this gives families a clearer picture of the learning and helps educators be seen as professionals. She gave sample observations: a child repeatedly squeezed a sponge, watched the water drip and smiled each time, showing curiosity, persistence and an emerging understanding of cause and effect; another child, Lucas, poured water through a funnel, adjusted where he poured and repeated the activity several times. For reflection, she proposed three questions: what did the child do, what skills were they demonstrating, and why does it matter for their development. Words she suggested watching for include persistence, curiosity, scientific inquiry, leadership, confidence, problem solving, and planning and sequencing. Her closing advice was to choose one invitation from the session, try it in a simple form, and extend it later, which she said can reduce planning time and the stress of overly elaborate activities.
Water play setup and documentation steps from the session
| Time | Key point | What centers should do |
|---|---|---|
| 02:45 | Churcher: repetitive water play provides calming sensory input that supports self-regulation. | Offer a water table when a child is overwhelmed or having a difficult morning. |
| 06:20 | Churcher: replace "We had water play today" with what children investigated, predicted and solved. | Rewrite daily family updates to name the skills children used. |
| 08:55 | Churcher: too many materials, instructions and expectations is a common mistake. | Start with a few funnels, clear containers, cups, sponges and float or sink objects. |
| 09:53 | Churcher: water on indoor floors creates a slipping hazard. | Keep towels nearby and protect surfaces before setting up. |
| 10:36 | Churcher: for 12 to 18 month olds, exploration is entirely sensory. | Use a shallow container with one or two items and narrate with simple words. |
| 13:16 | Churcher: 19 to 36 month olds are in a "what happens if" stage. | Ask prediction questions and say "let's see" instead of explaining. |
| 15:34 | Churcher: 3 to 4 year olds begin asking why. | Set up an investigation station with magnifying glasses, clipboards and a weather chart. |
| 19:24 | Churcher: an open invitation sparks imagination; a set product only gives direction. | Say "I wonder what we could create" rather than naming the finished art. |
| 33:36 | Churcher: preschoolers can plan and work in small teams on a water challenge. | Ask a group to move water across a space without carrying it, then test and adjust. |
| 37:52 | Churcher: ask what the child did, what skills they showed and why it matters. | Use these three questions to turn observations into documentation. |
How ChildFriendly Pro automates this
Churcher described replacing generic "we had water play" updates with written observations of children's predictions, persistence and cause and effect. ChildFriendly Pro's Classroom & Learning Tools connect such observations to learning frameworks, child portfolios and lesson plans, and its family app feeds deliver daily updates to parents; no product demo was shown in this session.
Next steps
- Free ECE Learning Labs with professional development certificates
- Water, Weather & Wonder activity pack for educators
- Observation, portfolio and lesson planning tools for child care
- Book a ChildFriendly Pro demo
