The surprising ways bathtime builds your child’s brain

Watch your child in the bath and you’ll see a curious explorer at work. They’re discovering that bubbles bounce, water splashes, and some toys float while others sink. All of this sensory exploration actually builds important neural connections that support learning and development.

When it’s just you and your child, face to face, bathtime becomes a natural opportunity to connect, play, and develop your baby’s brain. And The Bath Set includes thoughtfully designed tools for building new language, cognitive, and fine motor skills. 

You don’t need to make every bath an elaborate learning session—sometimes the most meaningful moments happen when you simply slow down and enjoy being together ♥️ Giving them your focused attention and always staying within arm’s reach can be wonderful for bonding and, of course, is essential for safety. 

Build language skills naturally

It may come as a surprise, but the bath tub is actually one of the best language learning environments in your home.  For your child to learn a new word—its sound and meaning—they often need to hear it dozens of times in context. Since bathtime is part of their regular routine, you can practice the same words over and over again. 

But the real secret ingredient is you. You’re right there, you can make eye contact, and talk back and forth. Research shows joint attention—focusing on the same thing at the same time as your child—is a highly effective way to build vocabulary. 

Start with their first sounds. Babies typically begin babbling around 6 to 9 months. Some of the first babbling sounds they’ll probably try—m, b, and p—are all a big part of bathtime. Here are some of our speech experts’ favorites: mirror, more, mix, mess; bubble, bath, boat, ball, book; pour, push, pop, puddle. As you interact with your baby, repeat and emphasize words that begin with these early sounds: “Look how the b-b-bubble pops!” 

Learn body part names. As you help them wash, label and point to body parts they can easily see—arm, leg, belly, toes. Use the I See You Bath Mirror to show them parts of their face, like their nose, eyes, and ears. Repeat the names of these parts when you pour water on them, rinse, dry, and apply lotion.

Practice positional words: Between 12 and 18 months, most toddlers begin to understand the meaning of positional words like in and out. Invite your toddler to discover all the places the Shake & Splash Bath Ball can go in and come out, like the Peek-A-Boo Boat, the In Then Out Bath Tube, the Fast & Slow Water Wheel, and the back of the I See You Bath Mirror as it floats face-down. Emphasize the positional word as you say, “Put the ball IN!” and “Take the ball OUT!” 

Describe the action as it happens. Speech-language experts want parents to incorporate more functional language during play. Simple verbs like fill, scoop, spin, drain, and splash are important action words that will help your child communicate more effectively with you. As they collect water in the Scoop & Spin Bath Cup, you can say, “Scoop!” then watch the water make the spinner twirl and say, “Spin!” As their language skills grow, try using more elaborate sentences: “Can you fill the cup? Wow, look at it spin when the water drains out! Splash!”

Play a peek-a-boo game. Place the Shake & Splash Bath Ball on the Peek-A-Boo Boat, and then cover it with the Scoop & Spin Bath Cup. Ask your child: “Where did the ball go?” Connect the question to a gesture by putting your arms out to the side with your palms up.

Encourage exploration, thinking, and discovery

Make the most of your child’s natural curiosity with simple activities that build important cognitive skills:

Make cause and effect come alive. As your baby holds the handle of the Scoop & Spin Bath Cup, pour water into it so they can see the spinner twirl. Try varying how much you pour and how high you pour from to help them connect a specific action to what happens next. For an older child, show them what happens if they drag the cup on its side through the water at different speeds, then invite them to try. 

Let them discover themselves. Your baby won’t realize it’s their own reflection until around 18 months, but they’ll love looking at the friendly face in the I See You Bath Mirror 🙂 When the mirror is floating, try covering it with bubbles that your child can wipe away or wash away with water to reveal their reflection. 

Help them understand abstract concepts. Use the Big & Little Duck to make concepts like colors and counting more tangible. For example, you can say, “This duck is yellow” or “One yellow duck jumps in the water, then one white duck jumps in the water—now there are two ducks in the water. ” These concepts become so much more meaningful when your toddler can see and touch what you’re talking about. As your child gets older, you can use more complex language and ask questions: “Little duck fits in the boat. Can two ducks fit in the boat?” or “Can the two ducks push the red ball back and forth?” 

Do a little experiment. Mount the In Then Out Bath Tube vertically with the cap at the bottom and shut. Put the Shake & Splash Bath Ball or Little Duck in the tube and let your child pour water in to see what happens. Hint: It floats to the top as the water rises in the tube.

Develop dexterity and hand-eye coordination

All that splashing and pouring is actually developing the small muscle control your child will need for everything from using utensils to writing letters.

Practice pouring and scooping. The Scoop & Spin Bath Cup requires your child to coordinate their grip and wrist movement as they collect and pour water. Learning to use both of their hands together is also an important foundational skill.

Build hand strength through play. Show your child how to remove the plug at the bottom of the In Then Out Bath Tube and pull apart the bands of the Fast & Slow Water Wheel. These motions help strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers.

Support bilateral coordination. To play with the In Then Out Bath Tube, your child will have to hold the tube steady with one hand and pour water with the other—a skill they’ll need for future tasks like cutting with scissors or tying their shoes.

The Bath Set

Make the most of bathtime with a fun set of playthings that support learning through sensory exploration.

Learn more