Wondering how to make bathtime fun for your baby or toddler? Keep reading for my favorite 21 ideas for kids bath time fun! Baby bath games for the win!
Free play in the bath is great fun, but sometimes it’s nice to amp it up a bit.
Maybe your little one is in a “hates the bath” stage, and needs some convincing. Or maybe you want to switch things up to keep things fresh and fun. Or maybe you need a distraction when you wash their hair or comb their hair!
Whatever the case, it’s easy to make tub time oodles of fun with these simple bath games. Most of them use things you already have, require little prep, and will have your kids excited about bath time!
Make sure bath time is THE BEST TIME with these tried and tested toddler and baby bath game ideas!
Toddler and Baby Bathtub Games
I’ve split this list into two categories, by age. The first list covers baby bath time games, and the second has toddler bath time activities.
7 Fun Baby Bath Games
Be sure to get comfortable bathing your baby before you try adding in activities!
#1 Sing Songs
First up in our list of bathtub fun is singing baby bath time songs.
This needs no preparation, and your little one won’t care if you can sing like a lark or sound like a strangled cat! Your baby will bask in mom or dad’s voice as they splash in their tiny tub.
There are a ton of bathtime songs to learn and sing. 5 Little Ducks is one of the classic baby bathtub songs in our house. Baby Shark is another great option, and is super adaptable.
A quick Google for bath time rhymes comes up with great ideas, or sing some of your other favorite songs!
#2 Peek-A-Boo
One of the simplest baby bathing games is peek-a-boo!
This game combines auditory and visual stimulation and fun cause and effect, which tiny tots love and can enjoy even when they’re very young.
You can cover your eyes to peek at baby, or cover their eyes for surefire giggles. To make it a bit different, peek at their legs, tummy, arms etc. and name the part as you scrub each body part clean.
If you cover your eyes, don’t do so completely, as you still want to be able to see your baby at all times for safety.
#3 Washcloth Characters
Nowadays you can get washcloths for bathtime in a whole host of animal characters and shapes. From their favorite characters to barnyard animals, there are a ton to choose from.
Use your creativity to create a puppet show with these characters. The colors will delight your baby, and it can be interactive as you use your animal puppet to clean your baby as you play!
Check out this cute animal set you can buy on Amazon.
#4 Sensory Stimulation
There are so many senses that get stimulated during bathtime, especially for infants. As well as the water, there are interesting textures in the sponges you use, and the washcloths, bath toys, and towels.
Let your baby explore and feel each of them. You can also stroke your baby with a wet sponge, and then use a dry towel so they can feel the sensory differences.
Babies will naturally try to put things in their mouth, so don’t use products or soap in the water if they are exploring in this way.
#5 A Different Kind of Bubble Bath
Almost everyone loves a bubblebath, but bubble wands are also great for baby bathroom games.
Your little one will watch and can try to reach for the bubbles as they pop!
As they get older your baby will enjoy trying to blow their own bubbles, too.
This activity isn’t just for babies – my 3-year-old loves blowing bubbles to this day!
#6 Make it Musical
If you like to use bathtime to help your baby to unwind before bedtime, try incorporating lighting and music to make the ambiance as relaxing as possible.
Dim the lights, and put on a great playlist for baby to listen to.
Relaxing lullabies are great, but most kids also enjoy “adult” music, so don’t feel like you have to stick to kid music.
#7 Snuggle Bath with Mom or Dad
For some little ones, taking a dip in the tub is a bit overwhelming. If this is the case, why not try getting into the tub with your child.
Fill the tub with water, making sure it’s a suitable water temperature for baby (use a thermometer to check), and enjoy some soothing skin-to-skin snuggles.
Babies usually love bath time with mommy or daddy, and it allows you to hold and splash with your little one as you enjoy the water.
Just be extra careful with handling your baby when you are both wet and slippery! And beware getting into the tub when your little one’s tummy is full, lest you encounter a poop in the bathtub.
14 Bath Games For Toddlers
Wondering how to make bath time fun for your toddler? Here are 14 ideas for loads of bath fun for toddlers.
#1 Bathtime Disco Party
Gather some glowsticks and crank some music, and you’ll turn a nightly soak into a disco experience!
Crack the glowsticks to turn them on, and float them in the bath water. Dim the bathroom lights, and blast a playlist of kids bath time songs. If you want to get really into it, add a disco light to the experience, or some glow-in-the-dark bath toys.
(Hot tip: Store used glowsticks in the freezer, and you can reuse them another few times!)
#2 Colored Bath Water
Simply add a couple of drops of natural food coloring in bathtub water, and voila: instantly intriguing to a toddler.
To get a specific color, drip it in as the water runs. Alternatively, drip colors gently onto the surface of the water and watch how they mix together.
Don’t add TOO MUCH though, or you may end up with a Smurf.
In my personal experience, natural food coloring (Watkins is my go to) doesn’t stain skin and bathtubs the same way the artificial stuff does.
#3 Bath Crayons
Kids of all ages like to draw, and there’s something taboo about drawing on anything that isn’t paper. That’s what makes bath crayons exciting.
Kids can scribble and doodle on the tiles and sides of the tub to their heart’s content.
#4 Bathtime Beauty Salon (Dinos Or Dollies!)
Open a bath time beauty salon for your kids favorite toys.
Let your toddlers bring their favorite toy (plastic, not plush) into the bath. Encourage them to wash their toy to make them clean, and then clean your little one in the same way!
This is a great option for kids who hate the “cleaning” portion of bath time.
If you have a little girl or doll-loving boy, this can work exceptionally well, as dolls have hair that can be washed too. But you can scrub dinosaurs, action heroes, and farm animals in the bath and give them each their own spa day to remember!
My daughter is not a doll lover, and regularly cleans the “tummies” on her HotWheels cars.
#5 Crazy Hairdresser
You know that point in hair washing where the shampoo foam makes hair stiff and malleable? This is the perfect time to play crazy hairdressers. Suds them up, and then arrange their doo into crazy, cute styles.
Your children will love watching themselves in the mirror after each style, which is easily rinsed away when playtime is over!
#6 I Spy
‘I Spy’ is a game that requires zero planning, zero preparation and is always fun. In the bathroom, there are a ton of things to spy, from the different bottles of shampoo, taps, showerheads, and towels!
As well as having fun, this game helps kids expand their vocabulary through play.
You can adapt ‘I Spy’ for younger children by using colors instead… “I spy something that is green!” or describing what it is used for “I spy something used to clean your teeth!”
#7 Bathtub Paint for Toddlers
Unleash your little Picasso with some bathtub paint for kids! A bath is an exceptional canvas that can be reused an unlimited number of times.
All you need are some paintbrushes and non toxic bath soap paints. You can buy children’s bath paint but I prefer to make my own. You can even make glow in the dark bath paint by adding glow in the dark pigment, or swap paint for bubble dough.
This is my daughters FAVORITE activity. While she creates her masterpiece, she lets us shampoo, condition, and comb and detangle her hair without a fuss.
#8 Spray Bottles
Spray bottles are heaps of fun for small curious hands, and can be used for lots of bath time games.
Get some empty spray bottles, and let your kids squirt the tiles and sides of the bath.
You can also combine spray bottle play with bath paints and crayons. Draw numbers or the alphabet, and let your toddler squirt the one you call out.
They’re also great for getting kids to help clean up. After painting, for example, they can squirt the wall to wash away the masterpiece.
#9 Foam Letters
We have a set of bright foam letters that we stick to the tiles around the tub. They’re incredibly versatile and we’ve found many ways to use them.
Before my daughter recognized individual letters, we sorted and grouped them by color.
We also count them and use them for “fishing” (#14, below), and use them as targets for spray bottle squirting.
For older kids, create words on the tiles. They can read them, and then splash it away!
#10 Body Parts
As your toddler learns parts of the body, incorporate this into a silly washing game.
You call out a body part (nose, leg, hands, etc) and they race to wash it! As well as making sure they’re squeaky clean, your kids will practice body part vocab.
#11 Ice Cube Colors
Bath time is extra exciting with colored ice cubes.
Create the ice in advance by adding natural food coloring before freezing. And then drop them into the bath.
Rainbow ice cubes add fun colors to the bathwater, but your toddler can also incorporate them into play. It’s also a fun STEM lesson watching cold ice melts in warm water.
If you have bigger ice cube trays, hide small toys inside. Challenge your toddler to melt the cube and get the toy out!
Don’t use TOO many ice cubes, as you don’t want to radically change the temperature! Use a thermometer to monitor so your kid doesn’t get too cold.
#12 Potion Making
Channel your inner Harry Potter and turn bathtime into a potions lesson. Save up old yogurt pots, shampoo bottles, and even an old turkey baster for making magical potions in the bath!
Children can use their creativity to pour water between containers. Add some drops of food coloring to the water to make it extra special.
This STEM based activity encourages hand-eye coordination and develops fine motor skills too!
#13 Toy Story
Encourage your little one to tell you stories about their bath toys.
For small children, this is as simple as describing what the figure is doing: the fish is going to swim down the river to catch the crocodile.
Let your child help tell the story, letting it get as wild as possible!
If you don’t have bath toys, use some plastic toys and figures you have around the house. Just make sure they’re clean and dry before returning to the toy box.
#14 Go Fishing
A simple, but fun bathtub game is fishing! Scatter objects in the tub and have your child race to scoop them out with a small fish tank net.
My daughter LOVES our bathtub fishing game, which we use foam letters and different toys for.
Final Thoughts: Making Baths Fun with a Bath Game
I hope you have enjoyed this list of kids bath fun. Feel free to share these bath time ideas and fun bath games with other parents and care givers, so everyone can have a splashing good time!