Sink or Float

This classic Montessori activity is a fun way for toddlers to begin to grasp the concepts of sinking and floating. The child is invited to drop items into the water and observe the effect the water has on the item. 

It is a great sensory experience for the child who gets to feel a variety of textures and colors, learn about cause and effect, as well as weight and, of course, gets to enjoy water play. In addition, this activity provides endless opportunities for language development. 

It can be done with just about any items you have around the house. We used sticks, stones, leaves and some fallen flowers we collected during our morning walks. 

We had sooo much fun doing this activity! 

A carefully dropped each item into the water, taking her time to analyze and explore the items. As they dropped I would repeat “The _____ is sinking / floating”. I just loved watching her concentrate on the items and could almost see her little brain process these new concepts. 

After all the items were in the water, she enjoyed a little water play, feeling their textures and moving them around. At that point I gave her a hand strainer so that she could continue the fun by doing a little transfer work.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.