*Contains affiliate links

‘Just add water’ is my new mantra when it comes to the kids. Whenever they’re grumpy, introduce water in some form and 90% of the time, it sorts them out. Give them a glass of water, stick them in the bath/shower/paddling pool or, in one of our favourite things to do with the tuff spot, give them some water to play with.

Of course, you don’t need a tuff spot to do this. Any sort of tub or even a bowl is more than suitable. I like the tuff spot because it contains the mess a little more and gives them space to make a mess without destroying the living room. It is also a superb way of helping younger children develop their fine motor skills.

Shopping list:

• Tuff spot
• Measuring spoons
• Pom Poms
• Mini scoops
• Coloured bowls
• Big bowl or tub of water
• Towels!

It’s a really easy one to set up. Fill a tub or bowl with water, chuck in a few pom poms of various sizes and give them scoops and spoons. The idea is to fish out the pom poms using the spoons and put them into the bowl. It’s great for hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills. We’ll be extending this at some point with some tweezers.