Rub-A-Dub-Dub, DIY Toddler Toys For The Tub

Looking for ways to liven up bath time for your little one? Look no further, we’re sharing with you some great DIY bath toys you can make at home, using mostly recycled materials and items from around your home.

So, fill up those bathtubs, get the bubble bath at the ready and let’s have some super splashy fun!

This fun fishing game teaches hand-eye coordination as they use their mini fishing rods to catch all the fish.

You’ll need: a stick, wool/string, a bead, a small round magnet, superglue, paperclips and plastic to cut out your fish

How to make your magnetic fishing game: first off you need to find a stick to make your mini fishing rod-collect one next time you're out on a walk. Tie a piece of string or wool to the end of your stick and attach a bead at the end-this will help to weigh it down so it's easier to fish with. Then, attach a small round magnet to the bead using superglue. To make your fish use some recycled plastic and cut it into fish shapes. You can jazz up your fish with stick-on gems, googly eyes and foam stickers. Finally, use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of each fish and attach a paper clip to each one. Your fishing game is ready- let’s go fishing!

Fun and educational, these foam letters and numbers are a great addition to your toddler's bath.  They are super simple to make and are a great way to introduce letter and number recognition. Learning has never been so much fun!

You'll need: coloured craft foam sheets, number and letter stencils (or you can do it free-hand!) a pencil and scissors

How to make your bath foam letters and numbers: use the stencil to trace your numbers and letters onto the craft foam sheets then cut them out using scissors.  Pour them into the bath and let your little one fish them out and stick them on the sides of the bath.  You can play number games or make simple words for them to learn.

Make your own watering cans for bath time using recycled plastic milk bottles. All you need to do is punch some holes into the lids and you're all set. You can jazz up your watering cans with some stick-on gems and foam stickers.  

Turn your bath into a sea life aquarium with some simple, sponge sea creatures!

You'll need: sponges, scissors, pipe cleaners and a glue stick

How to make your sponge sea life bath toys:  start by cutting some sea creature shapes out of your sponges, think octopuses, fish, sharks, starfish! Stick on some googly eyes and cut some pipe cleaners to make the mouths.

Have a go at these sweet little turtle bath toys made from foam sheets and plastic bottles - toddlers are sure to love them!

Upcycle plastic bottles in your recycling bin to make some fun rainmakers for bath time. A simple homemade bath toy that is not only super easy to make but is also great for developing fine motor skills, developing hand-eye coordination and helping to teach simple maths concepts too!

How to make your rainmaker: simply choose some plastic bottles out of your recycling. Remove the lids and use something sharp to puncture holes around the bottom half of the bottles. Your DIY rainmaker bath toys are ready!

Freeze little toys or figures inside ice cubes and see your little ones face light up with excitement as they melt to reveal what’s inside!

How to make your surprise ice cubes: all you need for this super simple bath time activity is an ice cube tray and some figures or toys small enough to fit inside it.  Place an item into each hole of the tray, cover with water and pop them in the freezer.  Once frozen, they are ready to go into the bath.  Make sure you wait until your little one is in the bath before popping them in. Kids will have lots of fun with these!

Little hands will love getting hands-on and crafty helping to make their very own boat for bath time. Why not make two and have a boat race?! A sure-fire way to ramp up excitement levels at bath time!

You'll need: empty plastic bottle, paper, hole puncher, stickers, colouring pencils, dried rice and a stick

How to make your boat: lay out all of your stickers and decorations and let the kids get creative decorating their plastic bottle. Using the crayons ask them to design and colour the sail for the boat on a piece of paper. Pour rice into the bottle about 1/4 of the way up- this will help to prevent the boat from tipping over. Lightly fold the paper sail in half and use a hole punch to make a hole in the middle. When you unfold your paper you'll now have two holes-one at the top and one at the bottom. Thread your stick through the holes in your sail and make a little hole in the middle of your boat to hold it.  Your boat is ready for its maiden voyage in the bathtub!

There are so many fun ways that you can use kitchen sponges at bath time and here's a great one- sponge water bombs! Sure to create a splash, little ones will love these.

You'll need: moppet sponges, string/wool and scissors

How to make your sponge water bombs: start by cutting the sponges lengthways into 1-inch strips- you'll need about 8 of these to make your sponge bomb.  Stack them up in pairs- alternate the colours if you have different coloured sponges.  Use some string to tie them together in the middle, do this twice so it's secure and then cut off any excess string. Move the sponges around a bit to make it into a ball shape. Your sponge water bombs are ready!

Stimulate your little one's senses with an ocean-themed sensory bottle. Pop it into the bath for them to explore next bath time.

You’ll need: a plastic bottle, sand, small shells, water, small ocean-themed toys and blue food colouring

How to make your sensory bottle: pour some sand into your bottle about 1/4 of the way up then add your shells and ocean-themed toys. Now simply fill the bottle almost to the top with water and add a few drops of blue food colouring.  Secure the lid with superglue and your mini aquarium sensory bottle is ready to be explored!

- Make some bath bombs! Check out our blog on how to make them here

- Have a Lego bath

- Pour in some pom poms

- Make some fun homemade bath crayons