Bath toys typically involve filling and dumping water, sticking things on the wall and wind-up toys that swim around…. Cutting up large containers , as shown below) was fun for me because it was like creating sculptures- except free and if I didn’t like the results it was simple to start over again.
Other recommended bath tub toys commonly found around the house include: sponges, plastic containers with snap on or screw covers and clean, empty snack bags that can be ripped up and stuffed into containers. Consider making the sailboat shown at the bottom of this post. Squeezing, ripping, twisting bottle caps, pushing materials into containers all require force… and force creates proprioceptive stimulation to muscles.
Avoid using toys made out of plastic containers when working with children or adults with developmental disabilities who put objects in their mouths…. I assume that these products are not designed for such use…
The following post shows the squirting whale toy that my son enjoyed playing with as a baby… It was a great bath toy and soooo easy to make.
The following illustration is from my book The Recycling Occupational Therapist
Although I started to create toys and therapeutic products out of recyclable materials 35 years ago- the concept and ideas in my book The Recycling Occupational Therapist continue to be as relevant in today’s world of too too much shopping, too much garbage to throw out and not enough creativity….