Not only does a good bath transform a grubby little monster into a sweet smelling bundle, but it can provide the opportunity to play and develop lots of skills at the same time. Read on to discover our top picks for the best educational bath toys for 3 year olds. These bath games are all versatile, engaging and expertly designed to encourage open ended learning in the bath while children are busy having bubbly fun. 

Bath toys to encourage Learning through Play

Children are hard-wired to explore through play, regardless of the environment or situation they’re in. At home in the bath, where they feel totally safe and comfortable, they can let their mind wander and imagination takeover. To help them follow playful and curious paths, listed below are bath toys suitable for 3 year olds which offer the versatility to spark your child’s interest in lots of different ways. As a mum, teacher and (now) bath toy seller, these are my tips for great bath toys to encourage 3 year olds to enjoy creative open-ended play.

What do 3 year olds enjoy in the bath?

Young children who are at nursery or preschool love interactive toys and anything that enhances pretend play and imaginative games. Great bath toys for 3 year olds should be bright and engaging enough to see you through any tricky cleaning tasks like the dreaded hair wash. But bathtime is also a great opportunity to learn, experiment and have fun, and a few well-chosen bath toys definitely help with that.

Our Top 5 Educational Bath Toys for 3 Year Olds

1. Best bath toy for Music - Bath Beats Musical Set by Munchkin
This set is just right if you want your youngster to have the chance to have a go at creating music in the bath. It contains a floating drum, xylophone and 2 shakers so children in the bath can make a band! The drum can be played with in different ways with the base a bowl that suctions onto the bath and the lid can be a maze or tambourine. This set gets everyone making music - it’s great to sing favourite songs together and the 3 year old can use the different instruments to compose the backing track!
Click to see Bath Beats Musical Set.

2. Best bath toy for role play - Foam Cone Factory by Tomy

Many young children love pretend play and this Ice Cream Factory toy goes down a treat. With cones, sprinkles and the maker itself, it's very easy to make pretend ice cream while playing in the bath. Pour a mixture of 1 part bubble bath with 1 part water to the machine, pull the lever down and load up the cone with foam. There is even a pretend sprinkle shaker for more fun. It’s a clever way to encourage your child to wash as the bubbly foam has to go somewhere!
Click to see Foam Cone Factory

3. Best bath toy for maths skills - Number Fun Ducks by Learning Resources

Young children love playing with these 10 floating ducks. They have dots on their backs and the corresponding written number underneath so are great for practising number work. 3 year olds enjoy putting them in numerical order, sorting them into odd and even numbers or trying to recognising the amount of dots at a glance - before counting them to check

Click to see Number Fun Ducks.

4. Best bath toy for imaginative play - To the Moon and Back by Quut
A fun bath set for children who love thinking about Space! Younger children will need help assembling the rocket and space shuttle and then imaginations can go wild as children think of creative adventures for the little characters in them to head off to the stars!
Click to see To the Moon and Back

5. Best bath toy to encourage tidying - Super Scoop Bath Toy Organiser

At the end of bath time, it’s great to have a youngster who is desperate to help with putting all their toys away. Little children often love helping with household tasks and to encourage your 3 year old to tidy up when bathtime is finished, a Super Scoop by Munchkin is perfect. Children love swiping the Super Scoop through the water and collecting all the toys so that they can then be stored, neat and tidily whilst other people use the bath. It’s great for games about sharks eating what’s in the sea.
Click to see Super Scoop

So that’s our Top 5 Bath Toys for 3 year olds to encourage learning through open-ended play. Be sure to click the links to visit any of the toys to find out more about them if they spark your interest. We’re sure your playful youngsters will love them!