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With the close of the holiday season, you and your kids may feel like you’ve been stuck in the house for a long time. With a long, cold winter ahead for many parts of the United States, you may be looking for new ideas for all the time you will spend indoors this winter after you’ve watched every movie and played every game at least a dozen times.
After our family recently passed back and forth the cold that just wouldn’t quit, I could sense that my older son was getting that cooped up feeling. Yet we didn’t want to take him out lest he spread his germs or catch a new cold. On the spur of the moment I decided to get a bath ready, when he pulled out his stocking stuffer gift of tub colors drops. With the exuberance that is the specialty of little children everywhere, he plunked almost all of the blue tablets into the water while I wasn’t looking. And boy, were we in for a cool surprise! The water turned a deep, dark blue, just like the sea. With a few bubbles for foam, we were all set for more than an hour of fun.
He enjoyed his “ocean bath” so much that he asked if he could stay in until lunchtime and have a picnic. While I didn’t give the okay to eat lunch in the bathtub this time, I have been known to give the kids popsicles in the tub before a regular bath time. It’s the best place for kids to eat messy stuff indoors! But did you know they can also paint, color, blow bubbles and soak with some fun homemade ingredients?
So if your little guys are suffering from boredom due to illness or wintry weather conditions, then a fun bath is one way to keep them occupied and having lots of fun without risk of frostbite. With your close supervision, the bathtub can be a great place to while away hours of time on a blustery day. And you can use ordinary household supplies to cook up some bathtub fun.
No need to purchase specially made tub colors, you can make your own colored water with a few drops of food or soap coloring, or even with powdered unsweetened drink mix. Just add to the bathwater before you put your children in. Another way to add some color and fun to the bath is to make ice cubes in a variety of hues. You can use unsweetened Kool Aid or food dye for a variety of color choices. It’s a fun way to explore the concept of hot and cold, plus kids love to try to pick up the slippery ice cubes.
Have you ever heard of edible fingerpaint? Mustard, ketchup, and colored pudding or jello are all foods with which kids can have a ball making artistic masterpieces in the tub. Once they’re done making artwork, you can have a regular bath so all the mess gets washed off and goes down the drain. Another idea for bathtub finger-painting is canned whipped cream or unscented shaving foam. Or try the recipe below for homemade bathtub crayons and you can let your kids draw all over the tub.
Lastly, swap out some of those boring tub toys for some much more fun cooking utensils and kitchen tools. Plastic measuring cups, bowls, colanders, whisks, and zippered plastic bags make for fun water play. While bath time can be a relaxing time, always stay nearby and keep a close eye while the kids are keeping themselves entertained. And have fun cooking up some bathtub fun this winter!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1218-bath-time-fun/
Rub a Dub Dub, Cooking Up Some Fun In The Tub!
With the close of the holiday season, you and your kids may feel like you’ve been stuck in the house for a long time. With a long, cold winter ahead for many parts of the United States, you may be looking for new ideas for all the time you will spend indoors this winter after you’ve watched every movie and played every game at least a dozen times.
After our family recently passed back and forth the cold that just wouldn’t quit, I could sense that my older son was getting that cooped up feeling. Yet we didn’t want to take him out lest he spread his germs or catch a new cold. On the spur of the moment I decided to get a bath ready, when he pulled out his stocking stuffer gift of tub colors drops. With the exuberance that is the specialty of little children everywhere, he plunked almost all of the blue tablets into the water while I wasn’t looking. And boy, were we in for a cool surprise! The water turned a deep, dark blue, just like the sea. With a few bubbles for foam, we were all set for more than an hour of fun.
He enjoyed his “ocean bath” so much that he asked if he could stay in until lunchtime and have a picnic. While I didn’t give the okay to eat lunch in the bathtub this time, I have been known to give the kids popsicles in the tub before a regular bath time. It’s the best place for kids to eat messy stuff indoors! But did you know they can also paint, color, blow bubbles and soak with some fun homemade ingredients?
So if your little guys are suffering from boredom due to illness or wintry weather conditions, then a fun bath is one way to keep them occupied and having lots of fun without risk of frostbite. With your close supervision, the bathtub can be a great place to while away hours of time on a blustery day. And you can use ordinary household supplies to cook up some bathtub fun.
No need to purchase specially made tub colors, you can make your own colored water with a few drops of food or soap coloring, or even with powdered unsweetened drink mix. Just add to the bathwater before you put your children in. Another way to add some color and fun to the bath is to make ice cubes in a variety of hues. You can use unsweetened Kool Aid or food dye for a variety of color choices. It’s a fun way to explore the concept of hot and cold, plus kids love to try to pick up the slippery ice cubes.
Have you ever heard of edible fingerpaint? Mustard, ketchup, and colored pudding or jello are all foods with which kids can have a ball making artistic masterpieces in the tub. Once they’re done making artwork, you can have a regular bath so all the mess gets washed off and goes down the drain. Another idea for bathtub finger-painting is canned whipped cream or unscented shaving foam. Or try the recipe below for homemade bathtub crayons and you can let your kids draw all over the tub.
Lastly, swap out some of those boring tub toys for some much more fun cooking utensils and kitchen tools. Plastic measuring cups, bowls, colanders, whisks, and zippered plastic bags make for fun water play. While bath time can be a relaxing time, always stay nearby and keep a close eye while the kids are keeping themselves entertained. And have fun cooking up some bathtub fun this winter!
Serves/Makes: 1
- 1 bar mild white soap, finely grated
- 1/4 cup warm water
- food coloring
In a small bowl, mix the soap with warm water and a few drops of the food color of your choice. Stir until mixture begins to stiffen.
Knead mixture until it is the consistency of a very thick dough. Spoon the mixture into cookie cutters, ice cube trays or paper cup molds, pressing down until no air bubbles remain.
Allow soap crayons to set in molds until firm. Pop soap crayons out of molds and let dry overnight until hard.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1218-bath-time-fun/