Mini Dishwashing Station Play – Practical Life Water Fun for Kids 🚰🧽

💦 Encouraging Independence Through Water Play

Kids love water play, and this dishwashing activity turns that excitement into a practical life skill! With our water pump set, small sponges, a little soap, and pretend dishes, you can set up a mini dishwashing station that feels just like the real thing. Children get to scrub, rinse, and clean their own play utensils — all through fun, sensory-rich water play.

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🧺 Materials

✔ VIPrint Studio Water pump set (the set comes with 1 acrylic insert, 1 water pump and 1 bear ear shaped cup)
✔ IKEA Flisat Sensory Table and Flisat bin
✔ Small play dishes or sensory play utensils
✔ Sponge (cut into child-sized pieces)
✔ A little dish soap (in the bear-ear cup for easy scooping)
✔ Towel or tray for drying dishes

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💡 How to Play

1. Set up the water sink play set on your table or on the IKEA Flisat Sensory Table. You can place the hose in the same bin for recirculating water, or place it in a different bin to create a running-water setup. Note: Recirculation is for clean water only. Other materials may clog the pump and shorten its lifespan.
2. Fill the bin with clean water and turn on the pump
3. Place pretend dishes, utensils, and tools in the bin
4. Put a few drops of dish soap into the bear-ear cup.
5. Give your child a small sponge and show them how to dip into the soapy water.
6. Let them scrub, rinse, and wash their own play items. kids LOVE seeing the “dirty” dishes turn clean!
7. Place washed utensils on a towel or drying tray.

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🎯 Learning Benefits

• ✋ Builds fine motor strength and hand coordination
• 🌟 Encourages independence and real-life practical skills
• 💦 Provides calming, open-ended sensory play
• 🌱 Teaches responsibility and clean-up routines
• 👀 Supports focus, sequencing, and pretend-to-real world learning

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🧩 Extension Ideas

• Add food-themed sensory items (pom poms, toy veggies) to “wash”
• Introduce color sorting: wash red dishes first, then blue, etc.
• Turn it into a role-play game: restaurant helper, kitchen assistant, or clean-up crew
• Add a timer and see how many dishes they can wash before time runs out

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🧽 Cleanup Tip

Water play is always a little messy, so expect some splashes! Keep a towel nearby or move the table outdoors for easier cleanup.

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✨ Closing

This dishwashing station transforms water play into a meaningful, skill-building activity. Fun, engaging, and wonderfully practical — a perfect way to let kids explore independence and responsibility while having an absolute blast with water!