Messy Play is OK: Let Kids Get Dirty and Explore

My kids gave me the weirdest look when I said, "Let's go outside and get dirty." Mom must be nuts -- right? But not really! Summer is the time to do activities that are hands-on, often sticky and wet and oh, so messy. It's the time to do all those projects outdoors that are too messy to do inside. It's the time to give children lots of chances to explore materials such as sand, water, mud, finger paints and play dough without constant reminders to "be careful and don't make a mess." And yes, a time when messy play can teach and develop many skills.

Use those muscles...

Messy play allows children to develop fine and large motor skills. Painting and playing with play dough helps children to exercise fine muscles that they will use for writing later on. They learn to coordinate their eyes and hands and to be creative. Large motor development is strengthened when children dig in sand, mud or dirt. Children also use large muscles groups in pouring and stirring activities as they play with sand and water.

Thinking and imagination...

During messy play children develop thinking skills. To be able to understand and manage concepts in an activity gives practice to intellectual development. Sensory experiences do the trick and hands-on play materials feed children's brains.

As the brain is fed, children develop their imagination. Creativity and imagination are hard to jump start later in life, so by nurturing the senses in the early years helps to develop these vital skills. As kids enjoy messy play, they are more likely to explore the possibilities in the world around them. They are encouraged to be curious. And following their curiosity, kids will learn basic principles that apply to life.

Explore math and science in messy play...

Kids explore math concepts as they work with clay, mud or sand. To create the perfect packing and modeling dough, they must experiment with how much water to add to a material. Shapes and sizes can be changed. Children measure volume as they play with sand and water. Sorting, grouping and patterning are all skills children practice in playing with messy materials.

Have your kids ever made goop? Just mix two parts white glue to one part of liquid laundry starch. Encourage them to add small amounts of each material until the mixture is not longer sticky and feels like Silly Putty. This dough stretches, bounces and picks up pictures off comic strips. It also breaks when snapped. It's a fun material to make together and it can be stored in a zipper lock bag for future play.

Children can explore principles of science such as cause and effect. Start asking "what if" questions with the kids. Like, "What if I mix red and blue paint together? What will happen?" or "What happens if I squeeze a sponge under water?" and "What if I pour water into the dirt?" Mudpies! What fun -- just keep a garden hose nearby and all is well!

And so much more learning...

Messy play help kids learn how to problem solve. If they want to build mountains, valleys and canals in the sandbox, children must learn about mixing sand, packing sand and how to use different digging tools. In the garden, they must learn how to work with the soil and how deep to plant seeds for proper growth.

And there is so much more. Kids develop vocabulary as they engage in activities that delight their senses. They use new words to describe their discoveries. Social development is encountered when kids explore and play together. There is not much not to like about messy play in a child's eye.

So the next sunny day, take the kids outside and engage in some wholesome messy play. It's fun. It thrills. It amazes. And it makes kids glad to be alive!

Source- personal experience

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