Messy Play with Kids

 So, I offered to watch my sister's kids one day while she was out with her older daughter and was told that what I did at my house she would never do at hers. Why Not? It was messy! Many parents shy away from doing messy activities at their house because of the clean-up but let me tell you, it kept them entertained a lot longer than just playing with a few toys.

Why is messy play so important? Well as an ECE I have learnt that it enhances children's experiences, keeps them interested for longer and builds on things like sensory exploration, and the muscles in the hands that need to be worked in order to hold a pencil properly which in turn gets them ready for school.  So strip those kids down and get messy parents....and if you do, they will have so much fun, and if not, at least it is building on those experiences.

There is a little girl at the daycare I work at that does not like getting dirty, does not like sensory experiences what-so-ever, so introducing it regularly is extremely important. These messy activities are things that should be done every day not just when the parent or teacher feels like it.  I'll admit, I don't always like cleaning it up either but knowing the benefits and seeing the smiles on these kids faces makes it all worth it. So what are some of the things we do that are messy? Here is a list of a few of our favorites....

 

 1. Cornstarch and water (equal parts)-- believe it or not it is a solid AND a liquid. You can squish it is your hands and it is hard but as soon as you open your hand it magically melts away. Fun for kids and adults!

2. Flour and Oil (you can use baby oil or cooking oil)--- has the same consistency of cookie dough.

3. Shaving cream and glue--super soft and suprisingly not that hard to clean up.

4. Grated Ivory soap, Toilet paper and water-- feels like mashed potatoes.

5. Playdough--make your own, the cooked one works, feels and lasts longer than the uncooked recipe.

6. Mud pies-- soil, water and anything else lying around outside (make a birds nest and teach the kids about our flying feathered friends)

7. Water play-- not so bad outside in the summer, a little wet indoors but still fun. Set up a water table...its just water!

There are countless possibilities when you look around your house for things to do but you must not be afraid to get dirty or make a mess...that's half the fun!

 

So what did I ll do with my sister's kids while they were here? We had a fun-filled day that left both my sisters wanting to come over to my place next time and here is why....

First, we played with both the cornstarch and water mixture where my nephew asked "I hope my mom can go buy this so we can play at our house" (guess what....you already likely have it) and the ivory soap, toilet paper and water mixture.

Then we moved on to bobbing for apples (cause they were hungry, so i made them work for their snack).  We did a few activities that I already had supplies for with modelling clay and when they wanted to go outside to look for bunnies in the snow I sent them out with some "investigation tools" --be creative (you can use anything from goggles, magnifying glasses, shovels...the list goes on). After a little while of playing outside I asked if they wanted to do something fun and of course I got a resounding YES so I opened the door, gave them each a wooden spoon and threw some chocolates in the snowbanks in the yard (ones wrapped up of course) and told them to dig for their treasure. Once they were done, they came in for some hot chocolate.

When my sister arrived to pick up her kids she asked to use the bathroom and I said "sure, but it's messy, i haven't been up there to clean it" and her response was "i can see everything you did with my kids and I don't care how messy the bathroom is"  :)

So, i posted some pictures on facebook and both my sisters commented that next time they come over, they are bringing a change of clothes and some spoons to dig for chocolates!

Sorry for rambling about my personal experience and hopefully you get some use out of some of the messy activities I have listed. Have Fun! If I come up with any new ideas, I will be sure to add them and please...feel free to share yours!