It’s Time for Play! Messy Play

It’s Time for Play! Messy Play

[Music]

Children: It's time for play! [Music]

Dawson Nichols: Hi, my name is Dawson, and today, we are going to be talking about "messy play." "Messy play" refers to when we provide children with an opportunity to explore materials: to touch, to feel, to move, to pour, to push, to squish. The "messy" in the title refers to messing about with materials. It doesn't necessarily mean getting messy, although it does sometimes get messy, and we can prepare for that. And it's worth it because these engagements are so important for children. It gives them an opportunity to explore with their senses, to build fine motor skills and concentration and focus. Research shows that the best way to learn about how to navigate the world and how to manipulate objects in the world is to actually do it. And that's what these engagements are about. And when we do it alongside them, of course, we can help them build persistence and all sorts of other skills that are very important to their development. So, these are wonderful activities. We want to make sure that they're safe. We want to make sure that they're organized. That often makes it much more attractive to children. That makes it inviting for them. We like to do it at low places sometimes, when we can, because that makes it inviting, but it also allows them a certain amount of autonomy, and autonomy is an important part of this kind of activity. That doesn't mean it isn't social, though. It is absolutely a wonderful thing to invite friends, siblings, of course, to do it alongside of the adult. The adult may be concerned to make sure that this doesn't get too messy. And so, sometimes what I like to do is just put an old shower curtain over things, and that makes it so that if spills happen, if messiness happens, it's not a big problem. There are other things you can use, but I find this to be a really effective way to do it.

Now, when we talk about messy play, we generally talk about three different kinds – outdoor, wet, and dry, even though these are really on a continuum. I encourage people to take children outside whenever they can. Being outside is such a wonderful sensory experience. But although it looks nice outside right now, it has been raining on and off all day, and I can't take you out there right now. But this provides me with an opportunity to remind people that you can bring the outdoors in, whether it's sticks or stones or leaves or shells. Children will love exploring these materials just as much indoors, and you can make your own little sensory bin, something like this where children can explore sand. Again, you don't need fancy tools. Just as spoon will work, and a child can make different patterns, they can lift and pour. And if you limit the tools from one day to the next, then the next day when the sifting tool is available, this same material has a whole different quality of engagement. So, the same materials can be used again and again by rotating different tools. I do like having a nature table. I think it's wonderful to have a consistent place where children can go to have these kind of material engagements.

Some outdoor messy play is, of course, also wet messy play, working with mud, for example. But there are a lot of other kinds of wet engagements that you could share with children, from Play-doh and clay, to goop and gloop. You can find recipes for those online. Oobleck – just cornstarch and water is a fascinating material and surprising, and children love exploring it. I still love exploring it after thousands of times of doing it. But it doesn't have to be fancy. Water is a wonderful material to engage with. Pouring it, stirring it, splashing in it, put in some ice for a different kind of engagement. And remember, just feeling the slickness, the wetness, the slidiness of those things is a wonderful activity for children. Put in a little color, and it becomes a different kind of engagement.

Finally, let's talk about dry materials, which a lot of people like because they are, well, the least messy of the messy play. Even for very young children who are still crawling across the floor, they will enjoy feeling different textures, and you can provide that experience for them simply by putting different textures down, whether it's a woven rug or the canvas from an apron or putting different items in front of them from your house. Different textures, different shapes, different feels. The little nubs on the front of this hot pad holder, those are wonderful to experience. A favorite in my house was always the ACE bandage. Yes, endlessly fascinating stretchy fabric. And then don't forget the simplest of all dry materials that you can play with.

Set up a sensory bin, and maybe put in some paper. Yes, children love scrunching up paper. These are early origami artists, and they can make their creations and put them back in, and then maybe the next day, they have a different experience with paper. Shredded paper is wonderful. Allowing children to tear their own is also wonderful. And then, maybe the following day, there's an even different kind of paper. Again, it's all about exploring these different materials and seeing how they work together, and it doesn't have to be fancy. I made this sensory board out of just some old cardboard, put a little kids artwork on the front and then you can open it up, and inside, the child can explore all sorts of different textures, from sandpaper to packing material, to rubber and cloth of different kinds. Again, it doesn't have to be fancy. It's all about the exploration. Messy play. It's a wonderful activity. So, I hope those are some good ideas for you, and I hope that you will include messy play as you make time for play. Thanks.