,Messy play is showing up more and more on Pinterest boards and in mom groups all over Facebook. It is not a new idea, but many people are just discovering both the amazing benefits and the downside of this sort of activity with their young children. Messy play is typically child lead, open ended, and hands on activities that engage multiple senses to stimulate curiosity and enhance learning. Most likely, messy play involves some sort of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) component to it, as well. I am including some links to products that I have found helpful with Sensory/messy play at the bottom of this article. I am an Amazon Affiliate, which means that I may receive a small commission, if you click and/or order through my links.
Messy play has many benefits, including but not limited to:
The downside is that messy play is, well, messy, and some folks are intimidated by and/or completely opposed to the idea of willingly allowing unpredictable creatures like preschoolers and toddlers to make a mess inside their home. I am a messy mom. My housekeeping vibe says, “there appears to have been a struggle” CSI style. That being said, I have friends who are very orderly and have houses where people could just drop in anytime. I am pretty sure it is witchcraft and I am super jealous. No judgement, whatsoever, everyone has their own strengths and housekeeping isn’t one of mine. Being a creative mama and teacher is one of my strengths though so I lean hard into it. My tidy mom friends are always impressed by the projects and fun stuff I do with my boys but often say, “that looks like so much fun but that mess would make me so anxious.” Knowing how important messy play is for kids and how much fun bonding time it can create, I wanted to make it more accessible and less intimidating. I present to you my messy play tips for those of you that HATE mess and for those of you, like me, who don’t mind the mess but really don’t need another big cleaning project added to the to do list. 1. Plan ahead. Sometimes the best learning experiences are spontaneous but, if you are new to messy play, you want to set yourself and your children for success. Search Pinterest for ideas, decide on an activity, and gather the supplies you will need ahead of time. You don’t want to wing it your first time out of the gate. Start with something small and easier to clean up and work your way towards more complex and messier setups. 2. Be Selective of Location and Timing. If you have people coming over soon or you have to go somewhere where you want your children to look presentable, skip the messy play that day. You don’t need to add to your stress by having a kid with a blue mustache at your family photoshoot because that washable paint wasn’t as washable as advertised. You also don’t want to do a messy project where you are worried about the furnishings. The best time and place is when you have enough time for the kids to explore without rushing to clean up and in a room like the kitchen, bathroom, sunroom, or any place with a floor that is easy to clean. 3. Cover Up. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to protect clothing and furnishings. You can buy toddler art smocks on Amazon or you can throw a clean garbage bag with a head hole and arm holes cut out over your child and yourself. I have used both and both work great. I also have just had the boys take off their shirts to do projects before and we have some dedicated work/play pants they wear that are already stained so it doesn’t matter if they get another layer of paint on them. If you don’t want your hands stained, use gloves, the kids should have bare hands though so that they can get the sensory input of touching what they are playing in. That is unless they have sensory issues or you are using something that might irritate the skin. I use trash bags to cover my kitchen stool cushions too. I cover the table in a cheap plastic table cloth from the dollar store or a vinyl one with the fabric backing Walmart. I get the vinyl table cloths at Walmart to cover the floor because they are not as easily torn as the plastic ones from the Dollar Store and I like to reuse them for other messy play projects. I have also used thick wrapping paper to cover the work surface in a pinch. Be sure to cover the floor from under the work surface all the way to a foot or so behind your children because the “splash zone” is often larger than you would think with kiddos. After the activity is done you can pull the corners together and dump any solids, like rice or sand, in the trash and then have the kids wipe it down with a damp paper towels for any food coloring, paint, or other liquids you might have used. 4. Facilitate, don’t dictate. The whole concept of messy play is that the kids figure out how they want to proceed with their exploration. It is not meant for a parent or teacher to tell them what to do for every step. As hard as it is, we have to give them some space to develop their own critical thinking skills and creativity. Supervise quietly as they figure out what they want to do. Only interject if they are doing something crazy like trying to paint the dog or eat the pint, both have happened at my house. If need be, ask questions that lead them to a solution, instead of telling them what the solution is. Give the child loose parts and/or different supplies to explore for a few minutes on their own and then ask them, “what do you think would happen if…”. For example, “ those are some awesome colors of paint on your board, what do you think would happen to them if you stood the board up?” They may decide to check it out themselves or they may happily continue how they were, either way is fine. 5. Do the messiest explorations outside, if you can, or even in the bathtub for easy clean up. 6. Do a mom trade. If you still can’t fathom doing these kind of activities, it’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up, we all have different strengths and hang-ups. If you are the super tidy mom for whom the idea of oobleck or slime coming within 50 feet of you, find a messy mom that enjoys the mess and make her an offer she can't refuse. Offer to do a task that she hates, like the dishes or organizing a closet, while she leads your kids and her kids in a messy play activity at her house. I would absolutely LOVE if my friends offered to fold some laundry and put it away while I went and made a mess with the kids! Not really wanting to do a chore at someone else's house? Do a kid swap with a friend who loves sensory and messy play and be honest about why. For example, "I loved your post about the cool experiments that you and the kids are doing. I have a hard time doing those sorts of things because purposely making a mess makes me anxious. Would you be willing to do a swap? You have my kids over to have some messy science fun for a couple hours sometime this week and next week I will take your off your hands for a couple hours to have some fun at my house." Again, I would jump at that offer. I love when my friends and I are able to give each other some kid free time and, for some reason, our kids behave so much better together than they do apart. In the end, just remember that you are creating memories, not just messes. You don't have to fundamentally change who you are as a person who loves order. Start small and simple and see how much your kiddos like it. That might just give you the motivation to go further out of your comfort zone the next time. Reflect upon the fact that we are constantly pushing our children out of their comfort zones to try new foods, sports, activities, etc., and what a good example you will be setting for them, if you stretch yourself now and then too.
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