Why Kids Need Messy Play

Just for a moment, I want you to sit, close your eyes, and think back to a memory where you fully engaged in the kind of play that left dirt stains on your clothing, eliciting tingles of joy while collecting nature’s treasures and possibly resulting in a scrape or two. Remember feeling the grass beneath your bare feet, your hands in the dirt or on the bark of a tree, and the smell of Earth’s aroma surrounding you? Take a moment and ask yourself this- how did you feel at that time?

Now, open your eyes and come back to yourself in the present. A grown adult with a job, responsibilities, and expectations. Do you miss the carefree days of playing outside, getting all messy and dirty, and not even thinking twice about it? As a child, you weren’t aware of how essential this kind of play was. (and still is!  See our article for the American Council on Exercise: The Power of Dirt.) Messy, outdoor play is foundational in the development of a child. Ask any Occupational Therapist; they will tell you it’s great for promoting fine motor, communication, problem-solving, and sensory regulation skills. These skills are important in a child’s ever-growing, developing brain, helping him prepare for both school and life. Messy play is truly the bee’s knees and the cat’s meow!

According to Angela J. Hanscom, Author of Balanced and Barefoot,

“True joy, a sense of play, and confidence overcome children who play outdoors.”

Hanscom advocates that children engage in messy, outdoor play for several reasons:

• Messy, outdoor play inspires creativity and imagination
• Messy, outdoor play creates the optimal and perfect setting for balanced sensory experiences 
• Messy, outdoor play allows children to appropriately evaluate risks and face challenges head on

Above all else, messy play engages all of your child’s senses! (Fun fact, we have more than 5) This is how children explore and learn about their environment as well as what their bodies can do in relation to the world around them and how they can use their bodies for school or play. Their minds and bodies seek input in many forms, and the outdoors checks all the boxes. Outdoors, children are free to run, jump, roll, climb- everything! It’s a space where a child can create a world of their own, make up their own rules and spend time away from adults working with and negotiating with their peers however they choose. Bake a delicious mud pie? Sure! Build a fort to protect themselves from dragons? Yes! Even infants benefit from crawling on the ground, picking up sticks, touching the leaves of a bush, or feeling dirt between their fingers. The best part? This kinds of play isn’t complicated or expensive. It’s absolutely simple! Join your child and let the inner one in you takeover for a bit. Together, you will make memories that will be remembered by everyone.

Best Ways to Incorporate Messy Play?

Colanders, tin muffin pans, tin baking sheets, spatulas, cooking spoons, ladles, measuring cups, buckets.

Water, sand, dirt.

Spray bottles, large paint brushes.

Ice cube trays, plastic containers, rolling pins.

And remember to remind parents they should send their children to school in clothes that can get dirty and sneakers they can run in!  Anything less inhibits their ability to explore and use their bodies!