Trying to keep your house neat when you have a toddler can seem like a lost cause! But what if that "MESS" is the basis of all tactile+sensory+exploratory development? That's right! Messy play in kids not only fosters your child's curiosity but also grants them the freedom to explore and develop their interests and senses.
Young children are in a very crucial stage of development: they need to SEE and FEEL their world in order to understand it. Particularly, at ages 1-3, unstructured exploratory play is not only what they learn the most from, Mamas, it’s what our little ones enjoy the most!
In short, our little ones NEED a lot of sensory input to learn about the environment around them, and the more senses they can use to explore their environment, the better! (That’s why kids love to get messy while they’re eating, too – and why parents should let them!)
SOME OF THE KEY BENEFITS OF MESSY PLAY ARE:
Supports Cognitive Development
Messy play is a fun way to think, explore, observe, and perform, enabling your child to figure things out for themselves and explore options.
Fosters Math Skills
Play illustrates real-life application of math, recognition, counting, and measurement, hence laying foundation of lifelong mathematical and analytical skills.
Lays a Foundation in Science
Messy and sensory play engages your child’s curiosity by touching, experimenting, investigating, and examining their surroundings, thus, encouraging interest in practical aspect of their environment.
Improves Fine Motor Skills
Hands-on play is basis of everything tactile, encouraging hand-eye coordination, grasp strength, dexterity, grasping, and pinching while playing, leading to use of their hand muscles, which eventually lays the foundation for writing skills in the future.
Promotes Creativity
Open ended play with no right or wrong way to indulge in gives your little ones an opportunity to get creative and find ways to improvise and improve upon a play scenario.
Encourages Social Development
Messy play with friends gives our kids an opportunity to express, share, take initiative. and learn a thing or two about sharing and collaborating with others.
Creates a Sense of Responsibility
Messy play instills a sense of accomplishment and self confidence in kids by empowering them with "do-it-yourself" skills and help them develop a sense of responsibility.
Sensory bins, play dough, slime, oobleck, sand boxes are all excellent messy play activities. To make things simple (Economical) even your pantry (Kitchen) and bathtubs (Showers) are brilliant MESSY+SENSORY PLAY options, guaranteeing hours of learning, exploration, and FUN! Plus, don't forget the ample MEMORIES that you are creating in the process.
Last but not the least, Mamas, remember that playing and exploring IS a learning process for a child and it's absolutely OK to let your guard down and let kids be kids. They need to take their "own" time exploring and assessing things!
