Children and making a mess, go hand in hand. Did you know that sometimes making a mess can actually be beneficial for your child?
Here are some reasons to let your toddler get good and messy.
1. It teaches cause and effect:
“Curiosity is a child’s best teacher.” If we always intervene before kids experience the outcomes, will they learn? Messy art and messy play in a safe environment lets kids experience cause and effect.
2. Contributes to health:
Exposure to dirt helps in strengthening the immune system that will provide lifelong protection. However, you should follow rules of hygiene, teaching your child to wash his hands after playing in the mud or being exposed to germs.
3. Sensory stimulation:
Sensory experiences help your child understand his/her world better. Different children learn differently. So try teaching (counting, identifying colors, etc.,) using natural materials that involve the use of multiple senses. If learning experiences stimulate senses, the brain is more likely to internalize what’s being learnt.
4. Builds motor skills:
Often parents pick clean and non-messy toys for children to play with. The downside is that these games don’t allow for open-ended play. Give your child large sheets of paper, jumbo crayons / paints, and watch him/her go all out in using them with those small hand and finger muscles. These muscles are the ones he’ll use for everything from self-feeding to buttoning to writing with a pencil. Not just this, it also inspires open-ended thinking. Because if it’s messy, it is confusing and it constantly changes. It gives them a chance to think beyond boundaries
Let them get messy and learn beyond boundaries, but be sure to lay some guidelines to clean up in a way that feels like it’s all part of the game.
