It’s no surprise to parents that children love anything messy or sticky. Whether that be splashing in the bath, squishing their meals through their fingers, or jumping in muddy puddles outside. However, can any of this be beneficial to their development? The answer, yes!
Not only does messy play provide a fun activity for the afternoon, it also allows your little one to explore the world around them and enhances their learning, language and creativity – as well as their physical development.
Here are just a few of the ways that messy play benefits children:
1. Fine & Gross Motor Skills
You might not think it, but whenever your little one is making shapes and marks during play, they are using groups of muscles to make small movements. These continuous movements are great practice and helps them to refine their fine motor skills in their fingers, wrists, arms, toes and shoulders.
2. Hand Eye Coordination
Certain messy play activities help to improve children’s concentration, such as cutting shapes out of play doh, which in turn helps to develop their hand-eye coordination.
3. Body Control & Balance
Messy play is a great, hands-on activity for children, which enhances body control and balance through the various movements that they make. Activities such as holding a paintbrush, or pouring water into a cup are all things that help them focus their gross motor skills, which improves their control and balance with practice.
Do you regularly set up messy play activities for your little one? Why not share your ideas with us over on Instagram @shinechildcare.