The Beauty Of Muddy Play: Why It's Important For Kids To Get Dirty
Find out why muddy play is important for children, helping them with their happiness, development and health.
20/01/2023
Children are very happy playing inside with their toys, but there’s a whole world waiting for them outside in the leaves, dirt, grass and fresh air. Children not only benefit from dirty play, but they need it to be happy, healthy and to aid their development. In this article we explore school playground equipment such as mud kitchens and the benefits for kids!
What Is Mud Play?
Mud play is any activity where children can squash, grab, carry and touch safe mud or sand, ideally with the addition of water and accessories like buckets. You are likely to have seen messy play take place at nursery or at friends houses in the form of a mud kitchen, which is a pretend ‘child-sized’ kitchen designed for encouraging and supporting mud play in the garden.
Why Is Muddy Play Important For Children?
Muddy play for children is highly beneficial and is an essential form of play for them to take part in at home, and ideally at nursery/ preschool too. Studies tell us that muddy play helps kids:
- Develop a healthier immune system
- Develop a healthier gut
- Develop independent learning skills
- Develop tactile skills
- Spend more time outdoors in nature
- Explore imaginative and creative play
- Develop social skills
Mud play also helps children physically because they squat, run, stretch, lift and explore the environment when they get messy, helping them to meet NHS movement guidelines for kids. Children also grab, squeeze, pull and push with their hands, helping to strengthen fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are also developed with large muscle groups like the arms and legs being used to interact with the space and the equipment within it.
How To Encourage Your Children To Enjoy Messy Play
Messy play outdoors is very natural for
children, and if you let them play in the garden
they are likely to create their own fun with
twigs, leaves, mud and grass. However, you can
further encourage the children in your care to
enjoy messy play by introducing equipment that
facilitates this kind of fun.
Mud
kitchens are a great example of this, because
they have ‘sinks’ and ‘preparation areas’ that
echo the kitchen in your home, so children will
automatically copy what is done in that room.
They will make ‘recipes’ and likely pretend to
be you, or maybe a character in their favourite
show who enjoys cooking.
Left to be
creative, that simple mud kitchen could then end
up being a place where they make potions to
bring their teddies to life, a place where they
are top chef in a hotel kitchen, or even
somewhere they need to make food to serve up to
their alien guests - the possibilities are
endless. It’s this imaginative play and freedom
to play without restrictions that help children
truly express themselves and develop empathy by
‘walking in another’s shoes’. They can also
safely explore new or challenging emotions with
muddy play, which is vital for their emotional
wellbeing and development.
Why Not Make Some Muddy Play Plans?
If you want your little ones to enjoy expressive, free, muddy play, why not make plans to play outside soon? With buckets, water, and lots of mud or sand, and maybe a mud kitchen, the children in your care can get stuck into lovely, squashy, squelchy messy play - to the benefit of their emotional and physical wellbeing.