10 Important Benefits of Messy Play

Considering bringing your little one along to a Little Learners class? Here is a run down of all the benefits of our messy play classes:

1. From as young as 5 months old, messy play can benefit your little one. During messy play children are exploring their world. They can use all of their senses to learn about how things work, feel, smell, move. It starts to develop their attention as they interact with the materials.
2. Develop their creativity – at Little Learners classes the materials are presented in an open-ended way. The children use their own imaginations to decide how to use the materials. Often I find the children using the trays I have set up in a different way than intended, which is good. This is truly child led and the best way children learn.
3. Physical development – messy play is so hands on. Children will be practising their fine and gross motor skills. They strengthen their muscles, practise balance and body control, not to mention their hand-eye coordination.
4. Language development – adults around them narrate what they are doing and this helps them to learn new words. We can ask them what does it smell/feel/look like and as they interact with others they develop their communication skills.
5. Social and emotional skills – messy play is a less structured activity than many others. This mean that children are learning to play alongside others, needing to show respect for others’ space and to take turns.
6. Maths skills – there are so many opportunities for learning maths concepts during messy play. Counting, measuring and sorting happen every session.
7. Science skills – experimenting with the materials means that children are doing mini experiments all the time. Observing, predicting and learning cause and effect.
8. Some activities are more adult led. There may be a craft activity or fine motor skills activity which needs  a bit more instruction. This means that children develop the ability to follow simple instructions, which is so valuable!
9. As the classes are child led, this encourages children to play independently and all of that independent play helps them to develop their concentration and attention skills.
10. And of course, Little Learners classes focus on early writing. Each class is designed to encourage children to make marks in the mess which help them to gain the important skills needed for writing as they go to school.