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Does your preschool child or toddler love Messy activities? Messy activities not only can entertain your little one so that you can get a few minutes of peace an quiet, but also will foster their creativity, sensory development, and fine and gross motor skills! From just a simple activity of splashing in water to finger paint, there is a myriad of delightful ways to engage young minds while getting a little messy along the way. In this article, we will dive into the top 10 messy activities that will leave preschool and toddler hands and curious hearts exhilarated while you are amazed at the wonders of messy play. So, roll up those sleeves, lay out the floor coverings (or just move outside) and prepare for some unforgettable adventures with your little ones. Let’s dive and discover the joy of messy play together!!
1. Sensory Water Play
Sensory water play is by far our favorite messy play for the summer months (well even the winter months, but it is inside during the winter). You can do this many ways, if it is nice out fill up a water table (or even pool or splash pad) and let your kids go to town! (Disclaimer: Please make sure you are monitoring your children when around any body of water including backyard pools.) Add in some cups, spoons, and toys and let your child explore the textures and sensations of splashing and pouring.
2. Finger Painting
Another great activity to do outside is to set up an outdoor painting station with washable paints and large sheets of paper for your child to unleash their creativity using their fingers or hands. If you can’t go outside, setup a finger painting session inside. We have found that washable paint comes off our wood floors easily with a baby wipe. Keep some wipes nearby or be near a sink and they can wash off their fingers and hands after painting. Want to contain your toddler while cooking dinner? Give them some finger paint (or baby food) in their high chair and let them go to town!!
3. Play Dough Fun
Provide your child with homemade or store-bought playdough along with cookie cutters, rolling pins, and other tools for squishing, shaping, and molding. Let their imaginations go! We just leave a bucket of play dough and tools sitting out in our kitchen and they can ask for it whenever they want! Want to contain the mess, you can use a sensory bin or an old cookie sheet as a tray.
4. Sand Exploration
Sand exploration is one of the easiest messy activities for preschool or toddler children. One of our favorites is to go to a local park. All of our parks have a sand/gravel pit near the swings. My kids love to play in this and I just keep a set of sand toys in my car all summer! Our you can setup your own at home in a sensor bin. You can make your own sand by mixing oil, flour, and even food coloring until you get it to look like you want. Give your kids some toys to make sandcastles, dig holes, and explore the texture of the sand.
5. Ice Cube Painting
Another one of the great messy activities for toddlers and preschool children is to freeze color water or juice in ice cube trays, then let your child paint with the ice brushes on paper to create beautiful, melting artwork. You can even do this outside if you color the water using washable chalk paint. This way it can be washed away with the hose or rain!
6. Nature Collage
Take a nature walk and collect leaves, flowers, and other natural materials. Need an idea of what to collect, grab my Nature Hunts so that your child can figure out what would be great to pick up. Before you go out, you can fill them in or let your child fill them in as they collect. The alphabet set would be great if your child is learning their letters and letter sounds! Just provide glue and paper, and encourage your child to create a collages using any of their treasures.
7. Outdoor Mud Kitchen
Setup a mud kitchen using old pots, pans, and utensils. This can be in a tub or in an old play kitchen. Let your child mix soil, water, and natural ingredients to create messy concoctions. My kids always make “goo” outside and love every minute of it…a quick bath afterwards cleans everyone up!
8. Shaving Cream Sensory Bin
Disclaimer: This activity was my first call to poison control so be careful if you have young toddlers!! Fill a shallow bin with shaving cream and let your child dig, draw, and explore its fluffy texture. Add small toys or objects for added fun or add food coloring and your preschool child or toddler can mix the colors up to see what they make.
9. Bath Tub Fun
Turn bath time into a new adventure by adding bubbles, color tabs, bath crayons, bath finger paint, and bath toys. This is a great way to allow your children to get messy, but not make a mess in the house. Let your child play, create, and splash to their heart’s content. Also if you want the bath tub clean just give the kids some rags afterwards and let them scrub!
10. Cooking Activities
Allow your child to cook or bake with you. It promotes hands-on learning through different tactile experiences which is crucial for their cognitive and sensory development. It also encourages them to thing creatively and use their imagination while providing opportunities for some language and math learning to be hidden! One of our favorite ways is to use a Baketivity Kit. You can read all about our experience with it by clicking the picture below.
While these messy activities may require some extra cleanup and preparation, the benefits they provide for the overall development of preschool children and toddlers make them worth the effort. Embracing the mess can lead to memorable learning experiences and joyful moments for children as they explore, create, and grow. These moments are the moments that make a childhood! Enjoy it the best you can.
