At Hushabye Hands we've been having lots of fun with our messy play activity in our baby and toddler sign classes this week! Our little ones have been learning about shapes, and what better way to do that than by practising drawing them in some shaving foam?! As you can imagine, the fun quickly escalated beyond just shapes with plenty of creativity and exploration!
Messy play is more than just a fun activity though; it offers multiple benefits for early childhood development. Here are some of the key ones:
1. Encourages Creativity and Imagination
Messy play is a fantastic way to encourage creativity and imagination in young children. Whether they are drawing shapes in shaving foam or exploring other textures and materials, the open-ended nature of messy play allows children to use their imagination and think outside the box. They get to create, explore, and experiment in a way that is entirely their own.
2. Sensory Exploration
Engaging in messy play helps children explore their senses. They learn how different materials feel, smell, and sometimes even taste. This sensory exploration aids in cognitive development, increasing their awareness and helping them to make sense of the world around them.
3. Development of Fine Motor Skills
Drawing shapes with their fingers is also a great way to develop fine motor skills - by using their fingers to feel and draw, children are strengthening the small muscles in their hands and fingers, improving their dexterity for tasks such as writing, buttoning up clothes and using utensils.
4. Enhances Mark Making
Messy play activities like drawing in shaving foam are an excellent way to introduce children to mark making. Mark making is the first stage of writing, where children learn to make marks, lines, and shapes. This is a crucial step in their literacy journey as it helps them to understand that marks and symbols can represent ideas and objects.
Messy play is an engaging and valuable part of early childhood development. It supports creativity, sensory exploration, fine motor skills, and early writing skills. And because it's lots of fun the children don't even realise they're working hard! At Hushabye Hands, we love seeing our little ones learn and grow through these enjoyable activities. Does your little one enjoy messy play?
If you're interested in learning more about our classes and the different activities we include, do get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!
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