We will do our best to clean up our messy fun, but if your child comes home looking a little more colorful or messy than they did before you dropped off for the day, just know that you are being offered a visual of their actual learning and development for the day! And we can always recommend a great stain-lifter, because trust us… we’ve seen it all! )

Here at Stepping Stones Learning Center, we will gladly have some good, messy fun with your children! We just recommend that if you have an outfit that you would rather stay stain-free, it is best that your child saves this outfit for days that they are not in our care. Children can even learn more about cause and effect… “what will happen if I jump into this puddle while standing next to it, or if I jump from a step stool?” There are, of course, other valuable sensory activities that don’t end up beneath your child’s fingernails or splattered across their clothes, but these messy activities really do provide valuable learning experiences, and are a lot of fun as well! They can explore what happens to their paint when they add different textures and materials… if we add shaving cream to regular school glue, it remains sticky but is now puffy as well! If we add sand to our paint, it may still spread quite a bit, but feels grainy when we finger-paint. They can also enhance their cognitive and language development, because they are learning new textures and descriptions “this ice is cold!” or “this mud is slimy”. When offered something to squish, spread, explore, and manipulate, children have an opportunity to refine their sense of touch.

While this may make it harder to find clothes that are not stained when it’s time to dress my crew, I have learned that this type of play is not only fun, but also so valuable to the development of children. I now am a mother to 3 wild and crazy children, who are attracted to mud, mess, and anything that is squishy or slimy. After being a mom to two loud, messy, and boisterous sons for years, when my daughter joined our family I had images of cute clothes, and perhaps (and I realize how misguided this was) an interest in more pristine and less loud, crazy, and messy activities. As a mother to three kids, and an early childhood educator, I am no stranger to messes.

Blue Sky Yellow Kite by Janet A. Holmes