Benefits of Messy Play in ECE

Engaging in messy play had always been a question mark for me in ECE. Implementing learning experiences in this area was a little bit out of my comfort zone however, after observing my colleagues engage children in messy play activities throughout the day and seeing how much fun they had, this changed my views and attitude in a very positive way and to further research messy play ideas broadened my knowledge, and now I can say without hesitation that I am all for messy play! I saw the excitement that messy play brought to the children as they were interactive, curious, made new discoveries, were playful, creative, imaginative and expressive. It kept them focused for long periods of time as they were exploring with their senses. This also supported their development intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and socially. As an early childhood educator, I recognised that messy play learning opportunities were endless! 

Moving forward, in my learning/teaching environment, messy play became a norm and children were engaging in messy play learning experiences every day. They were given the opportunity to take charge of their learning by making their own decisions. By engaging in messy play myself with the children, it made me come out of my comfort zone and since then, together we enjoyed gloop, slime, moon sand, finger painting, melting ice, shaving foam and much more. 

“Messy play gives children the opportunity to experience a wide range of sensory experiences”. - Ministry of Education. 

In an ECE environment, children are our main priority and as educators it becomes our responsibility to fill their basket of knowledge with a wide range of learning experiences that they can achieve at their own pace, space and time. When working with children, it is all about their sensory development therefore, messy play is first and foremost an important learning tool for them as they are at the stage of constantly exploring through their senses. It also provides them with the opportunity to explore different textures and make use of different tools/equipment and resources to extend on their learning that we can provide for them. This allows children to learn a wide variety of skills, knowledge and attributes in a safe and secure environment.

By Kaiako Davina (Centre Manager)