There’s not a child we know that doesn’t love to get their hands, feet, and faces dirty with a little bit of ‘messy play’. But did you know there is a reason why they not only love this kind of play but thrive during the process?
Our educators do and that’s just one of the many reasons we love them!
You see, our educators are pretty special people. They do so much more than mind our children, they educate and shape these minds through their earliest years of growth and childhood development.
No sense is left behind!
Sensory play provides children with the opportunity to engage their senses, including touch, sight, sound, smell, and sometimes even taste! By allowing children to manipulate and explore materials, sensory play stimulates their sensory receptors and promotes sensory integration. This integration enhances children's ability to process sensory information, leading to improved cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development.
Some of the best materials for sensory play in a childcare setting are:
- Sand
- Water
- Clay
- Shaving cream
- Oobleck
- Playdough
- Water beads
Children often initiate sensory play
Leanne Saxton, Centre Manager at Great Beginnings Aveley reflects on the sensory play in their program.
“We offer children a wide range of sensory experiences on a daily basis. Whether these are planned experiences, spontaneous, or child initiated. These experiences range from gloop, foam, bubbles, leaves, sand, soil, water and so much more. All these experiences give children the opportunity to pour, mix, stir, transport, create, make, and express their imagination.”
How does messy play help our children?
Messy play encourages creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. When children are given the freedom to experiment and create, they learn to think outside the box. They can explore different ways to use materials, manipulate them, and even combine them, fostering their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Sensory play also supports language and communication development. As children engage in such play, they naturally use adjectives to express their experiences, talk about what they see, feel, or hear, and engage in conversations with the people around them. This helps to develop their vocabulary and communication skills as well as the ability to express thoughts and ideas effectively.
Our educators love it!
All of the reasons listed above are why our educators love sensory (or messy) play. They understand the importance of it and they also recognise that not every parent can cope with mud pies being served up at the table.
Tonicha from Nino Early Learning Adventures says, her favourite thing to teach is sensory play.
“Art. Creative painting. Getting messy. Things like slime and paint. Anything to do with watercolour, water ice… anything sensory-based. Getting down and dirty. I love it.”
While Sam from Nino Early Learning Adventures says it’s about the children’s fascination.
“[we do] heaps of messy play, like making slimes and all those little concoctions because they're just so fascinated by it. Anything that they'll lead by, I'm more than happy to get in and help with that's amazing.”
Memories matter
Leanne Saxton reminds her team that, “mess can always be cleaned up. It does not last forever. Learning experiences, play, fun, laughter, and memories do.”
She adds, “Messy play opens children’s minds, it provides open-ended opportunities that allow the development of children’s play and exploration. Messy play feeds children’s curiosity, encourages problem-solving and creativity and it allows them to engage in their senses with enjoyment. It supports language development, hand-eye coordination, and spatial development. It is also a lot of fun for children and brings lots of pleasure to their learning.”
Champion these Champions
Join us as we champion our incredible ECEC Educators. We’re giving parents, service owners, and fellow sector professionals the opportunity to highlight their appreciation for the educators in their lives who are having the greatest impact on families, their community, and the sector as a whole.
Saying 'Thank You,' won't solve every challenge faced by these indispensable professionals, yet it goes a long way to show that we see them, we hear them, and we value each and every one of them.
Six deserving educators across the country will win a luxury weekend away and anyone who nominates has the chance to win a $500 VISA gift card.
Get the kids involved!
Show these champions that we all care and get the kids involved in thanking their educators with a downloadable colouring sheet which can be uploaded here for your chance to win a $250 FUNDAY Sweets voucher. Don't forget to present your special educator with their certificate!
