Messy play

Most children enjoy messy play in everyday environments. However, some children are sensitive to certain textures, which can make it harder for them to take part. If your child finds textures uncomfortable, see Using my Senses advice sheet.

A gradual, step-by-step approach can help them build confidence and tolerance.

Children who are sensitive to textures may also struggle with fine motor skills, such as developing a pencil grip. Messy play helps build the underlying skills needed for these tasks.

Start with proprioception activities

Before beginning messy play, help your child prepare by doing activities that involve pressure and movement. These can reduce sensitivity and improve body awareness.

Try animal walks like pretending to be a cat or dog, or static wheelbarrow play where your child supports their weight through their arms while resting their trunk on a bench or low chair.

You can also use hand hugs — gently press your open palms around your child’s hands and arms, working up to the shoulders and back down again. Let your child do the same to you to encourage cooperation.

Hand massages using cream or water play can also help, especially if your child enjoys tactile experiences.

Introduce textures gradually

Begin with firm, dry materials like Lego, Duplo or large uncooked pasta. Encourage your child to explore these with their hands. You can make it fun by hiding small toys in the pasta or creating themed games like a “pasta jungle” with plastic animals. Lightly sprinkle pasta over their hands to help them get used to the sensation.

Once they’re comfortable, mix in softer textures, for example, cooked pasta with dry pasta, or lentils with foam shapes. Slowly add flour or sand to the mix, increasing the amount over time.

When your child is ready, introduce small amounts of water to the flour or sand. You can make this more engaging by colouring the water and calling it something imaginative like “dragon juice.” Eventually, your child should feel confident playing with wet sand and other typical preschool messy play materials.

Use baking to support messy play

Simple baking activities like kneading dough, mixing cake batter or making pastry are great ways to build tolerance to textures while developing fine motor skills.

Keep a record of the messy play activities your child has tried and note how involved they were. This can help track progress and identify what works best.

Use your imagination and weave stories into the play to make it more engaging. Celebrate small achievements and keep the experience positive and fun.

Messy play can support feeding skills

Children often begin feeding themselves with their fingers. If they’re sensitive to food textures (either by touch or in their mouth) this can affect their ability to self-feed.

Let your child explore food through play, starting with dry textures like cornflakes, dry Weetabix, oatmeal or crumbled biscuits. Gradually move on to softer foods such as tinned rice pudding, semolina, custard, jelly, yoghurt or smooth jam.

Choose safe foods that match your child’s comfort level and build up slowly. This helps them become more confident with different textures and supports their feeding development.