Preparing for messy play

Before messy play, some children benefit from activities that provide deep pressure and help them feel more comfortable using their hands.

Try the following activities:

• animal and wheelbarrow walks
• gentle hand massages using hand cream
• hand hugs - do this by gently pressing around the hands and arms
• playing with water if your child enjoys it

A gradual approach to messy play

If your child is reluctant to touch messy materials, start with dry, firm textures and slowly introduce softer and wetter materials. The aim is not to get messy quickly, but to help your child gradually feel comfortable exploring a range of different textures

Exploring textures

Dry materials:

• Lego, Duplo
• large uncooked pasta
• beans, lentils or rice

You can make it fun by making patterns and pictures, drawing shapes with fingers and practising pouring and scopping.

Mixed textures:

• smaller pasta shapes
• sand or flour mixed with dry materials

You can make it fun by hiding objects to dig out, pouring, scooping and filling containers, exploring different textures together.

Add water:

• damp sand or cornflour
• mud kitchen play
• coloured water

You can make it fun by adding water a little at a time, making potions or mud pies, mixing, stirring, pouring and scooping water and food colouring.

Softer textures:

• playdough
• cake mixture
• dough and pastry
• slime or gloop
• jelly

You can make it fun by squashing, squeezing, spreading and rolling, hiding objects inside, using cutters, spoons and moulds.