I’ve got some messy play ideas to get you started on some fun with the kids! They’re going to absolutely love you if you allow it to happen!
Yes, messy play.
Oh… its such a mess! I don’t want my kids to make a mess! Noooo!!
Sound familiar? I just had a similar freak out not too long ago when I challenged my newsletter subscribers with a messy activity.
But wait! Give it a chance and your kids might just change your mind about the mess.
Just remember that messes can be cleaned up. Stains will be fond memories. Cleaning up can be part of the fun. And thanks to our sponsor, Clorox, for having clever cleaning hacks and handy supplies to make it easier than ever to clean up our messes!
First of all, what is messy play?
I think its best explained if I give you examples of the activities that I mean.
8 Messy Play Ideas for Kids
To help save on the messiness that gets made, try preventing it (at least a tad) with these 10 tips to keep messy play clean.
1. Shaving Cream. This is always a hit with the kids, but always a mess on their clothes (face, hands, feet) and the table and chairs, not to mention the sink and everything else they touch on their way to washing up. Add some color to the fun, or work in some writing practice! See shaving cream sensory play.
2. Mud, Dirt and Sand. My kids love dirt. They dig in it almost daily. Dirt and sand get drug in the house by the cupful. Not on purpose, it comes in their shoes, tucked in their socks, or cuffs of their pants. And when its mud… that calls for a wash down outside before coming in. There is something so fun about a parent asking their kids to play in the dirt! See mud target practice and 30 ways to play in the dirt.
3. Flour play and other pantry items (such as oatmeal, rice, corn meal).It may get dumped and tracked around the house, but kids love these mini indoor sandboxes! See flour sensory play.
4. Painting. While painting may be messy on the child’s hands and around the paint surface, beautiful creations are made! See 50 methods for painting.
5. Play dough. While its actually somewhat clean if you have careful kids, I do not and play dough ends up in all places, crevices, and on the floor and then stepped on. Not to mention all the little places in toys that it wedges itself into. See construction site play dough and how to make homemade play dough.
6. Water play. There’s bound to be a mess of it! It’ll get dripped, poured, splashed and just run everywhere. At least water is clean, right? Water is always a favorite sensory activity among kids! See colored water transfer.
7. Yarn and glue creations. This is way more specific than any of the previous examples, but I find this to be the messiest of all. These yarn crafts are simple for young kids to try to create. They love to mix the yarn and glue together. See our yarn apple craft.
8. Glitter. Oh… glitter, how pretty you are! But glitter never proclaims that it wants to be pretty everywhere. And spread… But glitter… its what makes a project shine! See contact paper collage.
Why is messy play so important?
You know the saying – “Excuse the mess but the children are making memories”? That’s exactly it.
1. Children love it. I think that’s reason enough and the sole reason why I allow it in my house.
2. Exploring with their senses. In every sense!
3. It’ll create memories that kids are sure to remember. Remember that one time when Mom let us…..?
and 4. You’ll be the party! Don’t know what I mean by that? Read this.
If you need more reason than that, and are looking for actual developmental benefits, you can find some answers from Natural Child Magazine, Childhood 101 and Not Just Cute.
Just remember that messes can be cleaned up. Stains will be fond memories. Cleaning up can be part of the fun.
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Enter to win a $50 AMEX Gift Card by commenting below with your favorite cleaning tip!
Need some ideas? Find some in the Clorox Tips.
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Disclosure: This post and giveaway is sponsored by Clorox.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Clorox via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Mary Warner says
Lemon rubbed on doorknobs so everything smells great.
Mary Cloud says
Microwave a bowl of water for a few minutes before you clean the inside of your microwave to make your microwave easy to clean and all stuck on food comes off easily
Sherry Conrad says
My tip – minimalize as much as you can, declutter everything you don’t absolutely need or love and cleaning will be a lot easier since you can spend your time cleaning rather than finding a place to put stuff.
Michelle B says
Lemon steamed in a cup of water in the microwave for several minutes. Wipes clean no greasiness left and smells good.
Jessica Vaughan gengler says
clean a little each day so I don’t get overwhelmed
Lauren Remington says
I agree with Nancy Dentler that the best cleaning tip is prevention. We also remove shoes, coats, mud-caked clothing in our “mud room.” This way the majority of the mess is contained to one area.
Being on a septic system we have to be sparing with Clorox (it does do the job of taking care of bacteria, after all). So I reserve my “Clorox allotment” for cleaning the washer. It’s a front-loading machine that loves to keep mildew. 1 cup of Clorox + hot load cycle takes care of that problem!
Vinegar is my normal go-to choice but it just doesn’t get the mildew out of the washer like the Clorox does.
Ashley C says
My tip is to pick up things everytime I walk in or out of room. I am constantly doing something, even as I’m getting dressed in the mornings for work. It helps to keep things cleaner!
Cynthia C says
I use vinegar infused with orange peels to clean my shower and sink. It works very well and is nontoxic.
John Thuku says
My cleaning tip is to work systematically from the last room in the house to the first. That way, you ensure that everything is clean.
Nicki says
My tip for cleaning is to try and keep on top of it. Every night I always do about five to ten minutes of light cleaning so it doesn’t build up!
Ann Fantom says
My cleaning tip is to use your used dryer sheets for dusting. The static electricity in the dryer sheet traps the dust
Kiara says
I use clorox in my laundry.
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laura cormier says
My tip? Do as much as possible while the kiddos aren’t home. :P
Lauren Remington says
HA! That is the truth! :)
ken ohl says
My cleaning tip is start on one end of the house and do each room completely
Tammy Woodall says
My tip is to move the furniture or items away from the wall first before cleaning the baseboards and the floors next to the walls. It makes cleaning faster if you don’t have to stop every few minutes to move things.
Dorothy Hastings says
If you’re looking for something fun to do this summer then above messy game ideas are perfect. Its also gives opportunity to experience a wide range of sensory experiences.
Julie Nixon says
Needed this today. After finding an entire spilled vial of glitter and my son using food coloring as a paint (unsupervised), I wanted to lock every messy thing away! Ah, but the benefits make it work it. Thanks for the reminder!