I am a believer in messes. I believe that messes and developing creativity and imagination go hand in hand. I think that children learn best though exploration. I firmly agree with experts that allowing a child to make a mess is developmentally important. Don't get me wrong though, I also really enjoy a clean and tidy house! Getting my hands yucky at all kinda freaks me out to the point that, for example, I refuse to touch dirty dishes without kitchen gloves. I also have to "suck it up" for Ty's sake in some situations if I need to demonstrate or if he invites me to join in. If he sees me modeling mess-averse behaviors, he's likely to pick up these habits himself. I truly do enjoy watching him really get into things though! There's just too much for him to miss out on if I didn't let him go at it full throttle.
If your child doesn't enjoy getting messy, head to the end of this post for sine tips that my help your little one ease into it!
Below you can see the creativity that unleashed itself in the first fifteen minutes of a painting session. While I introduced painting with balloons, the rest was discovered on his own:
: Balloon paint & hand prints,
Leaning over to make "belly prints"
Tray of paint on the head & painting "blind".
If I were to stop him, it would disrupt the flow of learning. As I watch him put paint in his hair, I know that he is creating quite a sensory experience for himself. As he shakes an enormous amount of edible glitter all over a Christmas cookie, I know that he will learn in a moment when he tips the cookie, that it won't all stick. Eventually he will figure out why, or perhaps I casually sneak in a bit of knowledge.
This isn't anything that soap and water can't handle!
In order for us to both be comfortable, we create messes in a place where I'm not concerned about potential stains or difficulty in cleaning. For us, this place in the kitchen or outdoors. I buy washable, non-toxic paints and materials just in case. I supervise to make sure he's safe, i.e. no large amounts of water or paint on the floor to slip on.
There's so much to learn about mixing colours, consistency and texture... So many motor skills to refine...
To me, it's always worth it worth five to ten minutes of cleaning for the typical half an hour or longer session of discovery. I have learned to cover the table with an old sheet. I know to have everything for the bath ready just in case. Ty has been quickly trained on how to walk with his hands help up in front of his chest on the way to the tub to keep it off of the walls (though if he "failed" at that, it wouldn't be a big deal anyhow).
These cookies aren't only full of sugar and shortening, they're also full of toddler pride and pleasure!
I tend to give Ty an array of things to create with so that he can do whatever he is feeling, and to experiment in many ways in one messy session. I walk around the house and sift through closets looking for random items that may be interesting and use old standbys and your typical tools as well. He may choose one thing to use, he may use them all. Each time it leads to finding out something new.
Messy play, art in general, baking, and play dough often are known stress relievers. They're typically calming because you get caught in the flow of the moment. It quite possible put yourself in a meditative state without even realizing it. I know this of myself and believe it's true for Tyler as well. So many times when engrossed in this type of play he barely realizes I'm in the room, and I keep rather quiet to allow that focus and state of being to develop.
In our home, we create art for arts sake, not for an end product.
If you can't even see the bottom of your tub, you know you and your little one have done an extra great job!
If this entire post seems useless to you because your child doesn't like to get messy, there are other ways to let them explore, and rest assured that many children break out of their mess-hating status eventually. Believe it or not, Tyler went through stages where he felt that Mama trying to get him to finger paint or touch wet sand was downright abusive! The key is to never force a child or make them feel weird about their aversion, but to ease them into activities slowly, respecting their qualms.
You can try
squish bags for a mess-aversive child, using shaving cream, ketchup or hair gel.
Your child can try
marble painting, which is fun art made by putting paper inside a box or tray with paint and marbles. Tipping the box will allow the marble to paint for them!
Give your child a brush to use instead of finger painting. Get some paint on your own hand and show them how it washes off. If the child is still unsure, providing plastic gloves is an option as well! Be sure to provide a smock or old t-shirt if they're scared of getting their clothes messy.
Providing bath paints may be a good option for some children as they are already in the water and can be readily cleaned off. Bingo Markers/Paint Markers are also fun and can be used with little to no mess on paper. I've also heard that Color Wonder finger paints have worked well for some children!
