Messy play offers a wide range of benefits for children, supporting both their cognitive and physical development. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Sensory Development: Messy play engages a child’s senses (touch, sight, smell, and sometimes even sound!) helping them to better understand their world. This can enhance sensory processing skills and help children learn to distinguish between different textures, colours, and smells.

2. Fine Motor Skills: Handling materials like paint, sand, or dough helps children develop fine motor skills. Actions like squeezing, pinching, rolling, and stirring improve hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

3. Creativity and Imagination: Messy play encourages children to use their imagination, make decisions, and explore new ideas. They can create whatever they imagine, whether its using playdough or painting with various textures.

4. Problem-Solving: While engaged in messy play, children often encounter challenges, like how to combine different materials or fix a piece they've made. This helps them think critically and develop problem-solving skills.

5. Emotional Regulation: Messy play provides a safe environment for children to express and manage their emotions. It can be therapeutic, helping them to release frustration or excitement, and can even reduce stress.

6. Independence and Confidence: Messy play often involves children taking the lead in their activities, fostering a sense of independence and confidence.

7. Social Skills: When messy play is done in a group, it encourages social interaction, sharing, and teamwork. Children learn to collaborate, negotiate, and share resources with others.

8. Cognitive Development: Through exploration and experimentation, children develop critical thinking skills. They learn cause-and-effect relationships, such as how different materials react with each other through activities such as potion making.

9. Language Skills: When children describe their messy play experiences, they expand their vocabulary and practice language skills. They also learn new words to describe textures, colors, and actions.

Encouraging messy play can be a wonderful way to foster overall development while allowing children to have fun and explore the world around them.

Please dress your child is clothes you don't mind them getting messy in. While efforts are made to ensure items wont stain we cannot guarantee this. Aprons are not used in Wild Explorers sessions as they can restrict the play experience. For your child to get the most out of their session let them get messy in old clothes and bring a spare set to change into after, if you wish.

Yes, walk in sessions will be accepted subject to class availability. Please note if sessions are full we will be unable to accept walk in. To avoid disappointment please book your session in advance.

We use a range of food items in set ups. If your child has allergies please contact wildexplorersmessyplay@gmail.com to check the allergen list for the required session and we will do our best to make necessary accommodations for you to attend. While efforts are made to avoid allergens, these may still be present due to cross contamination.