Ways to Have Family Fun with Mud

With International Mud Day just around the corner we are inviting you to roll up your sleeves and get dirty! When children are provided with open ended and natural materials the learning opportunities are endless. Mud Activities for Kids: 7 Creative Ways to Have Fun With Mud is full of simple activities involving mud that you can explore with your children at home.  (From Run Wild My Child, Feb 2021)

Brick Laying

Get out your shovels, scoops and buckets!  We are going to be construction workers for the day!  For this activity you can finally use those old bricks that have been piled up in your garage or the children can make their own bricks using clay, mud and ice cube trays. Children can construct their own building or recreate a familiar structure in your neighborhood. The following sites offer some wonderful activities for the whole family to explore.  Let’s get outside and dig up some dirt!

How to Make a Mobile Mud Patch for Play in your Backyard (Happy Hooligans Art Craft Play)

Mud Bricks  (Education.com | Learning Library)

Nature Play

Inviting children to play with mud provides them with opportunities to engage in sensory experiences, pretend play, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) exploration and to learn about the natural world.  This website has a great selection of mud activities that can be done individually and outside.   Read more about mud play by exploring this site.  (From Mothered Nature – Connecting Kids with Nature)

Mud Painting

Why not take your art experiences outdoors.  Painting with mud is a great way to combine sensory and art.  The children can create individual masterpiece using medium from nature. They can paint using their hands or they can find other objects from nature that can be used as a painting tool.  This site provides step-by-step instructions to help you get ready for this activity.  So let’s head outside and experience the marvels of mud! (From Learn Play Imagine)

Activity Ideas for Mud Day

This website is full of marvelous ideas  children can explore using mud.  You will find ideas for art projects, sensory play, pretend play and activities that support building.  All you need are some individual sets of open ended materials and individual containers of mud.  Take a look for some great Mud Day inspiration! (From Hands On As We Grow)

Magic Mud

Why not add a little magic to mud play?  All you need are a few ingredients from the kitchen and your mud will be transformed into fizzy fun.  Children can explore the science that is occurring, they can predict what is going to happen, and they can build on their descriptive language by describing what is occurring. Check out this site for a recipe and make your own Magic Mud! (From Growing a Jeweled Rose)

We can’t blame children for occupying themselves with Facebook rather than playing in the mud. Our society doesn’t put a priority on connecting with nature. In fact, too often we tell them it’s dirty and dangerous.

~ David Suzuki~

Books and Articles

The Mud Book

The Mud Book is illustrated with wonderful, real life photographs of children enjoying fun adventures, investigations and explorations in the mud.  It includes the importance of children being able to experience mud play. It also demonstrates the amazing opportunities that arise from connecting with nature and being ok with getting dirty.

Based on the premise that “we believe it’s okay to get dirty,” Discovery Children’s Center shares their mud play area and adventures in text and full color photos. 

Mud Play for Kids: Why it’s Worth the Mess?

Are you wondering, is all the mess of mud play worth it?  In this article you will discover the medical benefits and scientific research that has been conducted to answer that question. The research shows that encouraging children to play in the mud does have health benefits.  Benefits like gut health and healthier immune systems are just a few examples that are explained in more detail throughout the article.  (From Healthline | Parenthood)

The Value in Playing With Mud

Along with the medical and scientific benefits associated with children playing in the mud there are also developmental benefits.  This article describes how mud play is a great way for children to develop new vocabulary, create sensory experiences, and develop social skills as well as fine motor and gross motor development.  If after reading this article you are still interested in more information about playing with mud there are additional links at the end of the article for you to explore.  (From Canadian ECE)

Family Day’s OPEN Doors Outdoor Learning initiative promotes learning in nature.  We want to reduce barriers to outdoor engagement for all children by:

• Ensuring our children keep warm and dry by purchasing rain suits and winter clothing to support all-weather play.
• Providing opportunities for children and their families to connect with nature through our annual outdoor learning event.
• Providing materials and supplies (garden tools, portable shade structures, nature observation kits) to support outdoor nature experiences.
• Ensuring our playgrounds are naturalized spaces in which children can play.