Someone brought shaving foam into Nursery!
The importance and value of 'messy play' in early years development cannot be overstated. It is a fun, exciting, sensory exploration, with heaps of mess and mayhem! Exactly what most pre-school children love! Take a look at the learning possibilities an activity like foam offers to a pre-school child. We developed our early motor skills, building muscle strength and control in our fingers, wrists, arms and shoulders as we made marks and clapped our hands in the foam. We developed our vocabulary and social skills as we discussed the specific attributes of the foam with our friends. We developed our early science skills as we explored the foam using all our senses and then started to investigate what would happen if we added paint to the foam. Our confidence in approaching unfamiliar situations grew as we tried something new, or expressed or likes and dislikes, as not all of us wanted to have a go, but maybe next time we will! The sound of laughing from the happy participants might be just the encouragement that some of us need!
The value of 'messy play' is now very much apparent. Why not give it a go at home?
