(Don’t be scared of messy activities for kids!)
Let’s mess it up a bit. I mean really mess it up. Summer’s officially here today and that means endless days of pristine weather, perfectly manicured lawns, lounging around with lemonade, and wonderfully-behaved children. Right?
Nope. It means we let our kids get all crazy with the biggest, goopiest, yuckiest messes we can come up with. Do you need a little inspiration? Check out these 20 ideas for completely tactile, out-of-control, giggle-inducing creativity.
The best part of these messy activities for kids is when you get to turn the hose on your kids and restore them back to their original splendor.
Recently I attempted to make some goo that worked perfectly on the blog from which I took it, but didn’t work so well in our house. Not only was it a complete disaster, I wasn’t smart enough to set it up outside, or at least lay down a tarp under it. But, boy was it fun. Beckett was enchanted and that’s what counts, right? I can deal with picking some bits of weird substance off the carpet for a while.
What could be simpler and more messy than giving toddlers some slimy clay to explore? From My Buddies and I.
This rubberband painting project just cracks me up. I can imagine once kids try this, they won’t want to stop, and the rubberbands must sound really cool as they’re being plucked. From Reading Confetti.
Have you tried mixing shaving cream and glue? It makes the coolest puffy paint that’s perfect for making free-form or stenciled clouds.
Can you even imagine making spaghetti more fun than it already is? Just add paint and you have probably the best art-making tool ever. From Creative Playhouse.
We have so many zoo and farm animals hanging around our house, and they have yet to be painted. This shall change this summer- love this idea from Green Owl Art.
Given half a chance, kids will paint all over themselves. You can take advantage of this tendency by making belly prints! From Dilly-Dali Art.
Oobleck (cornstarch and water) is a classic messy activity, but Learn Play, Imagine takes it a step further by turning it into a color-mixing activity.
We had a blast making a splatter paint universe last summer. Click through to see the great idea Fen had for where to set up the paper for splattering.
Oh, brilliant! Read about the many benefits of mud play on Hands on as We Grow.
I’m not sure how any kid could resist these icy fizzing letters from Fun-a-Day. Colors, textures, sound, science. What’s not to love?
Throw a kid in a box with paint and see what happens! From Carrots Are Orange.
Mixing paint with foamy soap results in a big mess that’s a snap to clean up- from A Mom With A Lesson Plan.
This project starts out fairly neat and then just explodes into a flour-goo frenzy. I love it because it’s sort of a pre-baking exercise. (Check out that awesome smock, by the way.) From Learn With Play At Home.
Oh, wow. I think my husband will enjoy this project as much as the kids- it will turn into some sort of crazy ball-bouncing contest… from School Time Snippets.
Hey! Two more favorite kid things come together in this hand-painting-on-bubble-wrap project. From An Everyday Story.
Goodness. This squeeze bottle pinting project turned into a whole yard paint-a-thon. How fun! Mommy Musings and Mayhem.
Here’s another messy/clean activity, mixing shaving cream with all sorts of interesting items to create tactile goodness. From The Imagination Tree.
Juggling With Kids devised this wonderful way to make playing with flubber more exciting- (recipe included in post.)
Looking for more mud projects? Kid World Citizen has this awesome Malian mud cloth project….
…and Housing a Forest turned her small urban back yard into the best mud-filled adventure ever.
What do think? Are you stressed out from all this mess or inspired to let loose and give your kids license to get all yucky?
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