Messy Play Fosters Language Development

Another one of the benefits of messy play is it gives the kids the chance to practice language skills. And that’s not a small matter in preschool, right?

Language development refers to things like vocabulary, speaking in words and sentences, communicating verbally and non-verbally, and receptive language.

Here are some ways language development shows up during messy play activities:

• A child labels all the colors of the finger paint they’re using.

• Kids use various descriptive words when talking about the texture of a sensory bin they’re exploring.

• The children work together to describe the imaginative play they’ve woven into a sensory experience.

• One child tells their peers about what might happen next during a messy science experiment.

• You give the students two-step directions for setting up a messy experience and they follow along.

• Toddlers deeply immersed in some messy fun point to tools they want to use next.

Anyone who’s observed children fully engaged in a messy invitation can see (and hear!) the language development happening all the time!

 It’s one of my favorite things to do, especially when the kids start weaving in made-up stories to go along with their play.