How beautiful is the mud! It is since the dawn of time that children draw with muddy puddles and get dirty from head to toe. Earth, water and other natural materials such as puddles, leaves or grass provide children with endless learning and fun. Many of us are attached to memories of making pies, digging tunnels for worms, or making streams and troughs in mud. But it wasn’t just fun. Children benefit greatly from dirty and chaotic play. Here in this article I will discuss THE BENEFITS OF MUD GAMES.

Benefits of playing in the mud

Scientists have confirmed that children possess some instinctive knowledge; playing in the mud is a very fun experience. Recent research has shown that dirt contains micro-bacteria called “Mycobacterium Vaccae” which stimulates their immune system and increases the levels of serotonin in our brains, a special type of endorphin that soothes, calms and helps us relax. Scientists say regular exposure to the bacterium can help reduce children’s vulnerability to depression. In short, playing with mud makes you happier!

Playing in mud can also make you healthier. Science has shown how today’s more sterilized world is helping to increase allergy and asthma levels in children. Exposure to dirt and germs serves to prepare children’s immunity systems and prevent allergies. Yes, we can therefore say with certainty that it is healthy for a child to be covered in mud!

Mud is also a great learning tool. The same release of serotonin that occurs when we play in the dirt “Mycobacterium Vaccae” also serves to increase cognitive function. The rich, engaging sensory play that children take part in while playing with mud allows them to express their creativity and enhance their fine motor skills. The children also practice group skills such as cooperation, negotiation and demonstrate how to work together. The first notions of mathematics and science that children create before and after comparisons, solve problems, apply theories, measure and count the ingredients for their mud cakes are transmitted. This is nothing more than the scientific process in action! Mud is also a fantastic art tool, it is present in abundance in nature, can be easily modeled to create many sculptures and reacts differently to sand or modeling clay. This “open nature” of mud therefore encourages creative thinking and allows children to create freely without fear or making mistakes. This also contributes to a child’s sense of self, helping him build a strong sense of inner awareness.

All children can play with mud at their level of intellectual and cognitive development. Mud is a highly malleable material that meets the different needs and needs of children of different ages. Those younger or less skilled may focus on sensory experience while older ones may have more specific goals in mind. Some of them may find the feeling between their toes extremely funny while others feel comfortable just giving a little touch with their finger. Let the children explore the mud at their own comfort level. Remember that with mud there is always something new for everyone to discover and there are no wrong answers!

Playing with mud inspires children to feel a connection with nature and develops a strong appreciation for the environment. Many children in fact have limited opportunities to play outdoors these days and it is difficult to care for the environment if you do not have the opportunity to spend time in nature. By dedicating more time to the outdoors and being able to play by getting dirty and smudged, we also facilitate a greater feeling of love for the Earth.

However, probably the best benefit of playing with mud is the memories created by children. Play, desire and joy associated with mud are the ingredients with which children’s memories are made!

The banal mud can give life to the most ingenious ideas!

So what opportunities can we create for children to play with mud? It can be really easy to get them to explore a puddle after a spring rain, but if you’re thinking of something like this, know that there are several ways you can implement mud-related play activities. Here are some ideas:

• Paint with mud . Get different types of soil with which to create different varieties of “paint”. Or you can add food coloring or gouache to make the colors brighter.

• Making mud sculptures . Encourage children to sculpt or shape mud, adding pebbles, twigs or leaves to make their sculptures truly unique.

• Build with mud . Use the mud as mortar to build with stones, sticks even with real bricks.

• Build roads and canals . With toys that represent trucks, excavators and mechanical shovels you can have fun building roads in the mud. This can all be made even more fun with the help of other toy cars and pickup trucks. Also you can use pieces of PVC pipes to build channels or pipes.

• Create animal parks . With the help of plastic animals or dinosaurs and the addition of stones, leaves and twigs you can create a forest, a jungle or even a Jurassic Park!

• Throwing mud balls. Develop children’s muscles by having them throw mud balls at a defined target (a large sheet hanging on a fence may be fine)

The role of the adult

However, not all adults will be happy to embrace the mud, indeed many may have some qualms about the fact that all children get dirty. It goes without saying that playing with mud creates a lot of mess and mess, but the casino is appreciated the moment you start to take into consideration all the benefits that children gain from this type of game. Taking up the mud, one can carefully observe what the children are doing and interpret it for all those other parents who may not understand the benefits of this activity or what the children themselves are gaining from it. It is recommended that the adult take on the role of “facilitator”: encouraging children to play with mud and supporting the type of game that emerges from the children themselves, also providing them with a language to describe their creations. Think about how you can broaden their knowledge by providing new materials, proposing challenges, and focusing on the results of their efforts.

Clean everything!

Before children start playing, make sure they are wearing clothes that can get dirty or damaged. Maybe you can get them to wear aprons that are waterproof (such as those used for painting) to reduce the danger on their clothes. It is also a good idea to use shoe protectors or rain boots. Of course we are aware that playing in mud is a big mess and cleaning everything up afterwards will surely be a long and hard job. However, just as we expect kids to clean and wash everything after playing with different types of materials in their classroom, they can definitely help clear the kitchen of mud as well. The routines and expectations we set for ourselves must be clearly communicated to children both before, during and even after play.

Embrace the mess! It’s okay for kids to get dirty. In fact, when you realize the benefits that playing with mud brings to children, it will not only go well, it will even be important! In particular, the joy of seeing the faces of happy and cheerful children will pay off all your efforts and will make you say in the end that it was absolutely worth it.

Michelle Rupiper

MICHELLE RUPIPER CURRENTLY HOLDS THE CHAIR OF ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PRACTICE AND CARE FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN, WHERE SHE HAS TAUGHT SINCE 1994. SHE HAS WORKED AS A TEACHER FOR SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN AND HAS ALSO DIRECTED SOME COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS DURING HIS CAREER. HER BELIEF THAT CHILDREN DESERVE WELL-TRAINED AND COMPETENT TEACHERS, WHO UNDERSTAND HOW CHILDREN LEARN AND HOW THEY THEMSELVES ARE EQUIPPED TO MEET THEIR NEEDS, HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND STATE PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS IN KENYA , MONGOLIA, AUSTRALIA, QATAR, THAILAND AND CHINA. MICHELLE FEELS IT IS OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE TO CONNECT TODAY’S CHILDREN TO NATURE. THE “INTERNATIONAL MUD DAY”,

THE BENEFITS OF MUD GAMES complete details THE BENEFITS OF MUD GAMES with complete details more than 20 benefits of this game read more here.