Play ideas and games

Messy play

Messy play is a great way for a child to develop their cognitive and creative abilities. It also helps with all aspects of movement whether it is picking up small objects to bigger movements such as rolling around. It also helps a child understand and develop their sensory self. As they explore how things feel, smell and taste, this form of play with help them with their understanding of the world that surrounds them. Read our top play ideas for messy play below. It is important to always supervise your child when they are playing and ensure materials and equipment used is age appropriate.

• Invest in play sand and get some pots and spoons and let your young child play with the sand. You can add a little water to help the sand become more gloopy which is a great sensory experience. 
• Garden pots, seeds and soil are a great way to explore the natural world with your child. Allow them to put th compost into the different pots, planting seeds and putting water on them regularly. They will enjoy watching their hard work grow into a plant. 
• Painting is a great way to help nurture their creativity. Encourage them to do finger and toe painting and make lovely art gifts for friends and family. You can put paint on a tray and lay clingfilm on top for messy pokey play too. Encourage your child to use their fingers to move the paint which will be underneath the clingfilm with swirly movements or whatever they enjoy.
• Edible messy play is fun too - grab a pack of jelly, make it up and put one of their toys in the middle. They can then use their extraction skills to get the toy out of the jelly. 
• Oobleck is a mixture of cornflour and water. Add food colouring and you have made yourself home-made slimy gloop. This is a great sensory experience for young children.

Play ideas and games to try

Where is my hair? (age – from 18 months)

You will need a piece of cloth (a tea towel for example) for each person playing the game, which should be placed on the players’ heads. 

The Game: Parent models the game and begins: I woke up with this lovely hair (touch cloth) I don’t know where it came from (shrug) I closed my eyes and when I looked (close eyes tightly and then open them) My lovely hair was gone! (parent takes the cloth off the child’s head)

Autumn Leaves – an action rhyme (age 2 – 5 years)

Child and parent are in role as autumn leaves although the parent or child may wish to take on the role of the wind who hides in a corner and swoops round the fallen leaf. Sound effects can be made with voices, instruments or even pots and pans! 

The Game: See me turning round and round (child turns) Floating gently to the ground (child falls to the floor with controlled movements) The autumn wind blows in the sky (child lies still) Then swoops down low and lifts me high! (child stands up and jumps – small children may be lifted into the air by their parents).

Hide and seek pig (age 3 – 5 years)

Children are in role as one of the three little pigs. Parent in role as the big bad wolf! (Children can also take it in turns to be the wolf). Learn this simple script: Wolf: Little pig, little pig, let me come in Pig: Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin Wolf: Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in! 

The Game: The little pig hides in their ‘house’ (behind the sofa/under the bed etc.) and the wolf knocks on the ‘door’ and begins the simple script. Parents should encourage children to remember the script and to use the voice of the wolf or the pig. At the end of the script the wolf tries to blow the house down and the pig runs away to another hiding place. The wolf then has to look for the pig’s house and when they find it the game begins again. Repeat until the pig finds himself a very strong house that the wolf can’t blow down.