Nursery World - Learning & development: Messy Play for Under-Threes

The youngest children will delight in using their whole bodies to explore water, says Jean Evans.

Exploring water provides babies with a range of sensations, both soothing and stimulating.

As long as the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold and the babies are carefully supervised, they should be encouraged to explore independently and make as much mess as they like.

Organisation

Provide a Tuff Spot builder's tray, or similar, in the centre of an open washable floor space to give babies easy access to the water. This will enable the youngest ones to sit inside wearing only a nappy, held securely by an adult. Older babies can crawl, sit, lie or stand alongside, or sit or stand in the centre. Pour a layer of warm water into the tray and keep topping it up as it spills or splashes over.

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