The play and learning opportunities that one mud hole can provide are extensive. Julie Mountain describes the creativity and experimentation encouraged by playing dirty.

Really: is there anything more elementally delicious than the sensation of cool mud squelching between your toes? If there's one thing UK settings are not short of, it's the raw ingredients for mud play - dirt (or sand) and water. So, why not join thousands of other settings across the globe and celebrate International Mud Day on 29 June this year?

Organised by the Nature Action Collaborative for Children, Mud Day aims to introduce truly messy play into children's lives in order to help them reconnect with the natural world around them. Playing in mud offers children opportunities to discover new physical, emotional and imaginative interests, experimenting with a tactile material that can feel almost alive. Mud is best when children are able to play in and around it, unhindered by adult concerns about dirty clothes and messy play spaces.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here