When I was little I remember playing in the mud and dirt. My mom would sometimes have to hose me off before I could even go inside to take a bath, and I loved every minute of it.
I truly believe that kids need to be allowed to get outside and get dirty.
And, since I hold that belief I allowed my kids to play in our garden pond recently.
We have had a lot of rain this spring and my garden had a huge puddle in it.
My oldest son decided to play in the mud.
Soon, my youngest two noticed what their big brother was doing.
It wasn’t long before they were joining in the fun. Before we went inside all 4 of my youngest kids were elbow deep in mud. (It was too cold to let them get totally soaked.)
It was like a giant sensory box. 🙂
I have talked about playing in the dirt/mud before, but here are some things I observed about my children while they were playing.
- They didn’t argue or fight or fuss at each other like they can when they are cooped up in the house.
- My children worked together to build things like dams and mountains in the mud.
- The fresh air and sunshine, in addition to squishing their fingers in the mud, seemed to improve their moods.
These were all positive benefits of letting my kids get dirty.
I have even read that playing in the dirt/mud actually has some health benefits. Who knew?
Do your kids like to play in the mud?
