The newest addition to the popular Toddler Tools® series, Messy Time shows joyful, messy play in different environments: with art materials; with mud, sand, and water; in the kitchen; in the garden; in the bathtub. Messy time is growing time, and messy play provides rich sensory experiences and unstructured play. At the back of the book, a section for parents and caregivers has tips for making the most of messy play, including clean-up time.
Evaluation comments:
“Love the focus on the importance of messy time.”
“The book gives the okay to play with dough, walk in the rain, plant seeds in the dirt, put feet in the water. There are tips for parents and caregivers at the end of the book. The tips talk about providing sensory experiences to help with gross and fine motor development. The tips include letting parents know to focus on the process, not the product- the goal being to have an experience baking, not to make the most perfect cookies etc.”
“I like the diverse illustrations, the simple words and the message of the book. Messy activities are definitely a sore subject with many families and there are children that do not want to get messy and may miss out on many sensory experiences. I really like the message of focusing on process not product as that is something I am constantly teaching to child development students at my work.”