portage-messy-play

Messy play –stage twoAimTo confidently explore soft andtextured materialsWhat you will needTexture books (you can make theseyourself or buy them), vegetable orsponge shapes, paint in shallow traysWords you can use during playNames of objectsPaint, potato, carrot, pepper, broccoli,sponge, star, cotton reel, book, pageAction wordsFeeling, touching, printing, pressing,looking, turning, squeezing, stroking,rubbingDescriptive wordsFurry, shiny, smooth, rough, bumpy,warm, cold, squashy, squishy,, fast,slow, soft, hard, gentlySteps along the way (remember,this may take many weeks)Step one – your child watches youprint or touch texturesStep two – your child holds your armwhile you print or touch texturesStep three – your child directs yourhand to print or touch texturesStep four – your child presses ortakes away the vegetable or spongeto print, or turns a page of the bookStep five – your child uses a cleanvegetable or sponge to print, ortouches some textures in the bookStep six – your child uses anyvegetable or sponge to print morethan once, or touches all the texturesin the bookWhat to doShow the child the materials anddemonstrate how the activity works.Use simple language such as ‘inpaint’, ‘press shape’, ‘made pattern’or ‘ahh, soft, furry cat, and roughcrocodile’. Encourage your child tojoin in. Never force the child to touchthe textures, but follow the abovesteps along the way. Go at the child’space. Finish the activity before thechild loses interest or gets distressed.