Messy Play Engagement for Early Years Education

This beautifully designed, original outdoor mud kitchen arrived at our school and my reception class of four- to five-year-olds couldn’t wait to get stuck into some messy play. It arrived fully assembled which was also a bonus!

I asked the children what they thought we should add to the kitchen first and they suggested pots, pans, spoons, jars, bun cases, teapots, flowers, leaves, sticks and water, so in they all went. Surprisingly, they didn’t ask for mud yet…

Once the accessories were in and the kitchen declared open, the children set to work. They did not need any introduction and instantly started their imaginative play using the resources in the kitchen.

I observed quietly and was amazed to see the cooperation and language as they stirred, mixed up concoctions, cooked their products in the oven and even washed up! It didn’t take long before a little one arrived with a bowlful of mud and grass to enhance their play which was wonderful to watch.

At the end of the day, I could leave the children’s play as it was left. This is due to the fabulous design of the roof on top. I knew it wouldn’t blow away or get washed away with rain.

There were also a few mud creations left cooking in the oven that the children were excited to return to the next day.

This kitchen in the outdoors enables the children to work together cooperatively, build on their imaginative play, enhance their communication skills and develop fine and gross motor skills to name a few. It is an invaluable resource that children of this age really respond to.

The fact that a kitchen is familiar to children, yet they are able to play as they wish and take play in their own direction means that it is a perfect addition to any outdoor space.