The joy and benefits of playing with mud

Mud! Glorious! Mud!

A Sandwell Playworkers story

“If I take the kids home and they’re still clean, I know I’ve not done my job.”

This was a quote from a dad who attended July’s SHAPE Festival at Sandwell Valley, after his son and daughter had spent the best part of thirty minutes mud painting. Mud play seems to polarise children on our sessions: they either embrace the concept of messy play, or shudder at the thought of getting the tiniest speck of dirt on themselves. There’s very little in between.

That is, of course, unless you go to Farley Park.

During one of our summer sessions at Great Bridge, the Community Forum team brought children to our session who were there as part of their HAF programme. Whilst they took sport equipment over to the all-weather pitch and asked if we could divide and conquer, there was one activity in particular which all of the children engaged with: mud painting.

Whilst some tried to make nice patterns and pictures using the paintbrushes and palettes provided, a small group of boys decided to literally go elbows deep into the buckets, using their hands to fling mud at the canvas. There was initially a bit of hesitation from other children and the forum staff. What would their parents say? How easy would it be to get mud out of their clothing? Why can’t they just use the paintbrushes like the rest of the children?

But… do you know who worried about exactly none of those things? The children.

They were too busy having the best time, to the point where the Community Forum staff were wanting to add mud painting to their own repertoire. Maybe as adults we’ve over-sanitised play, and actually what some kids need it just the ability to fling mud at a bedsheet to live their best life.

Maybe we should be like the dad at Sandwell Valley, and embrace the mess.

For more information about the impact of playing mud, please read ‘He’s having fun!’: why children should be encouraged to play with mud | Children | The Guardian