Messy play ideas!! for under 2 year old

[CurlyWurlyC]

As advised in a previous post I'm Going to introduce some messy play to my house (over the next week while I gather my courage lol)

DS isn't 2 until June so thinking keeping it fairly simple for our first times? He LOVES tractors/diggers/play animals/balls pretty much anything labelled "Boy" he'll take it lol

Over the last 6 months I've literally seen, saved and screenshotted Every. Single. Post. On bloody Pinterest about sensory boxes/messy play/quiet boxes but don't trust myself to try one yet just because a self professed supermum/child professional says it's a good idea... I'm imagining a rice or paint related fiasco in our home lol

What things have you guys and your LOs tried and loved?

(Posting this then hiding my phone so I can get some chores done while DS sleeps or else I'll be googling messy play for an hour instead lol so TIA to any answers and I'll get back on here later on 😘)

One thing mine liked was jelly on the tray of their high hair. You might want to put down a shower curtain though.

Have you got a garden? Have you thought about building a mud kitchen?

Cars through paint and then on to paper was a hit with my car mad boys as was dumper trucks with dry rice and pasta

The other day I have my little girl the left over spaghetti from the night before that we hadn't thrown away yet. She loved it. She's almost 3 and a half so quite a bit older than an age I'd expect messy play to be truly appreciated but she loved it had a fair bit of time playing with it and not too messy really either. She pretended to cook with it with her kitchen etc. Going to do some more messy stuff now

I run a toddler group and I am a childminder, things we like to do..
cornflour and water gloop.
paint mixing in zip loc bags....can do with a small amount of paint and paper inside or just paint.
hair gel in side bags or bottles with things floating inside.
Coloured rice - stir in food colouring to coat raw rice spread on tray and leave to dry offer with glue for sticking or cups spoons and sieves for scooping.
Loose leaf teas, rice, oats and herbs mixed together fro scooping and pouring...pep up with different things as you go.
Lidl lemon tea granules great scent and has a rubble texture for adding to cars diggers etc.
Frozen peas carrots and sweet corn or similar for scooping mashing and maybe eating.
look out for things that have pincer grip to strengthen fingers.....tongs, etc.

Never buy playdo...
2 cups plan flour to 1 salt, tablespoon of cream of tatar, cup of boiling water with food colouring and spoon of oil added and any cooking flavouring. add water bit by bit until it binds then cool and knead....I do a bag of flour at a time takes 5 minutes and keeps 6 weeks in a zip bag.
or....cornflour add hair conditioner....fruity or coconut are great.
Mouldable foaming soap...
Have fun

Purpleme12 - never too old for messy play my 8 and 13 year old mindees play with it just as much as the under 5's. They just never get to at school.

Baking!!

A washing up bowl full of bubbly water and some plastic containers is our easiest and cheapest one.

Completely not in the spirit but....think about your exit strategy! Some way to get them clean-ish and occupied while you clear up, without tramping rice or gloop through the rest of the house. So get some damp cloths ready before you start, a basket to chuck soaking/filthy clothes in, blah blah blah.

Pouring rice and lentils into different containers/down the back of the sofa is a hit here. Pouring all the water out of the rain butt into watering cans and buckets and sploshing around. Going for a deliberately muddy walk in the rain, with a bath on return.

Jelly or angel delight. Yummy and fun! I used a tuff tray and a really cheap towel to get him to the bath 😁 have fun!