> Never force your child to touch something that they find distressing.
> Do only what the child will tolerate.
> Tolerance builds up gradually.
> Over stimulation can result in aggressive behaviour, crying and an increased activity level.
> It is essential to approach activities sensitively, starting with less challenging textures (i.e. a texture that is firm and dry) and building towards more challenging textures (i.e. wet and sloppy).
> Allow your child to control the level of contact and stop when they need to.
> Children look to adults as role models, therefore, if you show a dislike to messy play your child is likely to copy this behaviour.
Playing with dry and hard materials is normally comfortable for most children. This is the first stage you should take with your child when initially introducing messy play. Some materials you can use during play are:
> Dry rice
> Dry Pasta
> Dried lentils or beans
> Sand
> Tinsel
> Shredded Paper
> Scrunched up Paper
> Chalk
> Sequins
> Pebbles and stones
> Crayons, pencils, pens
> Sawdust
> Cereal
This is play that uses materials with a soft texture. Wet materials can be put in zip locked bags, covered with clean film or the child could be wearing washing up gloves to make this experience as pleasant to the child as possible.
Some materials you could use for soft textured play are:
> Cooked pasta – including spaghetti
> Bread dough
> Play dough
> Wet sand
> Fur or velvet
> Sponges
> Balloons
> Bags of different materials e.g. gel, foam, water, wet cornflakes
Children may take some time to work up to this stage. You may need to ease a child into these types of activities and be aware of them resisting or become sensitive. Always show your child that you are enjoying the experience of handling the materials, even if this is difficult for you.
If your child finds this difficult, you can use tools (paint brushes, toys) to touch the materials rather than directly using their hands straight away.
Some materials you could use are:
> Paint
> Cornflour
> Water
> Shaving foam
> Baby oil or baby lotion
> Wet mud
> Bubbles
> Paper mâché
> Food
> Glue
> Gloop (cornflour and water)
