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More Mud, Please: Young Brains Need Mess
Making peace with the mess — and why it matters more than you think
“Sally” was a new student in our school. An adorable two year old who quickly aroused concern in her teachers. They were concerned about her speech and play skills. They were concerned about her awkward gait. And she had no interest in any of the art activities they offered. In fact, she couldn’t even pick up a crayon and had no idea how to make a mark on a piece of paper. So, given my background in special education, I was asked to sit in on a meeting with the parents.
We learned a lot in this conversation. We learned that Sally had never been in a group setting before. We also learned that Sally had broken her foot the year before. That explained a lot.
And we learned that, in fact, Sally had never seen a crayon before.
Her mom explained that they had no crayons, or paint or any other materials in their house that could make a mess. “We have white carpets and white furniture that we need to protect.” While my brain was processing this, she went on to add, “ And what if she got the paint on her clothes?”
I was no longer concerned about Sally. Instead, I was excited. As a school that believed strongly in the benefits of unstructured, messy play, we were going to…
