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Mud. Ooey gooey squishy goop that forms when dirt and water mix together. Mud has a magnetic force on children. It beckons them to scoop and slide their way into a magical and messy world of play. Most parents abhor mud. It stick to everything and dries into a hard mortar. It’s a pain to get out of hair and even more annoying to clean it off the inside of a car. And yet, despite the messiness of mud, I am a huge advocate of mud play. Mud is a unique medium that provides endless opportunities for play and discovery. It also packs a punch when it comes to boosting our children’s health and happiness.

In this article I’m going to explore all things mud. I’ll start by sharing the benefits of mud play along with the latest research and then offer a list a great mud activities and mud books for your child to try out. Let’s dive in!

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The benefits of mud play for kids

There’s this belief that mud should be avoided at all cost because it’s teaming with dangerous parasites, viruses and bacteria. After all, haven’t you heard about that person that got diarrhea after doing a mud run through a livestock pasture? It’s all over town! (groan.) You might have come to the conclusion that avoiding mud is a solid plan; however, research is showing keeping kids clean might actually backfire…in more ways than one.

Immune system

Kids exposed to soil are less likely to develop asthma, allergies, cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers are still trying to figure out why this is the case. One guess is called the “old friends hypothesis” which is an updated and rebranded version of the so-called “hygiene hypothesis” that was first suggested by Dr. David Strachan in 1980s. This hypothesis suggests infants, toddlers and kids need to be exposed to “friendly” microbes for proper immune development.

There have been lots of studies trying to learn more about these “old friends”. Studies on mice have found that exposure to microbes impacts killer T cells in the immune system. Other researchers have been studying the bacteria Mycobacterium Vaccae and its immune regulation properties. Lately there’s been a lot of interest in helminths (parasitic worms) in regulating the immune system. There’s still so much to discover and learn!

Gut health

Humans have evolved in close contact with dirt for thousands of years so it makes sense that soil plays a powerful role in building up the good bacteria in our intestines. In one study, ten daycare facilities in Findland replaced part of the gravel playyard with “forest floor”, grass, planters and peat and children played in these new plascapes for about 1.5 hours each day for 28 days. At the end of the experiment the children had more bacteria diversity on their skin and gut bacteria and positive changes to their immune system.

Mental health

Time spent playing with mud reduces feeling or anxiety, anger, stress, depression and improves concentration. There are several reasons for the positive impact of mud play on children’s mental health. The first is that spending time in nature has a general positive effect on emotional and mental health. More specifically, the bacterium Mycobacterium Vaccae, which is found in dirt, has the ability to reduce stress much so that researchers are looking at how they can use this bacteria to make a “stress vaccine“. Time in nature also has been shown to reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

Sensory system

Mud is a wonderful material for stimulating the sensory system. It can feel cold or warm, sticky or slimy, rough or smooth. Different types of mud have different characteristics that children learn to appreciate through regular mud play. Sensory play helps young brains make new connections, strengthen pathways and prune synapses. It also promotes sensory integration sensory integration which is when children process their senses and use that information to make decisions.

For more information about sensory play and activites: 20 outdoor sensory play activities for young children.

Fine and gross motor skills

Playing with mud is a full body activity. Digging, hauling, squishing, stomping, mixing and spreading are helpful for developing coordination, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills.

Problem solving and creativity

Mud can be moved around and manipulated in many different ways. These muddy characteristics make it a great material for loose parts play, a type of unstructured play that encourages creativity and problem solving skills in children.

Learn more about Loose Parts Play: Using Loose Parts for Free Play and Loose Parts Play Ideas for Toddlers.

Nature connection

Spending time outdoors connecting to nature has many benefits in of itself. It has been shown to increase vitamin D levels, reduce nearsightedness, reduce the risk of obesity, reduce anxiety and anger, boost academic performance, increase impulse control and reduce symptoms of ADHD. Also, spending time outside playing with mud allows children to discover the beauty and awe of nature which will in turn help them grow into adults that want to care for nature.

Check out these handy info graphs from Children & Nature Network: Benefits of Nature – Health and Wellness and Benefits of Nature – Academic Outcomes

Mud activities for kids

Encourage your kids to get messy with these simple muddy activities.

Mud kitchen

One mud-delicious activity for kids is playing with a mud kitchen. There are plenty of DIY mud kitchens designs floating around on the internet, but all that’s needed for a mud kitchen is a few old kitchen tools. Look for cheap kitchen tools from your local thrift shop. Things like pots and pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, mixing utensils, pie plates, and muffin tins are great for mud play. I also like to provide a variety of nature bits like shells, pinecones, herbs, flowers, rocks and sticks for “ingredients” or for decorating mud pies creations.

Mud castle

Gather some pails, shovels and nature bits for mud castle fun. Ice cube trays or small containers are great for making “mini mud bricks” which can be used right away or dried in the sun.

Mud painting

Painting with mud is a fun way to unleash creativity. Try painting with fingers, an old paintbrush or making nature paintbrushes using sticks and greenery. Regular white printer paper doesn’t hold up well to mud, but cardboard from cereal boxes or shipping boxes work well. My kids also like to “paint” their playset, the fence, big rocks or anything else within reach including each other!

Mud drawing

Draw pictures in the mud with sticks, stones or other objects. Drawing in the mud is a great sensory way to learn letters and numbers.

Mud sculptures

Thick mud works well for forming into shapes and sculpting. It takes a bit of practice to get the right consistency of mud for sculpting but the result is extremely satisfying.

Mud tree face

Plaster some mud on a tree trunk and decorate the mud with sticks, rocks, shells and other nature bits to create a face on the tree!

Mud picture books for kids

Below are some of my kids’ favourite mud themed books!