Does the thought of doing art, crafts and messy play with your kids make you cringe? This post is for you! During my years in child care and now at home with my son I’ve learned a few tricks to keep messes to a minimum and make clean up easy!
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Some real-life friends of my have expressed to me that they don’t like doing messy play activities or arts and crafts with their kids because they are afraid of the mess and/or don’t want to clean up a big mess. So I thought I would share some easy clean up tips that I use when doing potentially messy activities with Caden.
Tip 1: Prepare the play/work area before inviting your child(ren) to do the messy activity.
- Put a drop cloth underneath your activity area. I use an old sheet and sometimes a large towel or two underneath if we are playing with water. I’ve also heard a cheap shower curtain makes a perfect drop cloth!
- If using a nice surface such as a dining table, cover it with a vinyl table-cloth or brown craft paper and use painters tape to keep it in place.
- Put towels and wipes nearby to quickly clean messy hands and soak up spills.
- Fill a sink or bucket with water prior to the activity for dirty brushes and other art supplies.
Tip 2: Set up an independent activity or snack before the activity.
- Having something for your child(ren) to do while you clean up will make it much easier to handle!
Tip 3: Prepare the child(ren) before introducing the activity.
- Dress child(ren) in play clothes or clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty or stained
- Roll up sleeves, and cover clothes with an art smock or old button down shirt
- Talk with the child(ren) about how to behave when doing messy projects or activities and how to clean up when they are finished
- Example guidelines for messy play:
- Stay in the designated area
- Stay in control of your body and the materials
- When finished go directly to sink to wash up
- Example guidelines for messy play:
Tip 4: Prepare Yourself before starting the activity.
- Having a relaxed and positive attitude about the activity will make it more enjoyable for everyone!
- Make sure you are wearing “play” clothes too!
- Expect a little bit of a mess, but know that you have prepared for an easy clean up!
Now that you have some tips for easy clean up, check out my Pinterest boards for Art & Crafts for Kids and Sensory Play Activities for some ideas to have fun with your kids!
Follow Samantha @Stir the Wonder’s board Sensory Play Activites on Pinterest.Follow Samantha @Stir the Wonder’s board Art & Crafts for Kids on Pinterest.
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These are really great tips. I particularly liked the idea of having the independent activity set up before the craft/art activity. That’s just a brilliant idea. Sharing and pinning. 🙂 Thanks for the post.
Thanks so much Deborah!
Handy tips to maintain my mommy sanity. I often use the bath curtain. 🙂
Also, one can use a huge cardboard box (like from a stove/fridge) as an art booth and a small kiddie pool (or the bathtub) for water plays.
Hi Samantha! Great useful tips! I’m featuring this post tomorrow at the Thoughtful Spot! : )
Thanks Laura!
My kids love messy play but I am one of the Moms who cringe at the thought of it BUT for their sake I grin and bare it. These ideas will definitely help!