Super easy messy play ideas your child will love
Tap into your child’s natural curiosity with messy play ideas that are cost-effective and easy to make.
From gooey slime to DIY quicksand, your child will love these messy but fun ideas, perfect for keeping busy kids entertained this weekend. In this article, we’ve selected our favourite messy play ideas for children of all ages.
G is for Gloopy, Gooey Slime
This is the slimiest slime ever. It drips and drags from fingertips, oozes, and squeezes from fists. If your little one is in need of a swamp for his collection of dinosaurs, look no further.
You will Need
- 75g cornflour
- 120ml baby shampoo
- Green food colouring
Method
- Put the cornflour and baby shampoo into a bowl and mix together until smooth.
- Add the food colouring and mix again.
C is for Cloud Fluff
This super-soft dough smells amazing and feels even better. You’ll love this one too − although it’s dry to the touch it will leave your hands feeling moisturised and your cuticles in tip-top condition!
You will need
- 175ml baby hair conditioner
- 250g cornflour
Method
- Put the two ingredients into a bowl and mix – the dough will take a minute to come together.
- Knead for a further minute until smooth.
Top tip: Knead in a spoonful of glitter to add sparkles to your cloud fluff.
O is for Oobleck
Have you ever read the Dr Seuss classic, Bartholomew and the Oobleck? It’s the tale of a king who gets annoyed at the rain in spring, the sun in summer, fog in autumn, and snow in winter. When the royal magicians make sticky green slime called Oobleck fall from the sky instead, he learns not to moan – after a boy called Bartholomew saves the kingdom from the goo, of course. And this recipe for Oobleck makes some very odd goo indeed. Move your hands through it slowly or pour it, and it’s a slimy liquid. But squish or squash it together, or hit it, and it’s solid. Make it and your toddler will love it – and read the story too!
You will need
- 300g cornflour
- 225ml water
- Green food colouring
Method
- Place the cornflour in a bowl and pour over the water and food colouring.
- Mix until there are no lumps – you’ll have to mix slowly so it stays liquid.
Q is for Quicksand
Pinch a few handfuls of clean sand from the sandpit to make this. All the other ingredients make it easy to mould, so your little one will enjoy pressing it into pots to make mini sandcastles. It’s fun to add food colouring to the water before mixing. Try making two colours, so they gradually mix to make a new colour as your tot plays. This can be stored in an airtight container – spray on a little water if it dries out between plays.
You will need
- 1 litre play sand
- 110g cornflour
- 1 tbsp baby shampoo
- 200ml water
Method
- Put the sand into a large bowl and mix in the cornflour.
- In a separate container, mix the baby shampoo and water.
- Pour the liquid into the sand mixture and mix well.
- Add a little more water if you need to, until the mixture starts to clump together.
Top tip: An old shower curtain spread on the kitchen floor makes a great surface for messy play: it contains the mess and it’s fast and easy to clear up afterwards.
