This week our toddlers rolled up their sleeves and got busy in the mud pit with their favourite trucks and diggers.
What started as a simple patch of mud quickly became a busy construction site. Trucks were filled, roads were made, and diggers worked hard to build hills and valleys.
What may look like messy fun is actually powerful learning. As tamariki scooped, poured, and transported mud, they explored early maths concepts like volume and capacity.
Figuring out how to carry heavy loads or patch up a “collapsed road” challenged their problem-solving and perseverance. Working side by side, the children practised important social skills – taking turns, sharing resources, and negotiating whose truck went first.
These little moments of teamwork help build cooperation and communication. Digging and shifting mud also gave their muscles a great workout, building strength, balance, and coordination. The sensory experience of squishing and moulding mud offered calming, grounding moments in the middle of all the action.
At BestStart Puketaha, we value these open-ended play experiences. With just mud, trucks, and imagination, tamariki created roads, bridges, and whole new worlds together. More than anything, they built confidence, friendships, and joy. And the bonus? Mud play isn’t just fun – it’s healthy too.
Research shows that playing in mud can boost children’s immune systems, support healthy gut bacteria, and spark creativity. Here, learning is messy, joyful, and meaningful – and that’s exactly how we like it!