At BestStart Shelly Bay Road in Beachlands, our Kōwhai Room tamariki experience messy play as a powerful form of early learning. One of their favourite activities is gloop play — a simple mix of cornflour and water that supports rich sensory exploration, emotional expression, and early brain development.
If you’ve ever watched a toddler in our Beachlands childcare centre immerse their hands into gloop, you may wonder why we encourage such messy play. The answer lies in the deep learning happening beneath the surface.
Sensory learning through exploration
Gloop is a powerful sensory experience that engages all five senses. Its changing texture — slippery, sticky, cold, and runny — helps tamariki build comfort with different sensations while strengthening sensory processing skills.
Through this type of play in our toddler early learning environment, children are developing important brain connections that support lifelong learning.
Supporting emotional regulation
Messy play also provides a calming and therapeutic experience for toddlers. In the Kōwhai Room, gloop play helps tamariki explore big emotions in a safe and supported way.
It encourages emotional regulation, focus, and self-expression, giving children an outlet to process feelings through hands-on exploration.
Building strength and coordination
Activities like scooping, squeezing, and pinching gloop help strengthen the small muscles in children’s hands and fingers.
These fine motor skills are essential for later abilities such as writing, self-feeding, and dressing — all important milestones in early childhood development.
Language, curiosity, and discovery
In our Beachlands childcare environment, gloop play becomes a rich opportunity for language development. Tamariki are encouraged to describe textures, actions, and discoveries, building early vocabulary and communication skills.
With support from kaiako and whānau, children extend their thinking through conversation, questioning, and shared exploration.
More than messy play
Messy play is not just about creating chaos — it is about connection. In the Kōwhai Room, gloop play supports connections between:
- hands and brain
- curiosity and confidence
- emotion and communication
It is a powerful example of how early learning in Beachlands childcare settings can be both playful and deeply meaningful.