Why We Celebrate International Mud Day At Bright Beginnings

 International Mud Day At Bright Beginnings June 29th, 2018

At Bright Beginnings Preschool we love mud! No really- we prepare each of our 3 locations for International Mud Day annually because we are aware of the immense benefits of children playing in gooey, slimy mud! We even get a special kind of mud shipped to each of our schools- mud that is specially designed for child mud play.  Every year, we involve our infants through pre kindergarteners in all of the mud day fun! Want to learn why we love mud day so much? Read on!

Helps Your Child Reach Developmental Milestones While children continue to grow throughout their formative years, mud can help your child reach their developmental milestones like fine and gross motor skills, sensory awareness, balance and coordination. Mud play is a fantastic opportunity to get children into a fun environment to socialize…what child doesn’t get excited over mud play?

Encourages Your Child To Have A Connection With Nature You guessed it-playing in the mud promotes your child to have an empathetic connection with nature. These days many children are often given more opportunities to play inside than outside in the fresh air. At Bright Beginnings we like our children to be outside a minimum of 2 hours a day participating in our outdoor classroom curriculum but also enjoying free play. We firmly believe that free play is the perfect balance to our creative curriculum. When enrolling at our daycare you can expect your child to be actively engaged in our outdoor classroom everyday with activities like loose parts play!

Mud Is Great For Your Child’s Immune System Step away from the hand sanitizer at home, Mom and Dad! Research has shown that mud (including wet mud!) Actually helps build child’s immune system. So instead of banning dirt play in your household- encourage it!

Playing In The Mud Makes You Happier Researchers have finally proven what kids have known all along…that mud can make you happier. Studies have shown that dirt contains microscopic bacteria called Mycobacterium Vaccae which increases the levels of serotonin in the brain that in turn helps us relax and feel calm. No wonder kids are always so happy playing in the mud!

Promotes Creative Thinking Open ended materials like mud, sand and play dough helps stimulate a child’s imagination and creativity. Imagination and creativity are vital to instill in children from an early age because it not only helps them think outside the box but also encourages children to tackle problem solving skills.

It Could Lessen Your Child’s Chances of Developing Allergies As well as strengthening your child’s immune system, playing in dirt could lessen your child’s chances of developing pesky allergies. Studies have found that children who are raised on farms suffer from less allergies and autoimmune conditions than kids who aren’t raised on farms. A large part of this is because of dirt exposure! This is because gradual exposure to environmental allergies like pollen allows your body to become accustomed to them!