Our readers know that the Muddy Team will never tire of encouraging outdoor play and activities.

We believe that spending time outside is the best way for a child to learn and develop all the necessary skills they need. Playing outdoors is healthy, fun, important for social development and boosts self-confidence. We are very excited to join our strengths with Plum Play® team as we both share the same passion and love for the outdoors! Plum Play offers a wide range of amazing activity toys for children of all ages, from role play to trampolines, swing sets to sand pits. The aim is to increase children’s physical development, coordination and strength through outdoor play. One of Plum Play’s bestselling products is The Plum® Discovery Mud Pie Kitchen, a perfect outdoor toy for all the little explorers.

 We also love working with forest schools such as The Woodland Nursery in London. They are as passionate about messy play as we are, encouraging children to play with mud kitchens. Mud kitchens combine sensory play with hands-on learning plus, children have so much fun sploshing about with water and mud, dig in the dirt and get creative with flowers, twigs and other natural materials. With a mud kitchen in your garden you don’t need many resources to make sure your children are having a great time. Plants, sand, flowers and twigs found in nature are enough! Mud kitchens develop motor skills and coordination, are amazing for sensory play and encourage children to spend more time outdoors.

Read on for the top 5 benefits of messy play, from Plum Play, outdoor play experts

Encouraging messy, nature play sits at the heart of the Plum Discovery® range. The research is clear that the best practice for early childhood education is to move away from structured activities and encourage more play and exploration. Learning through unstructured play early in life will help your child build skills and interests that serves them throughout their school years and into adulthood. The Plum Discovery® range combines hands-on play and learning, bringing school into the garden. There are many special ways your child can learn and develop through play, check out these 5 great benefits of messy play:

1. Fuel their imaginations and creativity Children learn through imagination and expression helping them to develop emotionally.

2. Develop social skills and sharing Children will grow relationship skills and build friendships through playing together.

3. Encourage experimental play When children experiment at playtime, learning becomes more fun!

4. Inspire new interests Encouraging curiosities and hobbies sets children on their way to exploring and nurturing new environments.

5. Improve cognitive skills Children engaging in pretend play tend to have more sophisticated levels of interaction with others.  

The Plum Discovery® Mud Pie Kitchen is a great way for children to engage in STEM education and get stuck in at playtime. The whole family can join in on treasure hunts around the garden all year round to find yummy ingredients to make a wonderful feast. Plum Play® and Muddy Puddles share the same passion to encourage outdoor, messy play throughout the seasons.