If you have received this email you are either a parent, a carer of or hold a close connection to a child. We would love to take you along to a journey that has helped us open our eyes to the importance of play. In this blog we would love to tell you a bit more about something we feel very passionate about, messy play. 
As parents, we often find ourselves striving for a tidy and organised environment for our little ones. I mean, who doesn't like a clean and tidy home. If you are anything like us you would love the idea of involving your children in play but at the same time you want your house to look like one of those display homes where everything looks pretty and neat. We get it, we work hard to create a lovely space and we like to keep it that way. However, amidst the chaos,messy play brings on a world of immense value and growth opportunities for our little ones and while it may seem chaotic and intimidating, it is an essential part of childhood development. With this in mind and recognising that no parent wants to deal with cleaning up a mess, we have created a product that will allow you the space to let go of the worries about the stained clothes and dirty floors, and watch our children grow and thrive in the world of messy play in a contained way. The Magic Canvas. But more on that later…
For now, we'll explore the importance of messy play in general and why it deserves a place in every child's life.
Creativity and Imagination:
Messy play is a breeding ground for creativity and imagination. When children are given the freedom to experiment, manipulate, and combine various materials, they engage in open-ended play. This unrestricted form of play stimulates their imagination, allowing them to create stories, build new worlds, and solve problems in their unique way. Through messy play, children learn to think outside the box, to embrace their creativity, and to trust their instincts.
Emotional and Social Development:
Messy play also plays a pivotal role in emotional and social development. When children participate in messy play activities, they are often required to share space, tools, and ideas with their peers. In other words it invites collaboration, communication and negotiation. All vital interactions prepare them for real life.Moreover, messy play offers a safe space for emotional expression. Children can freely explore and release their feelings, whether it be excitement, frustration, or joy, by engaging in sensory-rich experiences.
Fine and Gross Motor Skills:
The act of messy play involves physical movement, enabling children to develop both their fine and gross motor skills. Whether they are pouring, squishing, stacking, or molding, children engage their muscles and hand-eye coordination, improving their dexterity and control. Activities like finger painting, playing with sand, or squeezing clay can strengthen hand muscles, preparing them for writing, tying shoelaces, and other essential tasks as they grow older.
These are only 3 of the many benefits of messy play. There is plenty more to explore and we'd be happy to do that in later blogs.
To us, embracing messy play in childhood is a gift that keeps on giving. By allowing our children the freedom to explore, create, and get messy, we enable them to develop essential skills for life. From inviting creativity and imagination to fostering social development, messy play offers a rich and vibrant path to learning.
Now, we get it, we all want our kids to gain all the developmental advantages that messy play provides but the reality is that after a full day of work nobody is looking forward to dealing with the aftermath of it. Luckily the Magic Canvas offers just that, all the advantages of messy play and no mess to clean after.
If you are interested in learning about the different ways you can use the Magic Canvas, head onto our Instagram page here.
So, let's give our children the chance to experience the magic of messy play without reservations. A massive win for all involved.
If you've made it this far, thank you for listening.
We hope you find this useful.
Until next time, friends… x
Kieran and Mayra
Cub & Fox