For Type A moms, we can often want our kids to be clean and tidy. To have everything lined up nicely and never make a mess. But I don’t subscribe to that (though I do love to keep a tidy house) and here’s why. Post contains affiliate links.
You might think that because I talk a lot about routine, the importance of sleep, making sure my kids mind me, and keeping a tidy home that I’m crazy about keeping the kids clean. But that isn’t the case.
I let the kids get as dirty as they want.
As often as they want.
And it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.Â
My family gives me The Side Eye because I don’t tell them to stay out of puddles, the mud, or to stop playing in dirt. I am not sure why, but from early on I decided I like when the kids get dirty and the only thing I do to monitor this is not let them dress in anything too precious during play time.
What's in this post...
Why we should let our kids get as dirty as they want
1. It’s fun
There is something very satisfying about doing something that seems somehow… wrong. It seems like things should always be clean, neat, and tidy. But why? The kids laugh, yell, and squeal with such pleasure while getting into a big mess that I know they must think they are – somehow – getting away with something.
And what child doesn’t like to get away with something?
2. Sensory satisfaction
Young children need a lot of sensory input. This is why playing with water, swimming, dirt, and mud can entertain children for hours. When I sit down to play with them, I get sucked in too! The kids have outside play together on most days, and they get so engrossed it usually only takes a trip to the potty or need for a snack to bring them back in.
Even my baby loves to sit and splash in the puddles, eat dirt (ahem), or chew on acorns. I will often sit with the kids and draw in the sand. It’s amazing how many minutes go by while in a sand daze. I guess it’s like adult coloring
. And we all know that’s the rage right now
.
3. It’s not permanent
I think one of the reasons people don’t let their children get filthy is because of the fear of ruining clothes. Luckily, this day in age with a good laundry system, an effective method for removing stains, and a washing machine, you can pretty much get most stains out.
If it’s not permanent, it doesn’t hurt anybody, and it’s fun, then why not? And even then, I have some clothes that are perfect for outside play because they were inexpensive and not precious. Stains, rips, or tears won’t really matter nor will I feel compelled to chase them asking them to stop wallering.
4. Kids love it
One way to draw the kids outside if they’d rather be inside is to tempt them with the garden or the sand pit
. Every time they go out they put on their rain boots by the front door, and then take off running. Whether they are moving around the dirt in the garden bed, picking flowers, or just running, they end up dirty. Particularly in the summer. If your kids don’t like playing outside then look at these tips for outside play with small ones.
5. Why not?
This spring I’ve been trying to let the kids do things I might have said no to in the past. Like getting all filthy. Or in the summer, swimming with our clothes on just because we were hot. Or even letting the kids swim naked. Because… why not? Who cares! Whether they are playing sports, doing outside work, or just playing around, part of being outside and alive is getting dirty.
6. It’s better than screen time all the time
If your kids are super into screentime and you find it hard to set limits for them, shoving them outside and letting them run wild is key. All kids love a good cartoon or two, but no one remembers hours logged in front of the television. We remember playing games outside, chasing siblings, and the satisfied feeling of physical tiredness after physical play. Try putting outside play time before screen time to get your kids more into it.
What do your kids love to do outside?
I partnered with Maytag to do this post.
Yes :) No khakis colored pants outside but otherwise it’s pretty much free game. If we’ve had a very rainy season, I have them put on old clothes since mud isn’t always easy to get out. My one problem is my son still crawls, so he is SO FILTHY it’s hard to get him to the bathtub without getting muddy myself :) My daughter’s favorite is to put on rain boots and her rain coat and play in the rain.
Yes, the crawlers are the hardest ones, huh? I actually find some type of maternal satisfaction letting them play around and get dirty. It feels like real childhood memories :)
Thank you for writing this. I’ve been guilty myself of worrying about my daughter’s clothes getting dirty instead of just letting her play. I have to really remind myself to just let it go.
One of my fondest memories of last summer is the day I jumped into a mud puddle behind her, getting us both filthy! It started an all out pud muddle jumping fest! :D
Yes, it’s those exact moments that are so unexpectedly fun. And nothing a bit of soaking can’t cure ;)
We live in Michigan, so when it is still snowing in April, I get envious of those who live in warmer climates. Playing outside is the best! Some how the kids just get along better in the open space. Everyone can find their own stick to play with, so there isn’t the fighting over toys either. :-) We have a pretty small yard, so I’m searching for ideas on how to make the most of it as a play space.
Rachael, I’d go to Happy Hooligans cause she runs a daycare out of her home and has some really cool outdoor type ideas that are not too structured, but can make a smaller yard super fun! And I am with you on all points :)
We love nature, flowers, cloud spotting, so finding and exploring woods, in all seasons, is a real treat. Wearing layers and having the wellies in the car mean we’re ready to go. It’s always a memorable sensory experience.
Totally agree!!!!!!!!
I have a 2 years old daughter. She loves to play in the mud. We live on a small farm in the country. We have this small creek the runs dry every summer and becomes nothing but mud. So on Sunday we take her there strip her naked and let her play in the mud that 5 to 8 inches deep. She runs in lays down and has a great time. She get it on every inch of her body. Then we have to give her a bath in a wash tub in the back yard that she enjoys.
Haha I hope you have TONS of photos of this :)
Thats like my 25 yr old AUT bro. HE LOVES WHATEVER FILTHY play hes doing but he has to it naked becuse #1 you cant keep clothes on him. And #2. Its so comforting for him to be naked.
I have a 4 year old daughter. She love to play in the mud. My wife and I live on property out in the country. We have this area we call the mud hole. During the summer time on Sunday’s my wife and I take our daughter there. Strip her naked. Let her play in the mud and run around naked. My wife set there and watch the fun. Then we have to take the water hose to clean her up.
Ha, we are so similar we do the same :)
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My 25 yr old AUT bro. (Who also had 6 brain surgeries) LOVES ANTHING MESSY but he does it naked becuse he loves being naked too and its just easyer for us clean him. I love that dude
I’m a dev psychologist and my experiences have been that the kids I know and grew up with did not like getting dirty. I’m also an artist and never had a shortage of stimulating textures without getting dirty. I find it hard to believe that dirty kids don’t make for a dirty home as the neighbors I knew with ten kids were always dirty as was their house.
I have to disagree! I always allowed my 3 daughters to get as dirty as they wanted! Yes, I would let them go out and play in the mud. But even when there was no mud to be had, there were days when they just didn’t want a bath–and I didn’t force them to have one! If they chose not to, I just let them go without one. Sometimes they only got one once a week! And they grew up just fine! Dirty kids do NOT necessarily equal negligence. Mine were never neglected nor unloved. But they also weren’t necessarily the cleanest kids in our neighborhood!
Good day to yall ;)
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I love this article so much! I am a pre-k teacher and I am continually telling parents to “choose their battles,” by letting kids be kids in the best way possible. Messiness and dirty clothes is all part of it…it is how they learn. AND, kids should be having fun, even if it makes our job a wee bit harder in the laundry room.
Thank you for verbalizing all of this so well.
Cam
I love this article because restricting children to do stuff not only kills the creative ability of the kids but also affects the personality of the child. I let my child do safe experiments and encourage them to take initiative