messy play isn’t just a giggle… reason # 10

***Language Development***
Lots of research points to the fact that physical experience assists in language development – we often hear our older monkeys grappling with new words to describe the new experiences they are having… when putting her feet into gellibaff for the first time one monkey pondered for a while before saying it was “blotchy” – what a great word! While we engage in messy play with our children we talk to them – describing what we are feeling and discovering… often the materials we use lend themselves to imaginary play and so fabulous stories develop with playdough octopuses getting trapped in collinders filled with volcanic custard… fantastic speech development!