Hooray, hooray – it's time for messy play!

This is a messy activity, so you’ll need an area that’s fine to get wet. Be prepared to clean your baby and get them changed!  

What you need 

• Baby safe slime (recipe below) 
• An area to be messy in – you could lay down a waterproof mat if you have one 
• A change of clothes 

What to try 

• Make some thick mud or slime, or spread out a sticky liquid, such as baby shampoo, bubble bath for babies, or baby-friendly paint.  
• Give your baby time to explore the sticky textures with their hands while you sit with them.  
• It's fine if your baby doesn't love wet sensory play – everyone has different sensory preferences.  
• If your baby doesn’t like this kind of play, you could explore dry textures or look for everyday opportunities to explore, like touching food.  

Good to know 

When your baby moves their hands through different textures, they use information from what they see and feel to develop their understanding. They will make connections between areas of their brain that process information from their senses which will help them to understand their body position and how their movement leads to patterns and marks.    

To make baby-safe slime 

• I bar of baby soap (grated) 
• Around 2.5 litres of warm to hot water (you may need more or less ) 
• Food colouring (optional) 
• A whisk to mix it together and froth up 
• A large tub or bucket for mixing  

What to do 

• Pop the grated soap bar into a bowl.  
• Slowly add the warm water and mix with the whisk. 
• Add enough water (and colouring, if desired) to make a consistency you’re happy for your baby to play with.  
• Leave it for a few hours to cool and thicken up. Then let the fun begin!