Little Messy Learners: A hands-on play experience for ‘pure, unfiltered fun’

Posted on 11 January, 2024

Mum of three Caitlin Judd knows too well the challenge of getting all those fun ‘hands-on’ Pinterest and Instagram kid’s activities from the saved folder to the dining room table.

“Like many mums I’m sure, I’ve spent countless hours scrolling through Instagram, saving dozens of posts in the well-intentioned ‘try with the kids’ folder,” says Caitlin.

“But life gets busy and messy enough without adding in messy, immersive play to the list. So those posts did nothing but serve as another form of mum guilt. I knew there had to be a better way. As I started researching, I realised there wasn’t much on offer for Canberra kids to get messy and for parents to simply enjoy the experience without the clean-up.”

Caitlin with her family.

Like so many families, it was the COVID lockdowns that finally gave Caitlin some much-needed time and headspace back when it came to work-life balance.

“During Covid I had the opportunity to be hands on with my kids learning and I loved it. It was my passion calling and I knew I needed a change. The catalyst for change was thrust upon me with the sudden passing of my brother Mitch in early 2023. Mitch was only 33 and had his whole life ahead of him. His loss brought our whole world to a standstill. His passing was a reminder that life is a gift not to be taken for granted.”

Caitlin (far right) with her brother Mitch.

“Equipped with my own experiences as a mum to three, but also this intense drive and determination to live a life with meaning, my decision to launch Little Messy Learners in Canberra was born.”

Little Messy Learners is a place for kids and their parents to live out all those wonderfully tactile hands-on play experiences without the worry of clean-up or trips to the supermarket and craft store to buy supplies.

Specialising in Messy Play and Mark Making, these classes are designed to enhance early writing skills for children and will run every Friday during school terms. Every class will run to a different theme and kids will be able to get messy through various forms of wet and dry textures, practice making marks, develop fine and gross motors skills and have opportunities for social interaction with other kids. The classes promise to be a whole lot of fun and the best part is parents get to walk away at the end knowing that their house remained clean.

“Fast forward one year and I’m preparing to launch my first classes in Term 1 on Friday 9 February,” says Caitlin. “I’ve had so much interest (and praise) from parents about the classes, I know I’m on the right track. This is not only needed for our children, but for our parents and carers as well.”

“Messy play is great for kids, it helps to strengthen the muscles in the hands that will eventually help a child to write, which of course is what Little Messy Learners is all about – preparing children for preschool and those early writing skills. It’s also great for cognitive development and wonderful for social skills. What makes Little Messy Learners unique is that the core of the program is learning foundational writing skills through mark making that will prepare a child for their schooling experience.”

Besides the developmental benefits, however, Caitlin says there’s simply a whole lot of fun to be had.

“Watching a child have pure, unfiltered fun while squishing slime, or tearing paper or playing in mud is the best kind of joy. As well as having some wonderful educational and developmental benefits, allowing your children to be carefree and messy in an environment where they don’t need to sensor themselves is great for everyone.”

Best of all, at the end of the 45-minute session you simply wash your hands and head home — no cleaning slime off of table tops or washing up paint-smeared crockery — a luxury Caitlin knows is priceless.

“Of course, what stops many parents from doing these activities at home is time, patience, and the space to do so. Parents are so time-poor that being able to set up beautiful, engaging sensory activities, supervise the kids so the house doesn’t get destroyed and then spend hours cleaning it up afterwards is simply not practical.”