“Playing in the mud makes us happy as soil contains the bacteria mycobacterium vaccae and triggers a release of serotonin – ‘the happy hormone’” (d’Ascoli and Hunter 2022)
Working together with gentle adult guidance, children learn through shared exploration, cooperation, and first-hand experiences
Scooping, mixing, and exploring mud helps develop children’s physical skills, thinking, and understanding of the natural world
Learning through imaginative, hands-on play
Early learning begins with sensory exploration
Hands-on exploration with real tools supports learning through first-hand experience and discovery
First-hand exploration, guided by an educator, helps children make sense of their world through play
Learning together through play, exploration, and guided support
Digging and filling supports strength, coordination, and early problem-solving skills
Through shared mud play, children build social skills, confidence, and understanding, supported by skilled educators
Mud Play and the Froebelian Approach
At the EYEC, mud play is a valued part of our curriculum, offering babies and children rich opportunities to explore, create, and learn through first-hand experiences. Rooted in the Froebelian approach, we believe children learn best through play, freedom, and meaningful interaction with the natural world.
Learning Through Play
Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852), founder of the kindergarten, recognised play as central to children’s learning and development. Through mud play, children draw on their own experiences to explore ideas, solve problems, and express creativity. Mixing, pouring, scooping, and creating mud pies or potions helps children make sense of the world through imagination and sensory exploration.
Enabling Environments
Children explore mud in safe, thoughtfully designed environments both indoors and outdoors. Our covered mud kitchen uses clean compost and includes raised mud pits, worktops, and a wide range of accessible resources such as pots, spoons, scoops, and natural loose parts. All materials are stored at children’s level, supporting independence and choice. Mud play is also available indoors using trays and tuff trays, ensuring all children, including babies, can take part.
Research highlighted by the Froebel Trust shows that playing with mud can support wellbeing and happiness by triggering the release of serotonin, often referred to as the “happy hormone”.
Social Learning and Development
Lev Vygotsky emphasised that children learn through social interaction and described play as “the leading form of development in young children”. Mud play encourages collaboration, turn-taking, communication, and shared problem-solving, supporting children’s social and emotional development.
Freedom and Guidance
In line with Froebelian principles, children are given the freedom to lead their play, while skilled practitioners gently guide and extend learning. Staff model rich language, introduce new ideas, and support physical development as children develop fine and gross motor skills through squishing, mixing, and exploring mud.
Creativity, Imagination, and Early Learning
Mud play supports creativity, imagination, and early literacy as children make marks, shapes, and letters in the mud or record their own recipes. Through discussion and exploration, children also learn about the natural world, including seasons, change, and materials.
At the EYEC, we view all babies and children as capable, curious learners. Inspired by Friedrich Froebel and Lev Vygotsky, our approach ensures that mud play is not just messy fun, but a meaningful and joyful foundation for lifelong learning.