Clothes dry, and so do puddles
The simple science behind why we should let our kids embrace their inner Peppa Pig
I was at kinder drop off a few weeks ago, and this is what I heard.
“Get out of the puddle! You’re not Peppa Pig!”
It was a rainy day, and there was water spouting down from the kinder roof, making a large and enticing puddle. Yet not a single child was playing in it. Some dared to go close, but were promptly called back by their caregivers, who were ostensibly concerned about wet clothes and cold children.
It saddened me a little bit.
Now, I’m not trying to judge those parents individually. Maybe they just didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with an extra outfit change that day, or maybe they hadn’t packed spare clothes in the kinder bag. There’s plenty of legitimate reasons why a child shouldn’t splash in a puddle on any given day.
However, as a collective, I believe that too few kids have the opportunity to jump in puddles.
Free play is on the decline. Between school, extracurricular activities, and parents’ work responsibilities, kids have less time than ever to play outside, unfettered by adult expectations. Often, the time they do get to play is adult-directed, or at minimum, adult-supervised. This often means that they aren’t allowed to engage in the messy play that they are naturally drawn to.
But here’s the simple truth.
Clothes dry.
And so do puddles.
I know that sometimes, the dirty wetness of puddle jumping is inconvenient. Yet if we are always saying no to puddles, our kids will miss out. There are only so many days a year with good puddle jumping weather.
Puddle jumping is fun. It also:
- Is a gross motor activity
Jumping strengthens leg muscles, improves balance, improves bone health, and develops motor sequencing skills
- Is a science experiment
Observe a child jumping in a puddle, and you’ll notice them experimenting with different amounts of force (big jumps vs little jumps), direction (jumping straight up and down vs doing swooping kicks or running through the puddle), and gravity (how high can their splashes go?)
- Is a sensory experience
Wet, muddy, squelchy, cold. Puddles are something kids experience with all their senses (including taste if they faceplant in the puddle!)
- Supports our hidden senses
Jumping requires balance (vestibular system), encourages the development of proprioception (knowing how our bodies move through space), and can be an interoceptive experience too (through experiencing increased heart rate and muscle tension).
Fortunately, there is more to the story of the kinder drop off. After the mother said “Get out of the puddle! You’re not Peppa Pig!”, her child called back,
“I’m not Peppa Pig! I’m George!”
And he proceeded to jump in the puddle.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you encourage puddle play? Will you be more likely to allow it after reading this? Will you be joining us on our annual hunt for the biggest puddle ever?
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