Whenever you see your kid play in the mud, the first thought that often comes to your mind is,
“My kid will get dirty and fall sick. There are harmful germs all around. I have to stop him from playing in mud and have to give him a bath.”
Although it can be agreed upon that getting dirty might cause them to fall sick, kids playing in mud has a fair share of advantages.
Listed below are a few of them that your little one can derive when playing in the mud:
1.Mud makes your child happy: We often see our kids playing with digital devices. Such kids have shown being prone to depression, anxiety and stress. Playing in mud makes you come into contact with friendly soil bacteria which stimulates the immune system to release the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, and such kids have been shown to be more happy, bubbly, more energetic.
Plus, playing in the mud brings in happy memories that they can reflect upon in their adulthood.
2.Mud improves the immune system: In today’s world, it is not uncommon to see parents raising their kids in a clean and hygienic environment. Hand sanitizers, cleaning sprays have become a part and parcel of life .
But, playing with mud and getting dirty can actually help the immune system become stronger and prepares the child to become more disease and allergy resistant at an older age. Henceforth, it is important that you let your kid get exposed to the mud.
3.Full of nutrients: A baby always requires a lot of iron. At birth, they are born with a lot of iron in their body to help them get through the first 6 months of life.
Kids often end up making mud pies, mud cakes and play with them. The same mud contains a lot of iron and is also filled with other nutrients like Zinc, Manganese and Potassium. So, dear parents, please let your munchkin frolic in the mud at that age itself.
4.Helps you better understand nature: Playing with mud and dirt helps kids know the various organisms that live and thrive in mud and also about the plants that grow with it.
It helps them build a deeper connection with nature and the earth and it inculcates the habit of preserving the both at an early age.
5.It increases physical activity: When playing in the mud, kids are running, jumping, crawling, rolling over and covering their faces in mud. With so much physical activity, it keeps them healthy and they take this as they grow older, thus maintaining a healthy lifestyle as adults.
6.Stimulates the brain and increases creativity: While frolicking in mud, the kids use all of their senses, which thus stimulates the brain and keeps them active. As a result, it unleashes their creativity, as they invent different kinds of games, come up with big ideas, increases their problem solving ability.
The cutest part is when they draw all sorts of figures in the mud and make mud cakes and play with them.
7.Mud gives kids a sense of adventure: When kids play around in the mud, they set challenges for themselves, build experiences and instill a sense of adventure.
This makes them see challenges with a more positive outlook, and helps them push beyond their limits and also imbibes critical thinking at an early age.
I am sure some of you might still think that there are diseases associated with playing in mud. I agree, there are diseases associated with doing so. For that, after your kid is done playing in mud, please wash your kid’s hands and give them a bath with soap and water immediately for effective removal of dirt and do not use any sanitisers or sanitary wipes to clean them.
We best hope that we can set aside our devices today and become down-to-earth by letting our kids play in the mud.
