Messy play; playing with sand, earth, water, dough and clay, paint and glue is both relaxing and soothing for children and can actually be fun for parents too.

It doesn't necessarily have to mean much mess for Mum or Dad to clean up, and it's a great outlet for a child's creativity as well as a means of venting any feelings of frustration and anger. It also gives children a marvellous chance to experiment and learn by pouring, sifting, measuring, moulding, moistening, hardening, colouring, and sticking.

Working with messy play materials, as opposed to structured and specific toys, a child can use their imagination to their full.

For parents, the plus side is that these activities cost very little and mean that with just a little planning, children can play happily for hours.

Many parents find a messy play activity has a beneficial effect on a young child's temperament and make her calmer and easier to cope with. And there really isn't a right or wrong age to start. As soon as your child can sit and grasp a toy spade, small bucket or a chunky paintbrush they can play with paints, in sand or with water.

If you have a garden, and the weather is fine, messy activities can take place outdoors where there is more space and you do not have to worry so much about protecting furniture or floors and about cleaning up afterwards.

However, if you plan in advance, it is possible to stage messy play indoors, however small your house or flat. Just follow these steps for:

Organizing messy play sessions
Outdoor messy play suggestions
Indoor messy play suggestions