Encouraging smashing and mashing in early learning settings might initially seem bonkers, but this messy and destructive activity holds a wealth of developmental benefits for little learners.

This post explores ten compelling reasons why early learning professionals and parents should embrace the messy magic of playful smashing and mashing. First, a pair of notes:

1. My early learning buddy Samantha inspired this post with her recent post entitled Appetite For Destruction, where she looks at why kids like knocking down block structures.
2. There are all kinds of options when it comes to smashing and mashing tools. The photos in this post show so many wooden mashers for a reason: I made them all back in my toy-making days, and the images were easy to access.

Now, let’s get into those reasons for supporting playful smashing and mashing:

It’s Fun

Smashing and mashing activities are inherently enjoyable for children (and plenty of adults). It’s fun to pound a ball of clay into a pancake. It’s fun to smash a wooden mallet into a vat of soupy mud. It’s fun to mash up semi-rotten pumpkins the day after Halloween. I know ‘have some fun’ is not at the top of many people’s lists of learning outcomes and curriculum goals, but it should be.

Sensory Integration

Engaging a child’s 8 sensory systems is crucial for their development. Smashing and mashing activities provide a rich sensory experience, allowing children to explore different textures, temperatures, and materials.

The tactile sensations kids encounter are the first thing adults may notice, but smashing and mashing also involve the other systems. The visual system is hard at work aligning the masher with its intended target, and the proprioceptive system is attending to grip pressure and body positioning, for example.

Muscle Strength And Control

The manipulation of objects during smashing and mashing builds strength and control of small and large muscle groups. For example, using a large masher, a form of heavy work, builds core strength, and all Smashing and mashing activities hone precision and power grips as children use their fingers and hands to grasp, squeeze, and crush items.

Understanding Cause-And-Effect

Smashing and mashing objects offers an immediate lesson in cause and effect. Children observe the consequences of their actions, gaining a tangible understanding of these fundamental principles. The play dough was smooth, but now it has square indentations. This hands-on experience lays the foundation for logical thinking.

Creativity And Imagination

Embracing the messiness of smashing and mashing sparks creativity and imagination in young minds. Children experiment with different materials, exploring how to transform and combine them innovatively, fostering creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

They also get creative and imaginative in how they go about smashing and mashing. For example, I’ve seen kids hold the masher behind their backs and with their feet.

Emotional Regulation

Physical activities like smashing and mashing serve as an emotional release valve for some children. Providing outlets for pent-up energy, anger, aggression, frustration, and other strong emotions helps reduce classroom ‘behavior problems.’ It helps children regulate their emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Language Development

As children engage in smashing and mashing, they naturally begin to describe their actions, share ideas, ask questions, and express feelings. Such verbal communication enhances language development and vocabulary, sharpening communication skills.

Math Concepts

Kids involved in smashing and mashing tend to brush up against early math concepts as they count each stroke of their masher as it strikes a hunk of dried mud, count how many smaller hunks the big hunk burst into, compare the sizes of those smaller hunks, and engage in sorting said hunks.

Science, Technology, And Engineering

Beyond math, smashing and mashing is a chance for kids to engage in the other components of STEM learning, science, technology, and engineering. The hands-on experience of smooshing things or breaking them apart contributes to the understanding of basic scientific, engineering, and technological principles and concepts.

Social Skills

Such activities are also opportunities for social interaction. Sharing materials, taking turns, waiting for a turn, and collaborating help children develop positive social skills. Self-organizing to determine what to smash next, who goes first, and how long a turn lasts fosters community and cooperation.

Smashing And Mashing Wrap-Up

Incorporating smashing and mashing activities into early learning settings may seem unconventional, but the developmental benefits they offer are undeniable. This is a form of power play that all early learning settings should find a way to embrace.

Contribute content to Playvolution HQ
Brought to you by Explorations Early Learning

Browse Trainings